BJJ Graph

Worm Guard Top

Dec 09, 202514 min read

Worm Guard Top represents the passing position against one of modern BJJ’s most complex lapel-based guard systems. The top player faces a sophisticated web of lapel entanglements where the bottom player has wrapped their gi lapel around the passer’s leg, creating powerful off-balancing mechanics and sweep opportunities. Success from this position requires systematic lapel management, strategic base positioning, and patience to methodically dismantle the guard’s structural foundations. The position demands technical precision over explosive movement, as hasty passing attempts often result in devastating sweeps or back takes. Advanced practitioners achieve 60% pass rates by combining pressure passing principles with lapel-specific counters, while beginners struggle with the unfamiliar grip configurations and sweep threats that make this one of sport BJJ’s most challenging guard passing scenarios. The Worm Guard Top position is characterized by constant grip fighting and positional problem-solving. Unlike traditional open guards where space management is primary, worm guard requires the passer to address the lapel entanglement as a structural problem that must be solved before traditional passing mechanics can be applied. The bottom player’s lapel creates a mechanical advantage that transforms their legs into powerful levers, making standard pressure passing approaches ineffective without first neutralizing the lapel control.

Position Definition

  • Bottom player has lapel wrapped around top player’s leg (typically the lead leg), creating structural connection that limits mobility and creates off-balancing leverage through the lapel-leg linkage
  • Top player maintains standing or combat base posture with weight distribution preventing forward commitment while managing the lapel entanglement around their lower body
  • Bottom player’s legs actively frame and control distance using the lapel as a mechanical extension, with feet typically on hips, biceps, or collar while maintaining tension through the wrapped lapel
  • Top player’s hands must manage both traditional guard passing grips (pants, belt, collar) and the lapel threat, creating a multi-layered grip fighting problem that requires sequential problem-solving
  • Positional tension exists between top player’s desire to advance and bottom player’s lapel-based off-balancing mechanics, with the wrapped lapel serving as the primary control mechanism preventing forward progress

Prerequisites

  • Bottom player has successfully established worm guard configuration with lapel wrapped around top player’s leg
  • Top player is in standing, combat base, or headquarters position attempting to address the guard
  • Lapel is tensioned and creating structural control limiting top player’s forward movement
  • Bottom player has established gripping configuration (typically collar, sleeve, or pants) to complement lapel control

Key Offensive Principles

  • Address the lapel entanglement as the primary structural problem before attempting traditional passing mechanics
  • Maintain wide, stable base with weight distribution preventing forward collapse into sweeps
  • Use systematic lapel stripping or leg extraction rather than explosive passing attempts
  • Control bottom player’s far collar or far side to limit their ability to generate rotational momentum
  • Create angles and side pressure rather than forward pressure when advancing position
  • Recognize that patience and methodical dismantling are more effective than speed
  • Keep hips back and weight balanced to prevent the lapel from creating effective leverage

Available Attacks

Leg Drag Pass → Leg Drag Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 25%
  • Intermediate: 45%
  • Advanced: 60%

Toreando Pass → Headquarters Position

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 20%
  • Intermediate: 40%
  • Advanced: 55%

Smash Pass → Side Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 15%
  • Intermediate: 35%
  • Advanced: 50%

Knee Slice Pass → Side Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 20%
  • Intermediate: 38%
  • Advanced: 52%

Long Step Pass → Side Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 18%
  • Intermediate: 35%
  • Advanced: 48%

Stack Pass → Side Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 12%
  • Intermediate: 28%
  • Advanced: 42%

Opponent Escapes

Escape Counters

Decision Making from This Position

If bottom player has tight lapel wrap with active leg frames maintaining distance:

If lapel tension is broken or bottom player’s legs are extended without tight frames:

If bottom player inverts or attempts back exposure:

If bottom player commits to triangle or omoplata attack:

Common Offensive Mistakes

1. Attempting forward pressure passes while lapel is still wrapped and tensioned around the leg

  • ❌ Consequence: Creates perfect leverage for bottom player to execute powerful sweeps using the lapel as mechanical advantage, often resulting in immediate loss of position or back exposure
  • ✅ Correction: First systematically address the lapel wrap through stripping grips, extracting the leg, or cutting the angle to remove tension before attempting forward advancement

2. Standing too upright with narrow base while bottom player maintains lapel control

  • ❌ Consequence: Provides easy off-balancing targets for sweeps and allows bottom player to generate rotational momentum with minimal effort, making the passer vulnerable to multiple sweep variations
  • ✅ Correction: Maintain wide athletic base with hips back and weight distributed, keeping center of gravity low enough to resist off-balancing while high enough to maintain mobility

3. Ignoring bottom player’s far side collar or far side grip controls

  • ❌ Consequence: Allows bottom player to generate rotation and create angles for back takes, omoplatas, or advanced worm guard variations that increase defensive complexity
  • ✅ Correction: Establish far side collar or far side control early to limit bottom player’s rotational capacity and reduce their ability to chain multiple attacks

4. Using explosive, speed-based passing attempts without systematic lapel management

  • ❌ Consequence: Bottom player easily redirects explosive energy into sweep momentum, and hasty movements often tighten the lapel entanglement rather than escaping it
  • ✅ Correction: Employ patient, methodical dismantling with emphasis on grip stripping sequences and positional problem-solving over athletic burst attempts

