Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Playing the open guard from the bottom position opens up a variety of sweep and submission options.  The key to the open guard position is establishing strong grips in order to prevent the opponent from passing your guard.  In this video, BJJ World Champion Teco Shinzato teaches a choke from…

Standing over your opponent in the open guard position, you have a number of options available to you.  You can work to pass the guard into the side control position or look for leg lock submission attacks.  In this video, BJJ champion Marcos Ratinho teaches a knee bar to counter…

The open guard is an excellent position from which you can work for sweeps and leg lock submissions.  As your opponent works to pass your guard from the standing position, the legs are often left vulnerable to attacks.  In this video, BJJ champion Gamal Hassan teaches a leg lock submission…

From the open guard positon there are a number of sweeps and attacks that can be utlized from bottom. By using a sweep, you can secure a dominant position on the opponent. In this video, BJJ Champion Almiro Barros teaches a sweep from the open guard position.

When your opponent has nearly succeeded in passing your guard and is applying significant downward pressure, it can be difficult to replace the guard using a hip escape method. In this video, BJJ No Gi World Champion Bruno Pucci demonstrates an alternative method for recovering the open guard.

The butterfly guard is a versatile, more advanced open guard position that is most frequently used to off-balance and sweep an opponent. It is also used commonly in transition to other open guard and half guard positions, among others. In this video, BJJ World Champion Leandro Issa demonstrates a method…

Effective use of the spider guard allows great control of your opponent’s arms while maintaining mobility in your hips as you attack from open guard. While forcing your opponent to concentrate on escaping the control of your spider guard, you can search for sweep and submission opportunities. In this lesson,…

The arm drag is a useful setup for many standing and ground grappling techniques. In this video, BJJ World Champion Leandro Issa demonstrates how to use an arm drag to set-up a sweep from the open guard.

The berimbolo is a sweep from the 50/50 guard position that is specific to sport BJJ. This somewhat controversial technique strays from traditional BJJ in that it has few, if any, realistic applications for self-defense. However, some modern BJJ competitors have utilized the 50/50 guard position and berimbolo as effective…

The leg drag guard pass is an effective technique for passing an opponent’s open guard. In this video, BJJ World Champion Alex Silva demonstrates a leg drag guard pass.

Developing a variety of sweeps from the open guard position is a critical aspect of becoming a well-rounded BJJ practitioner. In this video, BJJ World Champion Zorobabel Moreira demonstrates an advanced sweep from an offensive open guard position.

An opponent will commonly attempt to gain a top position by using variations of the single takedown, starting from both sitting guard and standing positions. In this video, BJJ World Champion Leandro Issa demonstrates a counter to the single leg sweep position used to pass the guard and obtain side…

Developing a variety of sweeps from the open guard position is a critical aspect of becoming a well-rounded BJJ practitioner. In this video, BJJ World Champion Alex Silva demonstrates a technique from a sitting open guard position that will sweep a standing opponent in a forward direction.

The omoplata is a submission technique that uses the legs to trap the opponent’s arm in a shoulder lock. From the guard position, this technique works well in combination with other submissions, and can also be used to sweep. In this video, BJJ World Champion Leandro Issa teaches a method…

The leg hook spin sweep, also known as a star sweep, is an effective method for sweeping a standing opponent. In this video, BJJ No Gi World Champion Bruno Pucci teaches a leg hook spin sweep variation that combines well with many other attacks, such as the omoplata and the…

The X Guard is a form of guard where your entire body is positioned between your opponent’s legs. The X Guard allows you to efficiently trap and control the legs of your opponent to destabilize and sweep them. In this video, BJJ World Champion Leandro Issa demonstrates how to transition…

The X Guard is a form of guard where your entire body is positioned between your opponent’s legs. The X Guard allows you to efficiently trap and control the legs of your opponent to destabilize and sweep them. In this video, BJJ No Gi World Champion Bruno Pucci demonstrates how…

The De La Riva guard is a form of open guard that is predominantly used in the gi to sweep a standing opponent. The specific position of the legs also opens up a number of leg lock submissions. In this video, BJJ No Gi World Champion Bruno Pucci teaches a…

The open guard is a form of guard where you hold an opponent between your legs with your feet unhooked. This allows you to quickly apply a wide range of submissions and sweeps, as well as transition to other guard systems, such as the spider guard. In this lesson, BJJ…