What guards do people use?

[PoleFighter]

As I noted in another thread, BJJ seems to be going through some kind of guard inflation right now, with no less than 13 guards being named at this point. Now, I'm just curious as to how widespread the actual use of all of these guards are.

Personally, I only use closed guard, half guard, spider-guard and play around with cross guard and x-guard with the newbs simply because it amuses me ( I have no intention to make these standard parts of my game for the next year). I am not at all a dedicated guard player, and am struggling simply to make the basic guard techniques work for me (although since I decided a few months ago to work on my guard the entire fall, things have gotten astronamically better).

People at my school use a pretty basic guard game, mostly concisting of butterfly and spider guards in different variations, in addition to the closed and half guard game that every jiu jitsu player needs to know.

So, what guards do you and peole at your school use?

[Samfoo]

The guards I use effectively are: Closed, traditional open, De la Riva, half, a weird high closed that I really like. However, I play around with pretty much all of them.

[War Wizard]

Closed, open, half, and more recently I've started on the rubber guard (which I'm finally flexible enough to work). I've screwed around with spider, x, and cross, but i've never really gotten them to go anywhere.

[Epicurus]

I'm a noob: Closed and half. Sometimes open, though not often by choice.

[Bustardo]

I'm a newb as well. I stick to closed/open/half.

[Cassius]

Thinking of the various types of open guards as separate positions can be kind of a bad thing. Referring to them as separate on the internet or in real life makes sense when discussing techniques, but that's about it. Except for closed guard, half guard, arguably rubber guard, and maybe a couple others (Like Telles' turtle, which he calls a guard to make a point), they're just a series of hooks that flow together. Still kind of applies when you count the less "open" forms of guard, but I'd rather restrict this post to open guard specifically.

Eventually, when you start specializing in a few particular areas, you'll narrow down a set of techniques from a particular set of hooks that you REALLY like, and can start basing your game on that. If you're a new blue or white, you really should just be familiarizing yourself with the different anchor points available to you and seeing how technique flows from them. Playing a kind of open guard in a static manner at low levels is usually a mistake.

[Cassius]

Of course the family tree has branches, but it pays to have the skill to transition from an open guard you don't prefer to one you do like, even if you have to use several different series of hooks to get there. This is why I recommend people just try out all the hooks and get used to the feeling of flowing from one set to another through all the "branches." It's nice to know how to get where you want to go from just about anywhere. It also has the side benefit of making your guard really hard to pass, eventually. Also, before you get good at it, you tend to spend a lot of time screwing up and getting put in side control or other bad positions, giving you lots of chances to work escapes.

[MONGO]

I do a the basics trad open, half, occasionally closed and butterfly. I will use x and spider if the other person forces themselves into a good position for it or is completely clueless.

They all have their own flow and strengths/weaknesses.

I like basics and I want to have much of the same options open in no-gi and BJJ training.

[Goju - Joe]

Closed, open and half and have been experimenting with butterfly guard.

My goal is to keep things simple and get really good at the basics and not confuse myself by adding too much.

[Kokujin]

Closed, open and half and have been experimenting with butterfly guard.

My goal is to keep things simple and get really good at the basics and not confuse myself by adding too much.

Same here. Oh and sometimes I try internet bjj just for fun.

[jnp]

Butterfly, hook, stretch, crab, x, spider, what people are now calling upside down guard and a few dozen variants that allow me to transition into each of the others.

[Blue Negation]

Traditional closed, rubber, spider, butterfly, and some X (X is big where I train, I just suck at it).

[Teh El Macho]

Open, half, butterfly and sometimes closed. I try to play with spider, but I usually get fucked with it :P

[BSDaemon]

open, closed, half, butterfly

X I have fun playing with because it confuses people then they get swept
Rubber I am newly enamored with and committed to learning. If done right, no can be struck.

[GoldenJonas]

well, I use traditional closed, open, half guard, DLR, rubber, some spider, and I flirt with some X-guard on newbs when I get a chance (there are instances of minor variations like cross guard or octopus but nothing that is consistently used or part of my game), although typically like to be in top position.

EDIT - forgot to list butterfly