When you start training Brazilian jiu-jitsu, you quickly learn about the positional hierarchy, which is the core concept of this martial art. If you can get to positions such as the back, mount, or side control, you can control your opponent and attack him with submissions. Nonetheless, once you start facing better opponents, you quickly realize that getting and holding a dominant position can be quite hard and exhausting. It is common for good opponents to use their guard against you, off-balancing you and compromising your position, which may lead to you being submitted or swept. This article will give a detailed overview of how to develop a devastating guard passing game.
Learn How to Break Grips
Big mistake beginners often make is trying to pass the guard with a gripping disadvantage. In other words, you’re attempting to pass while your opponent has your collar, sleeve, or pants in their hands. As a result, you will feel stifled, and your opponent will often compromise your position. The first thing you should do when passing a dangerous guard is neutralize your opponent’s grips and establishing your own.
Focus On Half Guard
One piece of advice that I would give to every beginner who wants to improve their guard passing game is to start from the half guard. Half-guard is an excellent position for both the top and the bottom athlete. However, the number of attacks from half-guard is quite limited, and good half-guard players can often anticipate what their opponent will do and counter that. Because of this, if you can get to this position, you can know what your opponent will try to do and counter them. Additionally, the half guard allows you to pass directly to the mount, which can get you many points and a dominant position. Another great feature of half-guard passing is that it involves a lot of pressure, and most people will be very uncomfortable if you can smash them in the bottom half-guard. You can watch many great examples to learn more about half-guard passing, such as Gordon Ryan, Rodolfo Vieira, Roger Gracie, and many more.
Become a Better Guard Player
If your goal is to become a better guard passer and improve your overall BJJ skills, it is always great to work on your guard. When you learn about different types of guards and their strengths and weaknesses, you will naturally become a better guard passer. Simply knowing the dangers of each guard can help you a lot when passing, especially when you are facing a dangerous guard player that can surprise you quite quickly. Begin with simpler guards, such as the closed and half guard, then move on to more complex ones.
My name is Milos; I am the owner and head coach of Fort Jiu-Jitsu! Check us out!
A Black Belt under the legendary Renzo Gracie, Shawn Williams is one of the great BJJ instructors of a generation.
- Master this no gi passing system with the body lock as the centerpiece to develop a truly dynamic top game, and add dozens of high efficiency techniques to your toolbox.
- Learn proper smash passing fundamentals, body lock gold, leg pummeling secrets, and more from the man that’s been a balck belt for nearly two decades and came up alongside some of BJJ’s most acclaimed icons, like John Danaher and Ricardo Almeida.
