Open Guard: Build a Mobile, Attacking Bottom Game

What Is the Open Guard and Why It Matters

The open guard is any bottom position where your legs are not closed around your opponent’s waist. Instead, you connect with hooks, feet on hips, shins, knees, and grips to manage distance and alignment. Open guard matters because nearly every exchange eventually opens—either you open the closed guard, they open it, or you’re seated after a stand-up or guard pull. If you can win from here, you control the tempo of a match.

The primary objective from open guard is to off-balance your opponent (kuzushi), enter a sweep or submission, and maintain enough distance and structure to prevent immediate passing. On top, the objective is to break grips and hooks, control the legs and hips, and safely pass to a dominant position without exposing yourself to sweeps or leg entries.

Open Guard Videos on BJJ University (Top 20 Videos, Top 10 Courses)

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HOW TO ESCAPE RUBBER GUARD - GORDON RYAN

1m · Gordon Ryan

Gordon Ryan teaches how to escape from the rubber guard position in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Initially, the aim is to post both hands on the ground and move the right shoulder forward. However, if the opponent's elbow dominates the inside space and prevents this, one should pace both hands on the floor, lean head over head, and stand. Then, turn the thumbs down and shake until the head and arm come free.

Position: Open Guard Category: Escapes

A sneaky Jiu Jitsu armbar that everyone should know!

1m · Matt Arroyo

This video is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) tutorial by Matt Arroyo. In it, he demonstrates an armbar submission technique from the open guard position, a move he attributes to Marcelo Garcia. The step-by-step demonstration shows how to successfully perform the armbar when an opponent attempts to gain an underhook, utilizing your opponent's momentum against them. If executed properly, the technique would lead to an efficient armbar, causing discomfort to the opponent, and possibly leading to submission.

Technique: Armbar Position: Open Guard Category: Submissions

PREMIUM

Attacking From Guard Bundle by Gordon Ryan

$629.00 • BJJ Fanatics

"The video is a comprehensive tutorial by Gordon Ryan on attacking from a supine guard position. He provides a detailed guide towards mastering sweeps, back takes, and leg locks that are applicable at the highest levels of grappling. Viewers can also gain insights from watching Gordon Ryan roll in real-time, as he breaks down the footage to explain the system's workings in action. It’s a valuable resource for grappling enthusiasts aiming for a competitive edge.

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How To NOT Get Your Guard Passed | Gi & Nogi BJJ

8m · Jordan Teaches Jiujitsu

The video explains the theory and techniques required to stop your guard from being passed. The instructor emphasizes the importance of maintaining four points of contact through dominant grips and making use of your limbs efficiently. The instructor provides examples from both Gi and NoGi, including a variety of rolling footage to demonstrate effective prevention of guard passing. The video also teaches preventive measures and suitable counterattacks when your opponent manages to bypass your legs.

Technique: Grip Fighting / Hand Fighting Position: Open Guard Category: Guard Retention

5 Tips To Pass ANY Guard by John Danaher

36m · John Danaher

John Danaher provides instructional content discussing five vital tips to improve and succeed in passing any guard within Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). He begins with the emphasis on maintaining proper posture and base when stand up in an opponent's open guard. Danaher explains how to prevent the common guard player's technique of manipulating the opponent's head and hip positions to break their posture. The key takeaways include maintaining an upright chest (head higher than hips) and distributing weight evenly across the whole foot, not just the ball or heels. This way, practising these techniques can build a strong foundation for successful guard passing.

Position: Open Guard Category: Guard Passing

PREMIUM

Modern Guard Systems Bundle by Neil Melanson

$547.00 • BJJ Fanatics

This video is a promotional introduction for the Modern Guard Systems Bundle by Neil Melanson, who is known for his unique perspective on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) due to his catch wrestling base. The video highlights his innovative approaches to guard retention, focusing on sneaky attacks such as the shoulder pin, K guard, and triangles. The bundle mentioned in the video contains over 12 volumes of Neil's full-length instructional videos.

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Easiest System to Pass The Open Guard

38s · Jon Thomas

Jon Thomas explains a simple system for passing the open guard. The system begins with firmly establishing a grip on the opponent's pants and then backing up to create distance, which makes it harder for the opponent to break the grip. The next step varies based on the opponent's position: for a wide leg, a knee cut pass can be performed; if the leg is shielded, the ankle can be grabbed, pushed down, and passed with a run around pass; if a grip can be established on the leg, a toriondo pass can be executed.

