Re-guarding from Headquarters position is a critical defensive skill that allows you to recover guard structure when your opponent has established a dominant passing position. Headquarters, also known as the floating passing position, occurs when the passer has cleared your legs to one side but hasn’t yet established a control position like side control or knee on belly. This transitional moment presents a critical window for guard recovery.
The essence of re-guarding from Headquarters lies in creating distance and frames while simultaneously recovering your leg positioning. Your opponent is attempting to consolidate their pass by controlling your hips and preventing leg recovery, so your primary objectives are to create space with proper frames, recover hip mobility through shrimping mechanics, and reinsert your legs into the space between you and your opponent. This requires a combination of defensive framing, hip movement, and timing to capitalize on the brief moment before full consolidation.
Successful re-guarding from this position is fundamental to maintaining a strong defensive game. The ability to recover guard when a pass is nearly complete separates intermediate practitioners from advanced competitors. This technique builds upon fundamental concepts of guard retention, framing mechanics, and hip escape principles while requiring precise timing and spatial awareness to execute against resisting opponents.
Starting Position: Headquarters Position Ending Position: Guard Recovery Success Rates: Beginner 35%, Intermediate 50%, Advanced 65%
Key Principles
- Establish immediate frames on opponent’s hips and shoulders to prevent consolidation
- Create distance through hip escape mechanics before attempting leg recovery
- Use angle creation to generate space for leg insertion
- Maintain connection breaking to prevent opponent from settling their weight
- Recover legs systematically starting with the near-side leg first
- Chain multiple recovery attempts rather than relying on single attempts
- Time your recovery efforts with opponent’s forward pressure moments
Prerequisites
- Opponent has established Headquarters position with legs cleared to one side
- You maintain at least one frame preventing complete consolidation
- Hip mobility is available for shrimping movement
- Legs are currently cleared but not fully controlled or pinned
- Opponent has not yet established grips that fully control your upper body
- Space exists or can be created between your torso and opponent’s chest
Execution Steps
- Establish defensive frames: Immediately create frames with your hands on opponent’s hips, shoulders, or biceps. The near-side hand typically frames on the hip while the far-side hand pushes on the shoulder or cross-faces. These frames prevent your opponent from settling their weight and consolidating the pass. Keep your elbows tight to your body while maintaining active pressure through your frames to create the maximum distance possible. (Timing: Immediate as Headquarters position is recognized)
- Create angle with hip escape: Execute a strong hip escape (shrimp) away from your opponent, using your frames to maintain distance. Plant your near-side foot on the mat and drive your hips away at a 45-degree angle. This movement creates the critical space needed for leg recovery while also creating an angle that makes it more difficult for your opponent to pressure directly into you. The quality of this shrimp determines the success of the entire sequence. (Timing: Immediately after establishing frames)
- Recover near-side knee: As you create space with the hip escape, immediately pull your near-side knee through the gap between you and your opponent. This knee should come to your chest in a defensive posture. Use your frames actively to prevent your opponent from closing the distance while your leg recovers. The near-side knee is recovered first because it’s closer and easier to insert into the space you’ve created. (Timing: During the hip escape movement)
- Insert knee shield or butterfly hook: Once your near-side knee is recovered to your chest, extend it as a knee shield against your opponent’s torso or insert it as a butterfly hook under their body. The knee shield creates a structural frame that prevents forward pressure, while the butterfly hook provides active control. Choose based on opponent’s posture: knee shield against upright posture, butterfly hook against lower posture. This immediately establishes a guard structure. (Timing: Immediately after knee recovery)
- Recover far-side leg: With your near-side leg providing structure and frames maintaining distance, recover your far-side leg by bringing it around to establish full guard structure. This may involve threading it behind their leg for deep half, bringing it over for closed guard, or establishing it as a second butterfly hook. The far-side leg recovery completes your guard reconstitution and gives you offensive options. (Timing: 1-2 seconds after near-side leg establishment)
- Establish full guard structure: Complete the re-guard by establishing your chosen guard position fully. This might be closed guard, butterfly guard, half guard, or an open guard variation depending on opponent position and your preferences. Secure proper grips on their collar, sleeves, or body to prevent immediate passing attempts. Reset your base, posture, and control to return to a neutral or advantageous guard position where you can resume your offensive game. (Timing: Immediately after both legs are recovered)
Opponent Counters
- Opponent drives forward pressure during hip escape attempt (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Switch to a second shrimp in the opposite direction or transition to a granby roll to create different angles. If forward pressure is overwhelming, accept half guard recovery instead of full guard and work from that position.
