BJJ Graph

Open Guard Bottom

Dec 09, 202515 min read

Open Guard Bottom is a dynamic family of guard positions where the bottom player’s legs are not closed around the opponent, allowing for greater mobility and attack variety at the cost of some defensive security. This position offers exceptional offensive versatility through numerous variations (butterfly, spider, lasso, de la riva, reverse de la riva, x-guard, single leg x), creating a complex strategic landscape. Open Guard serves as both a starting point for sweeps and submissions and as a transitional hub connecting various guard systems. The position emphasizes active engagement through foot and hand control, distance management, and constant threat creation. Unlike closed guard’s reliance on leg lock for control, open guard requires continuous adjustment and reactive positioning based on opponent movement. This makes it simultaneously more demanding and more versatile, rewarding practitioners who develop strong grip fighting, hip mobility, and transition fluency. Success in open guard bottom depends on reading opponent’s posture within 2-3 seconds and immediately transitioning to the appropriate specific guard system - Spider for kneeling opponents, De La Riva for standing opponents, Butterfly for forward pressure. The guard player must create constant dilemmas through simultaneous threats of sweeps and submissions, preventing the passer from settling into their preferred strategy.

Position Definition

  • Legs are open and actively engaged with opponent’s hips, knees, or ankles, creating barriers and control points rather than passive positioning with constant micro-adjustments based on opponent’s movements
  • Bottom player maintains at least one point of contact with opponent through hands (grips on gi/wrists) or feet (hooks on hips/legs), preventing free movement and maintaining connection for offensive and defensive purposes
  • Hip positioning remains mobile and reactive, with bottom player able to adjust angles and create distance through shrimping and hip movement, never remaining flat on back for extended periods
  • Upper body maintains active frames or grips that prevent opponent from achieving chest-to-chest pressure or establishing dominant crossface control, creating separation and offensive opportunities

Prerequisites

  • Hip mobility and leg dexterity sufficient to maintain active foot positioning on opponent’s hips, knees, or legs
  • Understanding of grip fighting fundamentals including sleeve control, collar grips, and pant grips
  • Basic framing mechanics with arms to create and maintain distance
  • Ability to manage distance dynamically through shrimping and hip escape movements
  • Developed sense of balance and base to prevent being easily driven backward or flattened
  • Familiarity with at least 2-3 specific guard variations to transition into from open guard

Key Defensive Principles

  • Maintain active foot and hand engagement at all times - passive limbs invite passing pressure
  • Control distance and angles through strategic framing and leg positioning, never allowing opponent to close distance freely
  • Prevent opponent from establishing dominant grips or pressure by constant grip fighting and hand battling
  • Create and exploit leverage through strategic hooks and grips, using opponent’s momentum against them
  • Connect upper and lower body control systems - grips and hooks must work together cohesively
  • Constantly threaten multiple attack vectors simultaneously to create dilemmas and prevent focused passing
  • Maintain hip mobility and avoid being flattened - once shoulders are pinned, guard retention becomes exponentially harder

Available Escapes

Scissor Sweep → Mount

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 35%
  • Intermediate: 50%
  • Advanced: 65%

Hip Bump Sweep → Mount

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 30%
  • Intermediate: 45%
  • Advanced: 60%

Butterfly Sweep → Mount

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 40%
  • Intermediate: 55%
  • Advanced: 70%

De La Riva Sweep → Standing Position

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 25%
  • Intermediate: 40%
  • Advanced: 60%

X-Guard Sweep → Mount

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 30%
  • Intermediate: 50%
  • Advanced: 70%

Spider Guard Sweeps → Mount

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 35%
  • Intermediate: 50%
  • Advanced: 65%

Lasso Guard Sweeps → Side Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 30%
  • Intermediate: 45%
  • Advanced: 60%

Omoplata Sweep → Mount

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 25%
  • Intermediate: 40%
  • Advanced: 55%

Triangle from Guard → Triangle Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 20%
  • Intermediate: 35%
  • Advanced: 50%

Armbar from Guard → Armbar Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 15%
  • Intermediate: 30%
  • Advanced: 45%

Kimura from Guard → Kimura Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 20%
  • Intermediate: 35%
  • Advanced: 50%

Omoplata from Guard → Omoplata Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 15%
  • Intermediate: 30%
  • Advanced: 45%

Opponent Counters

Counter-Attacks

Decision Making from This Position

If opponent is standing or on knees with upright posture:

If opponent attempts to pass with knee cut or slice:

If opponent drives forward with pressure passing:

If opponent establishes strong grips and attempts toreando:

If opponent postures up and creates distance:

Common Defensive Mistakes

1. Passive legs/feet that remain static without active engagement

  • ❌ Consequence: Allows opponent to easily control distance, establish grips, and initiate passing sequences without resistance
  • ✅ Correction: Maintain constant foot activity - push, pull, hook, and reposition feet to create barriers and control opponent’s movement

2. Overextending arms in frames or grips, creating vulnerability to armlocks

  • ❌ Consequence: Exposes limbs to submissions and allows opponent to break through frames by attacking the extended joints
  • ✅ Correction: Keep elbows close to body when framing, use structure rather than strength, and maintain bent-arm angles for safety

3. Disconnected upper and lower body control - grips and hooks working independently

  • ❌ Consequence: Creates gaps in defensive structure that allow opponent to split defenses and achieve passing position
  • ✅ Correction: Coordinate grip fighting with foot positioning - when pushing with feet, pull with hands; when hooking with legs, frame with arms

4. Static positioning without adjustment to opponent’s movement

  • ❌ Consequence: Allows opponent to establish rhythm, predict defensive responses, and systematically dismantle guard structure
  • ✅ Correction: Constantly adjust angles, switch grips, change guard variations, and create unpredictable movement patterns