Technique: Knee Cut Pass Position: Open Guard Category: Guard Passing

The Best No Gi Guard Passing System On The Planet by Gordon Ryan

12m · Gordon Ryan

The video is a 12-minute tutorial from BJJ instructor Gordon Ryan, teaching his Passing Guard System 2.0 in a No Gi context. He explains the importance of getting past the opponent's hip line, known as the "J-point", and camping there. He demonstrates a series of techniques like Toriyando passing, high-step passing, and preventing the opponent's guard recovery through effective head placement and maintaining pressure. He also outlines how to smoothly transition into other later positions, such as half guard, based on the opponent's reactions. The tutorial stresses the role of adaptability and energy conservation during guard passing.

Position: Open Guard Category: Guard Passing

PREMIUM

My Evolution Your Revolution ADCC Breakdown Bundle by Gordon Ryan

$499.00 • BJJ Fanatics

This video is a promotional breakdown bundle by Gordon Ryan highlighting the techniques and strategies that led to his double gold win at the ADCC. He discusses his most successful systems such as back takes, back attacks, open guard, leg locks and guard passes. It also includes footage of Gordon Ryan in action with his techniques being broken down in real-time to provide a deeper understanding of his strategies in motion. The aim of the video is to allow the viewers to gain insight into his methods and to incorporate these winning techniques into their own game.

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Mastering The Rubber Guard by Eddie Bravo

8m · Eddie Bravo

Eddie Bravo, the inventor of the rubber guard in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, provides instruction on entering the rubber guard position. Bravo explains the implementation of a position called the cocoon, used as a set up for the entry, often from the Z-guard position. He discusses the importance of gaining an underhook and using a butterfly guard as transition steps. Bravo emphasizes the importance of understanding entries into positions before focusing on submissions, comparing its significance to entering the saddle in leg lock games.

Position: Open Guard Category: Guard Retention

Easiest Pass in Jiu Jitsu

29s · Jon Thomas

This video demonstrates the principle of Knee Drive and Over Extension as a powerful guard passing technique in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Jon Thomas emphasizes on creating extensions by jamming opponent's legs while they resist back. The instructor details how applying pressure on the opponent's legs, and pulling them open when they push back, can create an opening for a successful guard pass.

Position: Open Guard Category: Guard Passing

PREMIUM

Systematically Attacking From Open Guard Supine Position by Gordon Ryan

$349.00 • BJJ Fanatics

Gordon Ryan, an ADCC Absolute Champion, teaches his proven system of attacking from the Open Guard Supine Position in this instructional video. Ryan demonstrates how to systematically sweep, take the back, perform leg locks, and use no-gi De La Riva variations while in this position. He also explains how to use this system to keep opponents off-balance and the ways to create pressure from the back. Finally, Ryan shows how to flow between various techniques including ashi garami entries, guard passes, and creating back exposure.

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The MOST Important Guard Passing Principle

9m · Jon Thomas

This video by Jon Thomas discusses the important principle of hip pinning in guard passing. Thomas describes two primary types of pinning - shoulder blade pin and hip pin - and dives deep into the latter. This technique involves locking both sides of your opponent's pelvis or hips to the floor during a pass, making it difficult for them to rotate or recompose their guard. Demonstrating several practical examples, such as the toriondo pass and the knee cut pass, the instructor highlights how hip pinning can significantly restrict an opponent's leg mobility and ease guard passing.

Position: Open Guard Category: Guard Passing

Sneaky wrist lock when someone’s trying to pass your guard ⚔️

45s · Matt Arroyo

In the video, jiu-jitsu instructor Matt Arroyo explains a sneaky submission technique: a wrist lock from the open guard position. When the opponent is on their knees, attempting to pass the guard with double underhooks, Matt demonstrates how to exploit the opponent's bent wrist, which is vulnerable as they grab the legs. Matt grabs the opponent's elbow and applies pressure to execute the lock. This submission often causes the opponent to tap out or rip their hand out, disrupting their guard passing attempt.

Position: Open Guard Category: Submissions

PREMIUM

The No Gi Open Guard Bundle by Lachlan Giles

$249.00 • BJJ Fanatics

This video is an instructional series by ADCC Medalist Lachlan Giles on mastering various techniques in No-Gi Open Guard. It covers a range of techniques from K Guard to De La Riva, Reverse De La Riva, single leg X, X Guard and leg locks. Giles demonstrates how to enter into and transition through these positions, maintain guard, and launch attacks. He also elaborates on the 70/30 heel hook position, spotlighting a systematic approach to executing a heel hook.

