When you’re fighting your opponent in the Closed Guard, you don’t want to be facing straight towards your opponent creating a big rectangle.
Ideally, you want to be doing a Closed Guard with him off the side. This is analogous to being to the side of your opponent in a boxing match: all all of his weapons aren’t aimed at you and all your weapons are pointing straight at him!
If you can make an angle in the Closed Guard then you get a big advantage which can lead into attacks like a sweep, a submission, or taking the back.
Scroll down to find out how to do this simple but underutilized 3-Step movement I first learned from Erik Paulson that helps you generate this all-important angle! Or watch the full video below:
If the opponent is caging your hips with his elbows and knees, do a 2-beat bicycle kick motion. The first kick is to create space by unweighting the opponent a little bit. Then do the 2nd kick, and turn.
Most people learning this technique are pretty good at the first two steps (bicycle kick one and bicycle kick two).
Where they screw up is step three – the turn itself. At the moment of the turn your hamstring is riding on his thigh/hip. You want to pivot to the opposite side of your last kick.
So you’re going to
- Kick with your LEFT leg,
- Kick with your RIGHT leg, and then
- Pivot to your LEFT while keeping your RIGHT leg straight.
The idea is to lift your weight up using your leg so your butt is not touching the ground and turn.
There are so many things you can do once you’ve made that angle including the pendulum sweep, back climb to the rear mount, or armbar. Regardless, you’re now in a great position!
BTW, if you’ve been doing BJJ for 2 years or less, download my FREE checklist of jiu-jitsu positions and techniques. Click this link for more info: http://www.grapplearts.com/book
The post A 3 Step Process for Making an Angle (and Getting a Big Advantage) in the Closed Guard appeared first on Grapplearts.