Full/closed guard for the smaller guy

**Blue Negation** · Posted On: 11/19/2007 11:59pm

Originally Posted by Kintanon

As Hedge said, I think a lot of practice breaking people down into your guard is the way to go. You may want to try to get your guard a little higher on the wrestlers backs. Give them as little room as possible to leverage your hips down. And again, attack the arms whenever you get the opportunity. Pulling their hand to the mat and going for the overhook, switching your hips out for the armbar attempt. Keep attacking so they don't have time to set up a pass. Squeeze your knees together hard and use your legs to drag them back and forth, keep them off balance. Constantly attack the head as well, pull down on the back of their head almost like a thai clinch or try to sit up and wrap your arm around the back of their neck then fall backwards and drag them down. Keep pressure on them constantly.

thanks man, you've given me a lot to think about

**Hedgehogey** · Posted On: 11/20/2007 2:04am

Originally Posted by Blue Negation

I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm not quite sure what you mean there with the quote, hedgehogey. Is there something blindingly obvious that I'm missing about attacking a belt grip with a downward pointing elbow and leg control with the other? I can't get my hips up enough against the downward force to make a triangle or armbar attempt even though I want to, the grip makes armdrags hard though not always impossible, and it hurts my mobility enough to make omoplatas difficult. Or so I think. Am I a being an idiot?

I might have made an incorrect assumption, that he's holding your hips down with a belt grip under your hips. If the assumption was right, what i'm saying is that this is one of the few situations where a white belt is licensed to use an eddie bravo move (kung fu move, then whatever from jiu claw).

If he's pushing your hips with his palm, then the solution is still posture breaking, but now it's easier because his arms are divided, instead of forming a single frame. Pushing down on your leg with only one hand is officially a bad idea. It's only a small step towards gracie gifting.

**ViciousFlamingo** · Posted On: 11/20/2007 2:14am

Originally Posted by Hedgehogey

I might have made an incorrect assumption, that he's holding your hips down with a belt grip under your hips. If the assumption was right, what i'm saying is that this is one of the few situations where a white belt is licensed to use an eddie bravo move (kung fu move, then whatever from jiu claw).

If he's pushing your hips with his palm, then the solution is still posture breaking, but now it's easier because his arms are divided, instead of forming a single frame. Pushing down on your leg with only one hand is officially a bad idea. It's only a small step towards gracie gifting.

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the situation. Why not attack with the kimura/guillotine/pendulum combo, or with a triangle or omoplata?

**Blue Negation** · Posted On: 11/28/2007 9:06pm

Thanks everyone, despite a leg injury I went back to practice after a two week hiatus and managed to do far far better with my full guard in part thanks to putting into practice some of the advice on this thread. Highlights:
1) superstrong former wrestler (without a gi on) trying the arm holddown by grabbing my belt -->kungfu move to jiuclaw, some rolling around maintaining the omo and ending it with a americana with legs. "Ow, my arm's numb" "Yeah, tap when it *starts* to hurt"
2) hook sweep using the overhook straight to mounted triangle on the beastly ex-marine that usually owns me
3) Instructor telling me that if my offense were as good as my defense I'd be a purple belt.

pretty good night... still riding the euphoria two hours later.

**snowman** · Posted On: 11/28/2007 11:00pm

Can I just ask how did the transition from having an overhook in full guard to a mounted triangle happen? I'm having a hard time picturing it. Thanks

**Blue Negation** · Posted On: 11/28/2007 11:17pm

I landed in mount off the sweep and he tried to shuck me off immediately with his non-overhooked arm. He's strong enough to easily reverse me from side control if I'm not paying excellent attention, so this wasn't exactly a bad idea necessarily on his part. I retained balance though and settled down for a triangle. a gimme really

**snowman** · Posted On: 11/28/2007 11:33pm

Ah thanks that makes more sense, for some reason I was trying to envision a overhook closed guard ---> triangle ---> sweep ---> mounted triangle ftw

**Blue Negation** · Posted On: 11/28/2007 11:52pm

Oh, another highlight I forgot: Me rolling with 4stripe white belt that shares my fondness for using the legs extensively and has a good open guard, we got some good technique flow going on, back and forth with a lot of position changes, spider guard recovery from under NS to sweep to getting caught in DLR etc. Instructor looking on says "You guys are looking good." Other guy looking on says "They look like two octopuses fucking." couldn't stop laughing

**Hedgehogey** · Posted On: 11/29/2007 12:58am

Originally Posted by ViciousFlamingo

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the situation. Why not attack with the kimura/guillotine/pendulum combo, or with a triangle or omoplata?

Because

1: He's grabbing your belt. You'd have to break grips first

2: His other arm inhibits your triangle. Also you can't hip out to the correct side because his belt gripping arm holds your hips on that side.