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This Open Guard Split Pass is So Powerful

40s · Jon Thomas

In this video, Jon Thomas provides detailed instruction on an underused guard-passing technique called the Split Pass from Open Guard. He explains the strategic placement of the legs to split the opponent's guard, making it harder for them to attack. Thomas further demonstrates how to isolate and control the legs and the effective use of the drop pass when the opponent attempts to rebalance.

Position: Open Guard Category: Guard Passing

Ryan Hall - Defensive Guard, Strategy, Fundamentals, Building Walls, Sweeps & Submiss…

19m · Ryan Hall

Ryan Hall presents the concept of viewing the guard as a position with multiple defensive walls where each wall has a unique set of tactics for defense and counter-fighting. The three layers of defense consist of the insteps or the ending of the feet, knees or outstretching hands, and elbows respectively. Ryan emphasizes that failing to hold off an opponent at one layer only means falling back to the next layer and continuing the fight. He also outlines the importance of using the proper range tools according to the closeness of the opponent.

Position: Open Guard Category: Guard Retention

PREMIUM

Timeless Advanced Open Guard by Rafael Lovato

$247.00 • BJJ Fanatics

In this instructional video, world class black belt Rafael Lovato Jr. demonstrates advanced techniques from the open guard position. These techniques include single legs, come up sweeps, and back takes. He also discusses different ways to finish a fight from the bottom position using various submission holds. The video emphasizes the importance of establishing a firm grip and optimizing every performed technique.

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Hidden Details In The BJJ Tripod Sweep (Open Guard) That You Have Never Seen Before by Go…

7m · Gordon Ryan

Gordon Ryan, a renowned BJJ practitioner, details the intricacies involved in performing a successful Tripod Sweep starting from the Open Guard position. Ryan emphasizes the concept of creating a "stickiness" with the opponent's captured foot to prevent escape. He underscores the importance of not just pushing the opponent backwards, but also elevating their foot off the ground to limit their ability to step out and counter the sweep. Furthermore, Ryan elucidates a variety of techniques to maintain control once the sweep is completed to prevent the opponent from running away or escaping, including shelfing the leg, threatening back control, or even transitioning to leg locks.

Technique: Tripod Sweep Position: Open Guard Category: Sweeps

The Perfect Way To Understand The No Gi (Grappling) Open Guard by John Danaher

32m · John Danaher

Summary: John Danaher provides an in-depth look at understanding the No Gi open guard. He discusses the distinctive style of his students who pressure their opponents from the bottom guard position through the threat of submission, making opponents reluctant to engage. He believes that strategy is important as technique when playing guard to induce specific reactions from opponents. He also emphasizes the importance of high percentage techniques from the guard position and their relationship to the strategies employed.

Position: Open Guard Category: Guard Retention

PREMIUM

Pressure and Pummeling: The Open Guard Bundle by Shawn Williams

$239.00 • BJJ Fanatics

The video features BJJ instructor, Shawn Williams, a black belt under Renzo Gracie, teaching techniques on guard passing focusing on the shin-to-shin position with both no-gi and gi applications. He introduces the body lock pass as the center of this system, aiming to develop a dynamic top game. The video provides a comprehensive guide to mastering the shin-to-shin guard and includes techniques for sweeping, submitting, and dealing with aggressive guard passers.

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This is Why Danaher's Students Control EVERYONE in No-Gi

15m · John Danaher

In the video, premier Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor John Danaher introduces the Shoulder Crunch System, a No-Gi control system he developed. He explains how this system allows a practitioner to maintain control over the opponent's posture from the guard position, countering the common issue of loss of control experienced when transitioning from Gi to No-Gi combat. The system revolves around a particular variation of Sumi Gaeshi, a sweeping technique John's students, including Gordon Ryan, have successfully used in high-level competition. He demonstrates key concepts like the "Locked Hands" principle, exploring how to manage opponent's reactions and leverage them into sweeps, upper body submissions, and leg lock entries.

Technique: Concepts / Systems Position: Open Guard Category: Transitions

Understanding The Open Guard In BJJ by John Danaher

24m · John Danaher

In this video, John Danaher provides an in-depth understanding of the open guard position in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He discusses the importance and uniqueness of this position in the sport of Jiu-Jitsu. He emphasizes open guard as one of the most crucial positional skills in Jiu-Jitsu, as it largely shapes an athlete's overall development in the sport. He also introduces various principles related to open guard, stressing on the concept of double directionality and coupled force for a more efficient application of techniques.

