Key Takeaways
- A Gi BJJ DVD instructional on the design and place of a closed guard game in modern BJJ.
- Covers directions on retaining, controlling, and attacking from the closed guard.
- Dilemma attacks and sneaky lapel setups are just a couple of ways Adam makes classic closed guard attacks fun.
- BJJ World Expert Rating: 9 out of 10.
CLOSED GUARD ADAM WARDZINSKI DVD AVAILABLE HERE:
Adam Wardzinski and guard go together like beer and peanuts. For the most part, just like with the special brew and the salty aphrodisiacs, there is a go-to combination, which in the case of Adam is the butterfly guard. However, snacking on some cashews from time to time is a welcome change, so when Adam decides to talk about a different guard, it’s a great opportunity to learn for the rest of us.
The Closed Guard Reintroduced Adam Wardzinski DVD has that ‘same but different’ factor, delivering yet another boat full of the BJJ World Champion’s knowledge bout guards. For anyone thinking the closed guard has no place in the top competitive circles these days, this DVD is going to be the slap in the face that you need.
Elevating the Closed Guard
I feel somewhat of a fraud when I talk about fundamentally basic positions like the closed guard. You see, I hated the position when I was a blue belt, which contributed to overusing it as a tiny white belt.
The thing is that once age, injuries, and most importantly, the experience gathered, I finally saw the value of the closed guard, and all the other fundamentals people love to ignore. I was a brown belt at the time, and my affection and appreciation for these positions have only grown since.
What I found out is that you don’t just have to play closed guard like you did when you were a white belt. As a more experienced grappler, you get to put your own flair to it, and make it fun and interesting just as much as any other guard can be.
In fact, you don’t even have to be that experienced – the same is true for anyone who decides to mess around with the closed guard, experiment, and gather data about it. You can do it yourself, through trial and error, or get some directions, like those provided in the Closed Guard Reintroduced Adam Wardzinski DVD.
Adam Wardzinski’s Guard Toolbox
Guard just comes naturally to mind when the name Adam Wardzinski is mentioned to anyone actively involved in BJJ. Adam is one of the few people who actively carry the flag for guards in modern BJJ, with a particular knack for using it in the Gi.
So far, Adam’s main playground has been the butterfly guard, which he took through trial and error a lot over the course of a decade, finally winning the worlds in 2024 with a very dominant performance, that was, as expected, very guard-oriented.
Many people often fail to see Adam’s prowess in a myriad of different guard positions, as they’re only looking at his butterfly guard. However, the butterfly would never work as well as it does without the Octopus, half, and closed guard, to name a few fallbacks that Wardzinski regularly uses.
So, instead of looking at his main weapon, today we’re looking at how Adam uses his guard sidearm, which more often than not, is the closed guard. As expected, the world champ does a stellar job presenting it in the Closed Guard Reintroduced Adam Wardzinski DVD.
Closed Guard Reintroduced Adam Wardzinski DVD Review
This very information-packed, but logically constructed Adam Wardzinski Closed Guard comes with six volumes, each targeting a different aspect of playing closed guard intended for use in modern BJJ. Adam loves the Gi, so understandably, this is a Gi instructional. We get to enjoy more than 4 hours of Wardzinski teaching in this instructional:
Part 1 – Controlling the Closed Guard
Adam’s opening volume skips past the boring stuff, such as what is the closed guard, and immediately goes on to explore the key aspects of controlling people from it. What that means is that Wardzinski will show you exactly what to do with those irritating, struggling people who break your closed guard open.
Some of the key things you’ll pick up from the opening act of the Closed Guard Reintroduced Adam Wardzinski DVD include dealing with common hand positions, such as hips, biceps, or collars, and how to ensure you keep your upper body free from the top person’s control. My favorite part was the section on dealing with people who stall – perfect for any competitor.
Part 2 – Sweeps and Submissions
Attacks follow control in the Closed Guard Reintroduced Adam Wardzinski DVD, with sweeps first up for deconstruction. Adam covers the classics in this part of the DVD, with the flower, pendulum, and scissor sweep as his main focus. Lots of detail.
