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Understanding Guard Changes

Guard SystemIntermediate

15 related references (techniques and positions)

Opening the legs can be a deliberate choice or the result of a passer breaking closed guard. Once open, the guard can change as grips and leg positions change. Stephan Kesting and Elliott Bayev’s glossary describes this variety, including spider, butterfly and De La Riva, and explains why no single guard suits every setting.

Is this for you?

• You know several guard names and want to understand how they relate within open guard.

Also consider

Giles and Tabak: Guard Retention Around and Under — For detailed recovery against passes around or under the legs, choose the Giles–Tabak retention course.

Coverage and limits

• Open versus closed guard; deliberate and passer-forced changes.
• Examples of open guards distinguished by grips and leg positions.

Limits

• The glossary explains positions and their relationships; it is not a complete course on recovering guard or chaining attacks.

Related guides and principles

These related references are not a claim about what the course teaches or evidence of practical mastery.

Defensive Concepts

Grips

Frames

Distance Control

Dominant Angles

Marcelo Garcia: Butterfly Guard

Marcelo Garcia: X-Guard Entries and Sweeps

Caio Terra: Guard Recovery

Eddie Bravo: The Ultimate Rubber Guard

Lapel Guard: What Stops the Entry

Giles and Tabak: Guard Retention Around and Under — Use the passing-route organization when a forced guard change repeatedly becomes a pass.

Review related technique cards

• Closed Guard (Position)

• Spider Guard (Position)

• De La Riva Guard (Position)

• Butterfly Guard (Position)

• X-Guard (Position)

• Single Leg X-Guard (Position)

• Seated Guard (Position)

• Collar Sleeve Guard (Position)

• Lasso Guard (Position)

• Reverse De La Riva Guard (Position)

• Scissor Sweep (Transition)

• Basic Butterfly Sweep (Transition)

• Berimbolo Entry (Transition)

• Backstep from De La Riva (Transition)

• Arm Drag (Transition)

Sources Expand for evidence and notes

Independent BJJGraph guide. Not authored or endorsed by the instructor.

A Glossary of Guards — Stephan Kesting and Elliott Bayev — public instruction; checked 2026-09-16. Inspected the introduction and open-guard section on printed pages 3 and 9–14: terminology, changing guard positions and examples. This is a positional reference, not a demonstrated training sequence. Inspected: Printed pages 3 and 9–14, text

The guard Retention Anthology: Around and Under by Lachlan Giles & Ariel Tabak — official listing; checked 2026-09-16. Verified both instructors and parts devoted to around-the-legs, north-south and under-the-legs retention; scope follows title and detailed outline. Listing inspected; course video content not reviewed.