Proper Guard Opening

[Donkey_Fizzle]

I didn't really intend to offend anybody in the "Banned Moves" thread but since I did I figured I'd try to learn something from it. The overwhelming view on my gaurd opening is shitty and I can't disagree. Seriously the only good instruction we get here is from a judo brown belt, who dabbles in BJJ when he's in Denver, and from watching and practicing from video. I am always one for learning a better way to do something. Especially if it saves me a beating in the process. So I pose the question to you experienced guys.

What are "proper" gaurd opening techniques????

[Shuma-Gorath]

I got volumes 1 and 2 of this set as a 3-month white belt and use the techniques I watched to this day: http://onthemat.com/xcart/product.php?productid=519

Guard openings also depend a lot on whether or not you are wearing a gi. How do you do most of your training?

[IzzyDaHedgehog]

I'm a big fan of wedging my knee in their butt, then sitting back over my other leg. This puts your shin against them, easy to break them open after that (if they're not already).

[Donkey_Fizzle]

None of us wear gi's. Shorts, a cup and a mouthgaurd are standard. I wear a loose rash gaurd because I am sick of mat hickies. I do the knee thing as well. Well I am working on it. I never tried it until I stareded trying to set up leg locks and heel hooks.

[jnp]

Try this: posture up in his closed guard, move your feet back from your opponent (about six inches usually does the trick, just don't go so far that you lose your base), cross one ankle over the other, then sit back while pushing on his midsection with your hands/fists. Push right under his ribcage for maximum effect. Keep your elbows to your sides while you push or he will bend them outward away from your body to neutralize the break.

This is my number one guard break in no-gi. I also favor Izzy's guard break as well.

[Blue Negation]

My most effective opening for me is to cup my hands under their armpits, palm up. I then stand and lower myself back into combat base with my knee sliding past their tail bone up through the middle.

I use this one a lot. A detail I was instructed in is to always make sure the splitting leg has the foot completely on the ground before settling down into combat base. It seems to work best for shorter-legged people from what I can see.

[DevonHartigan]

I find that elbows to the thighs is quite effective against beginners that don't know how to defend it.

Something I often use that somewhat often works (especially if your opponent isn't all that strong), is to fix his hand on the floor beside his hip, then stand up a little, and shove his hand underneath his back and grab it with your other hand on his other side. You can then stand up entirely, still maintaining your grip, shake him off while opening his guard with your other hand. If you manage to get a good tight grip on his hand, you also really have a lot of control of him because you have killed one of his arms.
It is not the best technique, but it is an alternative one, that works pretty well for me against people at a medium level.

['sco]

i can't help but recommend the book "passing the guard" by ed beneville and tim cartmell: http://www.amazon.com/Passing-Guard-.../dp/0972109757

the book has many ways to open the guard, and hordes of techniques to pass it.
my passing game has gotten a lot better ever since i got it.

obviously, the book isn't a cure-all, as you'll have to put in the mat-time and experiment with the stuff a bit. but the details it offers are great and should guide you a long way.

[IzzyDaHedgehog]

The other one I like is kinda hard to describe: you stand up with your feet right under dude's butt, then sit back (EDIT: still on your feet though...kind of squatting with your knees close together) with your knees under his legs. Then, you put your hands on his knees and go for the double-leg stack pass. The way I do it (grabbing the pants at the knees) really relies upon the gi, but you could figure it out no-gi. Normally whenever I can't get this one I can get the one I mentioned before.

[DevonHartigan]

If its like that, you may as well just go ahead and key lock the guy from his guard, cause he's not defending against that either. If all you have going for your guard break is the elbow pressure, they have a choice on whether or not to open. It has to be in conjunction with several other more effective aspects of opening. No way its a solid technique in and of itself.

I said against beginners. And no that is not the only thing I have going for my guard break at all, I just mentioned it because it was brought up. And I'd rather try to open their guard for a pass with the elbow thigh combo, than go for a low-percent keylock from their guard. I haven't used that specific guardpass myself for like forever.

[WhiteShark]

More often than not I just posture up and wait for them to open their own guard. They aren't going to accomplish anything just lying there hugging me with their legs. If I have to waste the energy opening their guard I use a semi-standing break.

1) put your left fist in their right hip joint
2) twist to the right while standing into what is basically a low horse stance. lol
3) if they haven't opened yet the fist in the hip lets you reach back and pop it open.
4) drop back to combat base or pass to side control if they start falling apart.

[MadeOfOlives]

The elbows in thighs guard opening has to be combined with, for example, keeping good base, and putting your back into a hump shape instead of arching it. Then it won't be your arms versus their legs, it will be pressure exerted from a lot of your body on their legs.

Is your problem literally getting their closed guard open, or is it passing the guard in general? What are they doing while keeping closed guard? Sweeping? Are they holding on tight to your upper body?

A sense of the specific problems you are facing, rather than merely "closed guard," will help people to recommend techniques.

[Cowardly Lurker]

Something I often use that somewhat often works (especially if your opponent isn't all that strong), is to fix his hand on the floor beside his hip, then stand up a little, and shove his hand underneath his back and grab it with your other hand on his other side. You can then stand up entirely, still maintaining your grip, shake him off while opening his guard with your other hand. If you manage to get a good tight grip on his hand, you also really have a lot of control of him because you have killed one of his arms.
It is not the best technique, but it is an alternative one, that works pretty well for me against people at a medium level.

I've been working on this one, too. I try to keep the hand trapped underneath and use it to walk around into side control. Works really well if I get a solid grip on the arm.

This pass works particularly well on those guys who are determined not to open their guard. There's a lot of space underneath their hips/back, whenever they raise their hips to keep their guard closed.

[UpaLumpa]

Volume 6 covers the basics of proper posture and opening the guard. It also works gi and nogi if you modify the grips. I personally go for the waistband, not the belt or the lapel as they can slide up.
http://groundfighter.com/details/prodid/193.html
This really is all you should need (i.e. just the demo will suffice to get you doing things properly).

By the way, I may be opinionated but I'm also usually right.

[Donkey_Fizzle]

Thanks for the help. I ordered the Margarida DVD's and they'll be going on imidiate loan to our trainers. I'll have to purchase Upa's suggested viewing at a later time. Wife gets pissy when I dump more than a 150 a payday on "fighting shit".