Once he comes to a point where he outlines common failing points for the sweeps, he uses it as a way to introduce submissions as the alternative. Again, the classics are up first, with Omoplatas, triangles, and armbars, done in different scenarios, dominating the second part of this volume. A sneaky Kimura is the cherry on top.
Part 3 – Dilemma Attacks
After the classics, it’s time to start connecting the dots. The third part of the Closed Guard Adam Wardzinski DVD goes a step further in teh land of closed guard opportunities, connecting at least two attacks together into mini systems.
Examples include lapel sweep threats to Omoplatas, dragging to open up the back with a bow and arrow finish on the other end, and a very cool traingle setup using Adam’s famous belt grip, usually seen as part of his butterfly guard. He builds on this last one with more shoulder lock alternatives.
Part 4 – Using the Lapels
For all those enjoying heavy use of the cloth, this is the portion of the Closed Guard Reintroduced Adam Wardzinski DVD to pay really close attention to. It starts with the shotgun armbar, which is done with no lapels, and for me, is the best part of this volume, but to each their own.
Adam’s lapel options revolve around chokes, with a lapel version of the cross collar choke coming on the back of a complete breakdown of the classic X choke setup. A sneaky Darce, or Brabo if you will, with the lapel also features here. Finally, Adam throws in an armbar to ensure you get a tap even from people who stubbornly defend chokes.
Part 5 – Answers to Common Scenarios
This portion of the Closed Guard Reintroduced Adam Wardzinski DVD contains a bunch of different tactics that are seemingly unrelated to each other. However, there is a lot of sense behind it, as they represent situations that usually occur in closed guard, especially if you attack using any of the means explored already in this instructional.
Stacking is the bane of my BJJ existence, as a result of a heavily herniated neck, so seeing Adam’s counter was super helpful. He also offers ways out of another common sticking spot, which is the hip bump sweep, complete with a triangle to wrap it up.
Part 6 – Back Exposure and More Sweeps
As we reach the end of this pretty impressive Closed Guard Adam Wardzinski DVD, a few back attacks appear through the cracks. Adam does an arm wrap to set them up, which I found to be a useful approach, especially for unathletic, aging grapplers like me.
Butterfly hooks finally appear (about time), ensuring you take stability away from the top person as you use Adam’s back-taking methods. In fact, even more sweeps feature in this part, most of which will help you get back exposure even if they fail. Wardzinski ends this DVD with my all-time favorite – the mermaid sweep. Style points right there!
The Ultimate Fallback Position
You’re tired. You’ve been scrambling for the better part of the match, and you somehow end up on the bottom. The good news is, you’re ahead. Before you even think, your body locks up the closed guard around your opponent’s waist. Now, you get to chill and see out the round, maybe ensuring the win by threatening a sub or two to stop the top from trying to pass.
This is a scenario where most of us have ended up, at one point or another, during a BJJ match. When we’re talking rolling, this is a 100% true scenario for anyone training longer than a year.
The problem is, that the outcome is rarely as the one above. While this optimal scenario is not difficult to achieve, the fact remains that you’ve forgotten all about the closed guard. Be honest, how much time have you dedicated to it since your white belt days?
The thing is, you somehow seem to end up there any time you’re under stress. That inverted K-guard with a quarter lapel that you do in the gym to annoy everyone simply doesn’t materialize in a match. I’ve seen it happen more times than I can count.
Going back to exploring the closed guard is the obvious solution here. You can still play your De La Spider Dead Bug Fake Worm Guard, but when stuff hits the fan, and you go to the ultimate fall back position, you’ll at least know how to see the match off. The Closed Guard Reintroduced Adam Wardzinski DVD is what you need.
DOWNLOAD: CLOSED GUARD REINTRODUCED ADAM WARDZINSKI DVD
When In Doubt, Close Up!
It’s as easy as closing a guard any time you want to bring the pace of a match down, and your opponent with it. As long as you understand and use the stuff from the Closed Guard Reintroduced Adam Wardzinski DVD, people won’t be able to stand up and pass, meaning you can do whatever you want with them. The choice of whether you’ll bore them to death by stalling, or submit them with trilemma attacks is completely down to you.
