Opening the guard

[Dochter]

The judo guard thread reminded me of a general problem I have:
Keeping downward pressure on someone while trying to break the guard.
I know where to drive depending on how I'm trying to open but I have the damndest time keeping the pressure on their hips while I'm posturing or whatever else I happen to be doing.

What the hell's my problem?
Thanks.

[Shuma-Gorath]

How are they getting their hips free? Are they getting their hips up onto your knee, sitting up or breaking your posture back down?

There are some good guard opening videos at http://www.abhaya.ca/ . Margarida also has a DVD on escapes and opening the guard that I found useful. Passing the guard spends a few pages at the beginning of the book on opening the guard.

[Dochter]

If I'm trying to posture (for either the "Saulo" opening or the more standard knee to tailbone variations), I can't seem to keep pressure down properly to keep them from popping their hips up onto my knee.

I use standing openings too, I just don't know what my problem is about keeping pressure down.
Rewatching one of the abhaya videos it may be because of how I'm griping and where my elbows are pointing.

[Yrkoon9]

Sometimes things just don't work for/on certain people.

You are probably doing beginning your passes that rely on pinning your opponents hips so they cannot move to counter. Sometimes more difficult to do than to say. I know I move around a lot when people are trying to pass, especially with knee in the middle. I am constantly trying to break thier posture and never let them get 'set up'.

That sounds like where your problem is. Getting set up.

In that case, you might have to change techniques.

For example, if you prefer knee in the middle but keep getting your elbows pulled out to the side and your posture broken try the standing version. Grab both of thier biceps/triceps and pin them to the ground up high ( pin them so they cannot reach under your legs for the sweep when you stand ). now stand up. Put your knee in the middle and begin to sit down. They will get uncomfortably arched if they won't open, but without being able to reach down for your ankle they can do nothing. Slowly the knee will go into the middle. Now you can let go of the bicep/tricep since controlling the hips is 100x easier with knee in the middle.

Edit: Also forgot to say... Sometimes it isn't that you are doing something 'wrong'. It is that you are doing something right, but so is your opponent and your efforts are negated. The answer is, you need to do something ELSE right.

[Te No Kage!]

where do you normally grip for the knee-in-tailbone? I usually go for the belt, but I've been taught by our BJJ black belt to roll up the lapels and hold them at mid-stomach level, which really doesn't work for me

[Chupacabra]

are you locking out your arms?

[Yrkoon9]

Belt for a kneeling pass or bicep/tricep when I stand.

If no-gi I am always going bicep/tricep.

[Dochter]

In trying to visualize what I do, I think part of the problem is that I either don't lock my arms or have them turned in such a way that they're easily rebent. I think.

I also generally use their waistband when kneeling. Applicable gi or no-gi.

[Chupacabra]

lock your arms out out the elbow and shoulder but keep them tucked in tight and bow your chest out until your able to sit back.....

[KhorneliusPraxx]

I definitely need to try Yrkoon9 stand up version!