Position: Open Guard Category: Guard Retention

PREMIUM

Open Guard: BJJ Fundamentals - Go Further Faster by John Danaher

$197.00 • BJJ Fanatics

The video titled "Open Guard: BJJ Fundamentals - Go Further Faster" features legendary BJJ coach John Danaher teaching the fundamentals of Open Guard. The focus is on maximizing leverage, understanding the concept of kuzushi (imbalance) for all attacks, and the importance of gripping secrets. Also, effective sweeps are discussed to further enhance the power of the Open Guard. The aim is to enable viewers to systematically understand and approach the Open Guard based on Professor Danaher's insights and studies.

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The First Five Leg Attacks You Need | Jiu-Jitsu Submissions

7m · Eli Knight

In this video, instructor Eli Knight delivers a tutorial on the first five leg attacks you should learn in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He covers the techniques of the straight foot lock, toe hold, knee bar, and inside and outside heel hooks. He demonstrates these techniques and explains the critical details necessary for efficiency, all from the open guard position. He also shows some setups and finishes for these leg attacks, emphasizing how they help make a grappler more complete.

Technique: Heel Hook Position: Open Guard Category: Leg Locks

Understanding The Jiu Jitsu Open Guard by Gordon Ryan

5m · Gordon Ryan

In this video, Gordon Ryan aims to provide an understanding of Jiu Jitsu Open Guard, particularly for No Gi. He introduces four different scenarios you might find yourself in when playing an open guard, including an opponent standing over with two feet, a standing opponent with staggered legs, a partner on two knees, and a partner with one leg up. Gordon explains the key goals for each of these scenarios, such as exposing your partner's back and center line, creating constant kuzushi to extend your opponent's limbs and lead to submissions. The emphasis is on recognizing your position and implementing appropriate strategies.

Technique: Concepts / Systems Position: Open Guard Category: Guard Retention

PREMIUM

The Collar and Sleeve System Part 1: Outside Control On The Knees by Mikey Musumeci

$197.00 • BJJ Fanatics

In this instructional video, multiple-time world champion Mikey Musumeci guides viewers through part one of his Collar and Sleeve Guard system. His teachings focus on managing outside control when the opponent is on their knees. He breaks down key methods for ergonomically breaking grips, executing sweeps, and performing submissions from his innovative guard position. He also highlights a detailed breakdown of the most technical scissor sweep in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

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Guard Recovery and Inverting (Lachlan Giles)

13m · Lachlan Giles

This instructional video led by BJJ black belt, Lachlan Giles, provides a comprehensive overview on guard recovery and inverting from the open guard position. He emphasizes the importance of inverting as a fundamental technique to maintain the guard. Giles explains that if the opponent moves fast, it's impossible to catch them by swinging the legs, and the practitioner should instead focus on inverting to recover the guard. He demonstrates techniques on how to lift hips off the ground, maintain contact with the opponent, and conduct the inversion effectively, offering students a chance for practical application.

Position: Open Guard Category: Guard Retention

How To Get Underneath A Bigger And Stronger Opponent In Jiu Jitsu by Mikey Musumeci

8m · Mikey Musumeci

In this video, Mikey Musumeci teaches strategies to help smaller Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners deal with larger opponents. He emphasizes proper framing to keep the stronger opponent from applying pressure. The central technique featured is about transitioning from an open guard position to get underneath the opponent. Musumeci delves into different foot placements and their implications, focusing on how to successfully lift the opponent's leg and position it on the shoulder, creating a wedge. The goal is to maintain this position, preventing the opponent from placing their knee back on the floor. Musumeci shows how the technique can flow into different attack options, including foot lock, kiss of the dragon, and matrix.

Position: Open Guard Category: Escapes

PREMIUM

Timeless Open Guard Foundations by Rafael Lovato

$197.00 • BJJ Fanatics

Rafael Lovato Jr., a long-time BJJ competitor and accomplished American Black Belt, presents timeless open guard foundations in this instructional video. He teaches viewers how to revolutionize their open guard game using just three gripping configurations. The video is centered around proper leg positioning, neutralizing the passer, and launching attacks from the open guard. These techniques have been employed by Lovato Jr. at the highest levels of the sport for over two decades.