- Opponent controls your near-side leg to prevent knee recovery (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Immediately switch to recovering the far-side leg first, or use a pumping motion with your leg to break their grip. You can also chain hip escapes to create different angles where leg recovery becomes possible.
- Opponent collapses your frames by driving their weight through them (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Don’t fight strength with strength. Instead, use the direction of their pressure to facilitate a larger hip escape or to rotate to turtle position. Redirect their force rather than opposing it directly.
- Opponent uses crossface and underhook to prevent hip mobility (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Fight the crossface first by framing on their face or neck, then address the underhook. If both are secured, you may need to accept a worse position temporarily and work back from side control using side control escape fundamentals.
- Opponent steps over your legs to establish mount during recovery attempt (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: As they commit to stepping over, this often creates space underneath. Use this moment to either recover to deep half guard or to execute a hip escape to create distance and start the recovery sequence again.
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: Why must you establish frames before attempting hip escapes during guard recovery from Headquarters? A: Frames create and maintain the distance necessary for hip escapes to be effective. Without frames, your opponent can follow your hips as you escape, closing the distance immediately and preventing any space creation. Frames act as structural barriers that prevent your opponent from consolidating their position while you create the space needed for leg recovery. The frames don’t create the space themselves, but they prevent the opponent from closing the space that your hip escapes create.
Q2: What is the mechanical reason for recovering the near-side leg before the far-side leg in most guard recovery sequences? A: The near-side leg requires less distance to travel and less space to recover because it’s already closer to the gap between you and your opponent. By recovering it first, you establish an initial guard structure (knee shield or hook) that helps maintain the space you’ve created, making far-side leg recovery easier. Additionally, the near-side leg can function as a frame itself once recovered, actively preventing opponent pressure while you work to recover the far-side leg. Sequential recovery is more mechanically efficient than trying to recover both legs simultaneously through the same limited space.
Q3: How should you modify your recovery strategy when your opponent is using heavy forward pressure versus when they’re maintaining distance and control? A: Against heavy forward pressure, use that pressure to facilitate larger hip escapes or granby rolls, essentially using their momentum to help create space. Don’t fight force with force through frames; instead, redirect their pressure to create angles. Against opponent maintaining distance and control, focus on breaking their grips and frames that keep you at bay, then aggressively close distance to recover guard structure. The first scenario requires using their energy; the second requires generating your own movement to break their control structure.
Q4: What are the primary indicators that you should abandon full guard recovery and transition to an alternative defensive position like turtle or technical standup? A: Abandon full guard recovery when: opponent has secured strong crossface and underhook combination that severely limits hip mobility; you’ve attempted 2-3 recovery sequences without creating sufficient space; opponent has transitioned to controlling your legs directly, making recovery mechanically impossible; or your energy is depleting faster than your opponent’s. At these decision points, maintaining fight sustainability through tactical position changes is smarter than exhausting yourself in failed recovery attempts. Transitioning to turtle, technical standup, or accepting half guard allows you to continue defending from structured positions rather than being passed while depleted.
Q5: Why is maintaining a position on your side rather than flat on your back critical for successful guard recovery from Headquarters? A: Being on your side provides dramatically superior hip mobility compared to being flat on your back. When you’re on your side, your hip can rotate through a much larger range of motion, allowing for more effective and extensive shrimping. Additionally, being on your side makes your frames more structurally sound because they’re pushing at better angles relative to your body’s core strength. Flat on your back, your frames are weaker, your hips are immobilized, and opponent can settle their weight more effectively. The side position is the foundation for all effective guard recovery mechanics.
Q6: How does the concept of chaining multiple recovery attempts differ from relying on single perfect technique execution? A: Chaining multiple attempts acknowledges that against skilled opponents, single-attempt success rates are low, so you must link 2-4 recovery attempts in sequence, using each attempt to create options for the next. If the first shrimp doesn’t create enough space, immediately chain into a second shrimp at a different angle. If direct recovery is shut down, chain into deep half entry or granby roll. This approach maintains constant defensive pressure on the opponent, forcing them to defend multiple threats rather than countering one technique and consolidating. Chaining transforms defense from binary success/failure into a sustained defensive system with multiple branches and options.
