BJJ Graph

Open Guard Top

Dec 09, 202515 min read

Open Guard Top is the fundamental position where the top player engages with an opponent who is utilizing an open guard (any guard where the legs are not closed around the opponent’s waist). The position encompasses a wide range of specific scenarios depending on the bottom player’s guard configuration, but generally involves the top player standing or in combat base, working to navigate past the opponent’s legs to establish a more dominant position. This position serves as the starting point for all guard passing sequences and represents one of the most complex and dynamic positional battles in BJJ. Success in this position requires understanding grip fighting, distance management, pressure application, and recognizing the specific guard type being employed to select appropriate passing strategies. The top player must balance between maintaining safe posture to avoid sweeps and submissions while simultaneously creating passing opportunities through grip dominance, angle creation, and strategic pressure. Elite performance in open guard top demands rapid pattern recognition to identify the specific guard variation being employed and immediate implementation of the counter-passing strategy - pressure passes for close guards like butterfly and half guard, movement-based passes for distance guards like spider and de la riva, and systematic dismantling of complex guard structures through superior grip fighting and positional control.

Position Definition

  • Top player maintains upright posture with hips elevated above opponent’s guard structure, preventing forward collapse while managing distance through strategic positioning and grip control with spine alignment and base distribution
  • Bottom player’s legs remain open and active, creating frames and barriers between their body and the top player’s advancement attempts, utilizing hooks, grips, and positioning to maintain guard integrity and offensive threats
  • No chest-to-chest connection established, with clear separation maintained through the bottom player’s leg frames and the top player’s posture, creating a dynamic space where passing attempts and guard retention occur with constant adjustments
  • Top player’s base distributed through feet (standing) or knees/feet (combat base) with weight controlled to maintain balance against sweep attempts while preparing to apply passing pressure through strategic weight shifts

Prerequisites

  • Understanding of various guard types and their specific characteristics (Spider, De La Riva, Lasso, X-Guard, Butterfly, etc.)
  • Fundamental base and balance principles to maintain stability against sweeps and off-balancing attempts
  • Grip fighting skills to establish and maintain advantageous grips while breaking opponent’s grips systematically
  • Recognition of passing opportunities based on opponent’s guard configuration and movements
  • Defensive awareness against common sweeps, submissions, and guard recovery techniques
  • Ability to transition between standing and combat base positions fluidly based on tactical requirements

Key Offensive Principles

  • Maintain proper posture with spine alignment and hips back to prevent forward pulls and maintain base against sweep attempts
  • Control opponent’s legs through strategic grips and positioning to limit their mobility and offensive options
  • Create and exploit passing angles by moving laterally and circling to bypass defensive frames and leg barriers
  • Establish grip dominance early in exchanges to dictate the pace and direction of passing sequences
  • Manage distance appropriately for your passing style - close for pressure passing, further for speed and movement-based passing
  • Anticipate and counter defensive guard transitions by recognizing patterns and maintaining connection points
  • Apply strategic pressure to break down guard structures while preserving energy and maintaining safe positioning

Available Attacks

Toreando Pass → Side Control

Success Rates:

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

Knee Slice Pass → Side Control

Success Rates:

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

Leg Drag Pass → Side Control

Success Rates:

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

Stack Pass → Side Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 30%
  • Intermediate: 45%
  • Advanced: 55%

Long Step Pass → Side Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 28%
  • Intermediate: 42%
  • Advanced: 58%

X Pass → Side Control

Success Rates:

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

Smash Pass → Side Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 32%
  • Intermediate: 48%
  • Advanced: 62%

Double Under Pass → Side Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 28%
  • Intermediate: 44%
  • Advanced: 58%

Pressure Pass → Side Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 30%
  • Intermediate: 46%
  • Advanced: 60%

Knee Cut Pass → Side Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 32%
  • Intermediate: 48%
  • Advanced: 62%

Opponent Escapes

Escape Counters

Decision Making from This Position

If opponent establishes De La Riva or Reverse De La Riva hook with active grip control:

If opponent creates strong collar and sleeve grips with Spider or Lasso guard configuration:

If opponent uses butterfly hooks with underhook control:

If opponent attempts to sit up or create upright seated guard position:

If opponent extends legs to create distance with feet on hips:

Common Offensive Mistakes

1. Poor posture with rounded back and hips too close to opponent

  • ❌ Consequence: Increased vulnerability to forward pulls, collar drags, and overhead sweeps; loss of base and balance leading to successful guard retention or sweeps
  • ✅ Correction: Maintain upright spine alignment with chest up, hips back, and weight distributed through the legs; keep head above hips and shoulders back to prevent forward collapse

2. Neglecting grip fighting and allowing opponent to establish dominant grips first

  • ❌ Consequence: Opponent controls distance, posture, and passing angles; significantly reduced passing success rate as bottom player dictates the engagement
  • ✅ Correction: Proactively engage in grip fighting from initial contact; prioritize breaking opponent’s grips while establishing your own control grips on pants, ankles, or collar

3. Committing prematurely to pass without proper setup or grip control

  • ❌ Consequence: Telegraphed passing attempts that are easily countered; leaving vulnerable positions exposed during failed pass attempts; energy waste on ineffective techniques
  • ✅ Correction: Build systematic passing sequences with proper grip establishment, angle creation, and pressure application before committing fully to the pass

4. Passive engagement without applying pressure or creating threats

  • ❌ Consequence: Allows opponent time to establish complex guard structures, recover optimal positioning, and set up offensive attacks; stalling in neutral without advancement
  • ✅ Correction: Constantly apply forward pressure and create passing threats to keep opponent defensive; use feints and combination attacks to force reactions and create openings