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Key Objectives and Distance Management

Bottom player goals: establish grips and hooks, create kuzushi in multiple directions, and connect sequences that flow to sweeps, back takes, submissions, or transitions like X guard or single-leg X. You must also practice guard retention—hip escapes, inversions when appropriate, and re-guarding frames—to prevent the passer from locking your hips.

Top player goals: strip grips, pin the ankles or knees, win inside position with your hands and elbows, and steer the bottom player’s hips to the mat. Control one leg, step past the knee line, staple, and consolidate before the bottom player recovers. Good posture, footwork, and hand fighting are non-negotiable for consistent open guard passes.

Common Open Guard Families and Core Actions

Foundational guards include seated butterfly, collar-and-sleeve (gi), De La Riva, reverse De La Riva, shin-to-shin, knee shield (half-butterfly), K guard, and feet-on-hips variations. Each offers different grips, distances, and angles.

Universal actions for bottom players: hand fight for strong grips, use your legs as frames and levers, break posture, and off-balance in two directions before committing. Think inside position with your shins and knees, and keep your hips mobile by sitting up or scooting to maintain the distance you want.

High-percentage sweeps to study early: tripod and sickle from feet-on-hips or collar-and-sleeve, ankle pick from seated guard, hook sweep from butterfly, shin-to-shin to single-leg X stand-up, and De La Riva back takes. Build combinations: threaten tripod, switch to sickle; attempt hook sweep, shift to arm drag; off-balance to the front, finish to the side.

Essential submissions: guillotine from seated snap-downs, triangle and armbar from collar-and-sleeve or broken posture, omoplata when the passer posts or circles, and leg entanglements (single-leg X/Ashi, outside Ashi) when they step a leg close. Emphasize clean entries and immediate control, not just the finish.

Retention principles: win the pummel with your shins and knees, hide your hip line, and square your shoulders only when safe. If your opponent beats your knee line, frame at the shoulders and hip, turn your hip to face them, and insert a secondary hook or frame to recover. In no-gi open guard, prioritize head/outside hand control and elbow-knee connection since fabric grips are absent.

What To Study First

Start with open guard basics: posture, scooting, technical stand-up, and grip fighting. Learn to get to your guard safely, then focus on two staple sweeping combinations. A solid beginner roadmap is: 1) tripod to sickle sweep series; 2) butterfly hook sweep to arm drag or guillotine; 3) shin-to-shin to single-leg X stand-up.

Build a retention drill set: side-to-side hip escapes, seated shoulder scoots, inside-shin pummeling, and granby/inversion entries only as needed. Add a pass-prevention checklist: break grips that point your knees away, reconnect your frames, then re-guard to a familiar hub (feet on hips, butterfly, or shin-to-shin).

Create a simple decision tree: if they stand, go tripod/sickle or ankle pick; if they kneel, threaten butterfly hook sweep or collar-and-sleeve attacks (gi); if they step a leg deep, enter single-leg X. After a sweep, practice immediate top control so you don’t lose the points or position.

Transitions and Passing Connections

From open guard, your best transitions often flow to X guard, single-leg X, and leg entanglements when the passer steps close. If they clamp their elbows, favor arm drags, back takes, or collar-and-sleeve triangles (gi). If they retreat, chase with technical stand-ups and angle changes.

For top players studying bjj passing open guard, prioritize stance, hand fighting, and leg-pin mechanics. Use grip breaks, inside elbow-knee connections, and knee-line stapling. Combine toreando and leg drag angles with body-lock or knee-cut entries when available. Pass in layers: clear the feet, beat the knees, then pin the hips before settling to side control or mount.

Use BJJ University to Study Open Guard

BJJ University is a free, curated learning hub. Use the navigation menu to explore categorized videos, clips, breakdowns, and instructional resources by instructor, technique, position, category, and training topic. You can compare different teaching styles on open guard, guard retention, sweeps, and passing without sorting through noise.

Browse position pages to go deep on open guard variations and connections to X guard, single-leg X, and leg entanglements. Filter by instructors to see how different systems approach distance, grips, and kuzushi in gi and no-gi. Bookmark the site and share it with teammates or friends who want more free BJJ learning resources. Browse this page on BJJ University.

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Related BJJ University Pages

• 1Open Guard main page: Direct path to browse curated open guard videos, clips, and instructional breakdowns.
• 2All BJJ positions: Explore related positions and connect open guard study to passing and top control systems.
• 3Octopus Guard Position Guide: Compare related BJJ University position study guides.
• 4Reverse De La Riva Guard Position Guide: Compare related BJJ University position study guides.