Retaining your guard and preventing guard passes can seem like a daunting task.
There are so many techniques that your opponent might use to try and pass your guard. Do you need to learn a different technique to counter each combination and permutation of grips, movement and body positioning you might run into?
Not at all. There may be many different guard passing techniques, but there are a few universal guard retention strategies that work against almost any pass…
Let me share two of the most important ones with you…
Each of these guard retention strategies is a game-changer by itself. Start with the first one – the ‘frame and hip escape.’ If you get serious about it then your training partners will immediately notice how much tougher it is to pass your guard.
And then start working on the ‘half granby roll’. It’s not as tough as it looks, I promise!
And then – most importantly – start combining them because they really work well together.
If your opponent preventing the granby then usually you’ll be able to frame and hip escape. Conversely if your opponent is preventing you from sitting up and framing effectively then usually you can switch right to the granby.
Nobody ever won a high level boxing match with just a jab or just a cross. But lots of fights have been won with a jab and a cross working together.
Below are two videos going through the two techniques/strategies I’ve been talking about. Of all the videos I’ve posted in the past year these might be the ones that change your game the most, so make the time to check them out!
Fundamental Guard Retention Movement 1, The Frame and Hip Escape
I use this movement just about every time I roll, and it’s proved to be incredibly useful for anyone I’ve ever taught it to. Make sure to check out the Frame and Hip Escape!
Fundamental Guard Retention Movement 2, The Half Granby Roll
The Half Granby is an absolutely critical movement, used by every grappler at a high level in gi, no gi, and even in MMA. It allows you to recover from positions where otherwise there would be no escape. Check it out…
More Fundamental Guard Retention Strategies
These techniques are just two of the 12 guard retention chapters in the BJJ Formula instructional published by Rob Biernacki and myself.
Click here for more information about the BJJ Formula, including a complete list of all the topics covered.