5. Telegraphing passes with obvious weight shifts and predictable movement patterns

  • ❌ Consequence: Opponent anticipates passing direction and prepares defensive responses; low passing success rate due to predictability
  • ✅ Correction: Use misdirection, feints, and combination attacks; vary passing directions and pressure points; maintain unpredictability in movement and grip transitions

6. Standing too upright without controlling opponent’s legs or hips

  • ❌ Consequence: Opponent easily establishes distance management guards (Spider, Lasso, feet on hips); difficulty closing distance to initiate meaningful passing sequences
  • ✅ Correction: Control opponent’s legs immediately when standing - grab pants, ankles, or knees; use strategic movement to prevent full extension while maintaining base

7. Ignoring guard type and using inappropriate passing strategy for the specific guard configuration

  • ❌ Consequence: Using pressure passes against distance guards or speed passes against close guards; mismatched strategy leads to failed attempts and energy waste
  • ✅ Correction: Identify specific guard type being employed and select appropriate passing strategy; pressure pass butterfly/half guard, movement pass De La Riva/Spider guard

Training Drills for Attacks

Grip Fighting Flow Drill

Partner drill where both players engage in continuous grip fighting exchanges without attempting full passes. Top player works to establish passing grips while bottom player fights to maintain guard grips. Focus on hand fighting speed, grip breaks, and re-gripping. Progress to timed rounds with specific grip objectives.

Duration: 3-5 minute rounds

Passing Flow with Progressive Resistance

Start with bottom player offering 30% resistance while top player practices passing sequences against various guard types. Gradually increase resistance to 50%, 70%, then 100% over multiple rounds. Focus on technical execution, angle creation, and pressure application at each resistance level.

Duration: 5 rounds x 3 minutes at each resistance level

Base and Posture Recovery Exercises

Bottom player actively attempts to break top player’s posture and base while top player focuses solely on maintaining proper positioning without attempting passes. Emphasizes core strength, balance, and postural awareness under dynamic pressure. Include standing and combat base variations.

Duration: 2-3 minute focused rounds

Guard Recognition and Response Drill

Bottom player cycles through different guard types (Spider, De La Riva, Butterfly, Lasso, etc.) every 30 seconds while top player must quickly identify the guard and initiate appropriate passing strategy. Develops pattern recognition and strategic decision-making under time pressure.

Duration: 5-6 minute continuous drill

Optimal Submission Paths

Shortest path to submission via guard pass

Open Guard Top → Knee Slice Pass → Side Control → Kimura from Side Control → Won by Submission

High-percentage path through mount

Open Guard Top → Toreando Pass → Side Control → Transition to Mount → Armbar from Mount → Won by Submission

Control-oriented path with positional dominance

Open Guard Top → Leg Drag Pass → Side Control → Transition to North-South → North-South Choke → Won by Submission

Pressure-based submission path

Open Guard Top → Smash Pass → Side Control → Arm Triangle → Won by Submission

Opportunistic path from passing transitions

Open Guard Top → Stack Pass → Guillotine Choke → Won by Submission

Success Rates and Statistics

Skill LevelRetention RateAdvancement ProbabilitySubmission Probability
Beginner30%30%15%
Intermediate50%50%25%
Advanced70%70%40%

Average Time in Position: 2-4 minutes per passing sequence

Expert Analysis

John Danaher

The open guard top position represents the most complex positional battle in all of grappling because of the sheer variety of guard types that must be addressed with distinct passing strategies. My systematic approach emphasizes categorizing guards into families based on their structural characteristics - distance guards require movement and angle-based passing, close guards require pressure and smash-based passing, and leg entanglement guards require specific defensive protocols before passing can commence. The critical error most practitioners make is attempting to use a single passing style against all guard types rather than developing a comprehensive passing system that addresses each guard family appropriately. Superior passing begins with superior grip fighting - you must win the grip battle before you can win the passing battle. Establish dominant grips on the pants and control the opponent’s legs before committing to any passing sequence, and always maintain proper postural alignment to prevent sweeps and guard recovery. The biomechanical principle is simple: control the connection points (grips), manage the distance (posture), and create the angle (lateral movement) before committing to the pass.

Gordon Ryan

Open guard passing at the highest competition level is about creating impossible dilemmas for the guard player through strategic pressure application and grip configurations that force predictable defensive reactions. I use the Headquarters position as my central hub because it allows me to threaten multiple passing directions simultaneously while maintaining safe positioning against most sweep attempts. The key is not trying to pass immediately but instead applying specific pressure patterns that force the opponent to make defensive choices - when they defend the knee slice, I transition to leg drag; when they defend leg drag, I come back to knee slice or long step. My passing success comes from making opponents choose between bad options rather than trying to force a single pass through strong defense. Against elite guard players, you must be patient and systematic, building pressure over time and capitalizing on small defensive errors rather than attempting explosive single-attempt passes. Pattern recognition is critical - within the first 2-3 seconds of engagement, I identify which guard variation they’re entering and immediately implement the counter-passing strategy specific to that guard family.

Eddie Bravo

Traditional guard passing has been revolutionized by understanding the nuances of no-gi passing strategies that translate effectively to gi work as well. My approach to open guard top emphasizes creating unique pressure angles that most guard players haven’t developed specific defenses against because they fall outside traditional passing frameworks. The electric chair sweep defense concepts from 10th Planet translate directly to open guard passing - when you understand how to defend against leg entanglements from bottom, you understand how to neutralize them from top. I focus heavily on the whizzer control and shoulder pressure combinations that break down guard structures systematically. The biggest innovation in modern passing is understanding that you don’t always need to clear both legs simultaneously - controlling one leg properly while passing the other creates asymmetrical situations that are extremely difficult to defend. Develop creative pressure angles, use misdirection constantly, and never let the guard player settle into their preferred configuration. The moment they establish their ideal guard structure, you’ve already lost half the battle.