Safety Considerations
Guard recovery from Headquarters is generally a low-risk technique with minimal injury potential when practiced correctly. The primary safety concern is avoiding overexertion during resistance training, particularly in the hip and lower back regions which can be strained by explosive shrimping movements. When drilling, start with slow, controlled movements to build proper motor patterns before adding speed and resistance. Partners should communicate clearly about resistance levels and stop immediately if either person experiences joint discomfort, particularly in the knees during leg recovery movements. Avoid practicing this technique when fatigued to the point where form breaks down, as poor mechanics during explosive hip movements can lead to lower back strain. During training progressions, increase resistance gradually over weeks rather than jumping to full resistance immediately, allowing connective tissues to adapt to the forces involved.
Position Integration
Re-guarding from Headquarters position is a crucial component of a complete guard retention system and defensive hierarchy. In the broader positional framework, this technique represents your last line of defense before accepting inferior positions like side control or mount. It integrates with guard retention concepts by being the recovery mechanism when primary guard retention has failed but the pass hasn’t been completed. This technique chains naturally with other defensive positions: if Headquarters recovery fails, you can transition to turtle position, attempt technical standup, or accept half guard as a fallback position. The ability to recover from Headquarters directly influences your confidence in playing aggressive guard variations, knowing you have effective recovery mechanisms when passes are initiated. In competition strategy, strong Headquarters recovery allows you to take more risks with guard attacks because you can defend deep into the passing sequence. This technique also connects with sweep mechanics, as successful guard recovery from Headquarters often creates immediate off-balancing opportunities that can be exploited for sweeps, turning defense directly into offense.
Expert Insights
- Danaher System: The re-guard from Headquarters position exemplifies the critical importance of understanding the hierarchy of defensive actions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Guard recovery is not a single technique but rather a systematic sequence of mechanical objectives executed in specific order: establish distance-creating frames, generate space through hip escape mechanics, recover leg positioning, and reconstitute guard structure. Each step builds upon the previous one, and attempting to skip steps virtually guarantees failure. The biomechanical principle at work is that frames without movement create static resistance that can be overwhelmed, while movement without frames creates space that immediately collapses. Only the combination of structural frames and dynamic hip movement creates sustainable space for leg recovery. Furthermore, understanding that Headquarters represents a transitional position—neither fully passed nor retained guard—means you must act with urgency. The window for successful recovery closes rapidly as opponent consolidates control. Your defensive intensity must be highest during these transitional moments, not after position is established. This represents a fundamental shift in defensive thinking: proactive recovery during transition rather than reactive escape after consolidation.
- Gordon Ryan: In high-level competition, the ability to recover guard from Headquarters position is what separates competitors who can maintain their game plan from those who get ground down by superior passers. I’ve developed specific guard recovery sequences from Headquarters that I use against the world’s best passers, and the key is understanding that you cannot wait for the perfect moment—you must create constant recovery pressure through chained attempts. When someone is passing my guard and reaches Headquarters, I immediately begin a sequence of 2-3 recovery attempts, each one setting up the next. If my first shrimp doesn’t create enough space, I’m already transitioning to a different angle for my second attempt. If direct guard recovery is being shut down, I’m already transitioning to deep half or single leg X rather than fighting a losing battle. The competitive reality is that against elite passers, single-attempt success rates are maybe 30-40%, but chained attempts with good transitions to backup positions push your overall defensive success rate to 70-80%. Another critical competition detail: energy management during guard recovery is crucial. You must recover guard efficiently because exhausting yourself in desperate recovery attempts is exactly what high-level passers want. Use their pressure to assist your movements rather than fighting strength with strength.
- Eddie Bravo: The re-guard from Headquarters is where traditional guard recovery meets 10th Planet’s systematic approach to defensive innovation, and there are specific variations that dramatically increase your success rate that most people don’t explore. One of the most effective adaptations is using the electricity movement—a rapid, vibrating shrimp sequence that creates erratic movement your opponent can’t predict or follow. Instead of one big shrimp, do 3-4 small, explosive shrimps in varying directions, creating space through unpredictability rather than power. Another crucial innovation is immediately transitioning to rubber guard or mission control variations when recovering to closed guard, because if you just recover to standard closed guard, a good passer will immediately restart their passing sequence. But if you recover directly into rubber guard with a high guard and overhook control, you’ve not only defended the pass but immediately put them into a defensive situation. In no-gi situations, the Headquarters position is even more common because there are no gi grips to slow down the passing transition, so your recovery must be more aggressive and dynamic. I teach my students to think of guard recovery from Headquarters as an attacking sequence, not a defensive one—you’re not just trying to not get passed, you’re trying to recover to guard and immediately threaten. That mindset shift makes your recovery more successful because you’re creating offensive threats that force your opponent to pause their passing pressure.