5. Allowing bottom player to maintain both lapel control and strong collar/sleeve grips simultaneously

  • ❌ Consequence: Creates multi-layered control system that makes passing nearly impossible, as bottom player can defend passing attempts while setting up attacks
  • ✅ Correction: Prioritize breaking one control system completely before addressing the other, typically starting with removing the lapel wrap or stripping the most threatening grip

6. Backing away or disengaging completely when facing difficulty

  • ❌ Consequence: Allows bottom player to reset and strengthen their guard structure, and in competition results in stalling penalties or failed passing attempts
  • ✅ Correction: Maintain engagement with strategic grips and pressure while systematically working through the positional problems, using pressure to limit bottom player’s mobility even while addressing the lapel

Training Drills for Attacks

Lapel Strip Repetition Drill

Bottom player establishes worm guard with standard lapel wrap. Top player practices systematic lapel stripping sequences using hand fighting, leg extraction, and angle cutting. Bottom player maintains moderate resistance but allows successful strips to reset. Focus on efficiency of movement and grip precision. Perform 10 repetitions per leg, then switch roles.

Duration: 5 minutes per partner

Positional Sparring from Worm Guard Top

Start with bottom player in fully established worm guard. Top player has 90 seconds to achieve a guard pass to side control or mount. Bottom player attempts sweeps or back takes. Reset after each successful pass or sweep. Track success rates to monitor improvement. Increase resistance progressively as technical proficiency improves.

Duration: 6-8 rounds of 90 seconds

Counter Response Timing Drill

Bottom player initiates specific worm guard attacks (sweeps, triangles, back takes) at 70% speed. Top player practices recognizing and countering each attack with appropriate passing response. Focus on timing recognition and correct counter selection. Coach calls out attack types randomly to develop pattern recognition. Progress to full speed as accuracy improves.

Duration: 4 minutes per round, 3-4 rounds

Base Maintenance Under Pressure

Bottom player in worm guard attempts to off-balance top player using lapel mechanics and leg frames. Top player focuses solely on maintaining wide base and preventing being swept or having weight compromised. No passing attempts allowed - pure defensive base maintenance. Helps develop feel for proper weight distribution and base width against lapel-based attacks.

Duration: 2-3 minute rounds, 4-5 rounds

Optimal Submission Paths

Pass to Side Control Submission Path

Worm Guard Top → Leg Drag Pass → Leg Drag Control → Side Control → Kimura from Side Control

Smash to Mount Submission Path

Worm Guard Top → Smash Pass → Side Control → Mount → Armbar from Mount

Stack to North-South Submission Path

Worm Guard Top → Stack Pass → Side Control → North-South → North-South Choke

Toreando to Back Attack Path

Worm Guard Top → Toreando Pass → Turtle → Back Control → Rear Naked Choke

Success Rates and Statistics

Skill LevelRetention RateAdvancement ProbabilitySubmission Probability
Beginner40%20%5%
Intermediate55%42%12%
Advanced70%60%20%

Average Time in Position: 45-90 seconds for successful pass

Expert Analysis

John Danaher

The worm guard presents a fascinating biomechanical problem that separates systematic thinkers from reactive players. The lapel wrapped around your leg creates a mechanical lever system where the bottom player can generate sweeping force far exceeding their actual strength through proper leverage application. Your primary objective must be to nullify this mechanical advantage before attempting traditional passing mechanics. Think of it as a two-stage problem: first, you must dismantle the structural control system (the lapel entanglement), and only then can you apply standard passing principles. The key insight is recognizing that the lapel creates a closed kinetic chain around your leg - breaking this chain requires either removing your leg from the entanglement or stripping the grip that creates tension. Most failed passing attempts occur because practitioners try to solve both problems simultaneously, leading to neither being addressed effectively. Systematic progression demands you solve the lapel problem completely, then transition to passing mechanics with full commitment.

Gordon Ryan

In competition, worm guard is one of those positions where patience completely determines the outcome. I’ve lost rounds early in my career trying to force passes against quality worm guard players, and I’ve won matches by taking 90 seconds to methodically dismantle the position. The competition reality is that most opponents will attempt desperate sweeps if you maintain steady pressure without giving them openings - they know the position is difficult to maintain under intelligent pressure. My approach focuses on controlling their far collar immediately, which cuts their rotation options in half. Then I work systematic lapel stripping while maintaining enough pressure that they can’t reset their grips. The moment you feel the lapel tension break, that’s when you commit to the pass with full intensity. Before that moment, everything is preparation and setup. Against world-class worm guard players like the Miyao brothers, I’ve found that the leg drag becomes available much more frequently than other passes because it naturally addresses the lapel angle problem while advancing position.

Eddie Bravo

Worm guard is one of those positions that looks like chaos but it’s actually super systematic from the bottom, which means there’s a clear formula for beating it from top. The Miyao brothers revolutionized this position and we had to develop specific counters at 10th Planet because our no-gi system didn’t prepare us for lapel-based attacks initially. What I teach my guys is to treat the lapel like it’s a locked seatbelt - you can’t just rip it off, you gotta unbuckle it methodically. The innovation we brought is using the lockdown and truck concepts in reverse - if they’re wrapping your leg with lapels, you can create counter-wrapping pressure that neutralizes their leverage. Also, don’t sleep on the backstep counter when they invert - that’s straight out of our leg attack defense system and it works perfectly here. The psychological battle is huge too - if you show frustration or rush, they’ve won mentally before the technique even matters. Stay calm, work the system, and remember that complexity works both ways - their position is hard to maintain if you understand the mechanics.