5. Poor distance management - allowing opponent too close or being pushed too far away

  • ❌ Consequence: Too close enables smash passing and pressure; too far eliminates control and allows opponent to disengage completely
  • ✅ Correction: Maintain optimal mid-range distance where feet can control hips/knees while hands control upper body - adjust dynamically

6. Flat back position with shoulders pinned to mat

  • ❌ Consequence: Severely limits hip mobility, makes guard retention exponentially harder, and signals imminent guard pass
  • ✅ Correction: Keep shoulders off mat when possible, maintain active posture, and use bridging/shrimping to prevent flattening

7. Committing too heavily to single guard variation without transition options

  • ❌ Consequence: Allows opponent to develop specialized counters and passing strategies for that specific guard
  • ✅ Correction: Develop fluid transitions between guard variations - spider to lasso to de la riva - based on opponent’s reactions

Training Drills for Defense

Open Guard Retention with Progressive Passing Pressure

Partner attempts various passes while you maintain open guard structure. Start at 50% intensity and gradually increase to competition pace. Focus on maintaining active feet, preventing grips, and recovering when partially passed. Reset when pass is completed or sweep is achieved.

Duration: 5 minutes per round, 3-4 rounds

Transition Flows Between Guard Variations

Flow drill moving between butterfly, spider, de la riva, lasso, and x-guard variations. Partner applies light pressure while you transition smoothly between guards. Emphasis on maintaining control throughout transitions and developing muscle memory for guard switching.

Duration: 3 minutes per round, 4-5 rounds

Distance Management Cycles

Partner alternates between pressure passing and distance creation while you adjust foot positioning and frames to maintain optimal range. Practice pushing away when too close, pulling in when too far. Develop sensitivity to distance and automatic correction responses.

Duration: 2 minutes per round, 5-6 rounds

Grip Fighting from Guard Bottom

Positional sparring focused exclusively on establishing and breaking grips from open guard. No passing or sweeping - purely grip fighting. Develop hand fighting skills, wrist control, and strategic grip sequences.

Duration: 3 minutes per round, 4 rounds

Escape and Survival Paths

Triangle Attack Path

Open Guard → Triangle from Guard → Triangle Control → Triangle Choke Front → Won by Submission

Armbar from Guard Path

Open Guard → Armbar from Guard → Armbar Control → Armbar Finish → Won by Submission

Omoplata Chain Path

Open Guard → Omoplata from Guard → Omoplata Control → Omoplata Sweep → Mount → Kimura from Mount → Won by Submission

Kimura to Back Path

Open Guard → Kimura from Guard → Kimura Trap → Kimura to Back Take → Back Control → Rear Naked Choke → Won by Submission

Sweep to Mount Submission Path

Open Guard → Butterfly Sweep → Mount → Armbar from Mount → Won by Submission

Success Rates and Statistics

Skill LevelRetention RateAdvancement ProbabilitySubmission Probability
Beginner30%30%20%
Intermediate50%50%35%
Advanced70%70%50%

Average Time in Position: 30-90 seconds in competition, 2-5 minutes in training

Expert Analysis

John Danaher

Open guard represents the most sophisticated expression of guard play in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, requiring systematic development of multiple interconnected subsystems. The key lies in understanding guard as a defensive hierarchy - establish inside foot positioning first, then construct frames that prevent chest-to-chest connection, and finally layer offensive threats on top of this defensive foundation. Each guard variation (butterfly, spider, de la riva, lasso, x-guard) has specific entry mechanics, retention protocols, and attack sequences that must be drilled systematically. The practitioner must develop what I call ‘guard switching fluency’ - the ability to transition seamlessly between variations based on opponent responses. Open guard succeeds when you create a web of interconnected positions where every defensive action by the opponent opens an offensive opportunity for you. The biomechanical principle underlying all effective open guard play is the relationship between distance management and angle creation - you must constantly adjust both variables to prevent opponent from establishing the pressure and control needed for successful passing.

Gordon Ryan

My open guard game is built around constant forward pressure and creating false retreats that bait opponents into overcommitting. I use butterfly guard as my primary platform because it allows explosive entries to leg attacks and back takes while maintaining strong defensive structure. The key is never being static - I’m constantly switching between butterfly, seated guard, and leg entanglements, forcing opponents to defend multiple systems simultaneously. In competition, I focus on high-percentage sweeps like butterfly and x-guard variations that lead directly to dominant positions or leg lock entries. My philosophy is simple: make every moment in open guard a dilemma for the opponent - if they pressure in, I sweep; if they stand back, I enter leg locks; if they try to pass laterally, I take the back. The guard player should always be more dangerous than the passer. You cannot stay in generic open guard for long against elite opponents - you need to quickly transition to a specific guard that gives you concrete attacking opportunities within 2-3 seconds of engagement.

Eddie Bravo

Open guard is where we transition into the specific 10th Planet systems - Mission Control, Rubber Guard when we get the lockdown variation going. The key innovation is understanding that traditional open guards leave too many gaps, so we’ve developed hybrid positions that combine open guard mobility with closed guard-style control. For example, our ‘Carni’ position uses overhook control with strategic foot positioning to create submission entries that traditional open guards miss. I teach students to immediately threaten submissions from open guard rather than just sweeping - this creates a different dynamic where opponents become defensive rather than offensive. The rubber guard system specifically solves the problem of maintaining control during transition by using the leg as a third hand. Think about open guard as the entry point to our entire no-gi system, not as a standalone position. What makes open guard so effective is that it’s adaptable - you can play it aggressive and attacking, or defensive and conservative, depending on the situation and your energy levels.