Key Takeaways
- An eight-part No-Gi DVD providing a complete blueprint for learning the K-guard.
- Features positional details, entries, retention strategies, and attacking combinations.
- Contains drills and plenty of narrated rolling in each section of the instructional.
- BJJ World Expert Rating: 8 out of 10.
NO-GI OPEN GUARD K-GUARD LACHLAN GILES DVD GET HERE
Should the No-Gi Open Guard K-Guard Lachlan Giles DVD be the next addition to your BJJ DVD collection? Given the subject matter it covers, I’d say yes, even before I went through the entire instructional with a fine-tooth comb.
After seeing what Lachlan has to offer in this DVD, my stance remains the same – the K-guard is like the closed guard of open guards (feel free to read that again) which means everyone should know how to play it. Even if you think you know the K-guard, you should see what this DVD has to offer. I bet you’ll find something you had no idea existed. I know I did.
Introducing a New Letter to Your Guard Alphabet
So open guard and how we name them in BJJ… that is a subject we can debate for hours. I am the first to confess that I am not entirely sure whether using letters from the alphabet helps us categorize guards in a smart way, or just mixes things up more. But that’s beyond the point.
Z-Guard, Y-Guard, X-guard(s)… We have our fair share of letter-named guards in BJJ these days. I intentionally left out a major letter guard because, well, that’s what we’re going to talk about today. The K guard is not just another letter in the alphabet of open guards – it is a letter you absolutely need to add to your grappling vocabulary. The sooner – the better.
Before we go any further looking into other No-Gi Open Guard K-Guard Lachlan Giles DVDs let me make one thing clear – the K-Guard is great for leg locks, but that doesn’t mean that is the guard’s only purpose. Even if you’re not a leg locker, you should consider this open guard for your game.
One of the Best – Lachlan Giles
The most popular Aussie coach (nope, Danaher is from New Zealand) is undoubtedly Lachlan Giles. Taking over the mantle from Kit Dale, for all of you training longer than 20 years, Lachlan methodically became the biggest BJJ name Down Under.
And with good merit. The 38-year-old initially got worldwide recognition as Craig Jones’ first coach, who put Craig on the grappling map. However, he later took on competitive efforts of, going on a legendary run through the ADCC absolute division in 2019, earning himself the title of giant slayer and ending up with the bronze medal in the hardest division of the biggest BJJ competition in the world.
Apparently, there’s something that makes Aussie grapplers approach BJJ as if it were a logical puzzle to be solved in a university setting. Danaher, Dale, and Giles are great examples, with the latter using his physiotherapy knowledge to rewrite some staple positions of BJJ, making them better in the process.
The 50/50 springs to mind immediately, along with the inverted North-South position. While I have no idea who came up with the K-guard nor do I need to look for that information, I know who made it popular – it was Lachalan. Let’s see how deep his knowledge goes by carefully dissecting the No-Gi Open Guard K-Guard Lachlan Giles DVD
No-Gi Open Guard K-Guard Lachlan Giles DVD Review
The No-Gi Open Guard K-Guard Lachlan Giles DVD is a long instructional, consisting of eight different volumes and lasting upwards of six hours. Lachlan is an exceptional coach and does a stellar job of organizing the material and delivering the key points.
Part 1 – Guard Strategy
Lachlan begins his No-Gi Open Guard K-Guard Lachlan Giles DVD with quite a lengthy introduction of not just the subject, but also how he organizes the material in this instructional. He shares key ideas about the open guard, Gi vs No-Gi, offers common problems people face, and gives directions on how to watch the DVD and train using the material.
After about half an hour, he narrows his attention to the open guard, talking a lot about retention and leg positioning relative to the opponent. He likes to launch attacks from a position of safety, which emphasizes retention, which is where the K-guard delivers.
Part 2 – Game Plan
In a Danaharesque fashion, not really common for Lachlan Giles instructional, the Melbourne native spends the entirety of the second volume of the No-Gi Open Guard K-Guard Lachlan Giles DVD discussing open guards from a broad perspective, still not touching the subject of the K-guard.
The subject of guard retention is still the focus, with Giles dissecting it by sharing the key tasks you have against opponents standing across you at different levels of passing. After outlining retention duties for each of them, Lachalan gives an overview of guards that help you achieve them, presenting the De la Riva guards, X guards, 50/50, and finally, the K-guard.
Part 3 – K-Guard Essentials
As the K-guard earns its time in the spotlight, Lachlan opens with the positional hierarchy of guards based on distances, giving the K-guard a very specific spot. Once the reasons why this guard works so well are out of the way, Giles begins covering more technical aspects, with entries up first.
The first set of techniques in the No-Gi Open Guard K-Guard Lachlan Giles DVD offers several ways into the K-guard, without too much specificity. At this point, Giles still goes over angles, grips, distance management, and how to invert. I felt that the material was drawn more than it needed to be, honestly.
Practically speaking, the pummeling chapters and crossface prevention are the most important parts of this section.
Part 4 – Entries vs. Kneeling
The closed guard is the first launching pad for K-guard entries that Lachlan covers in the No-Gi Open Guard K-Guard Lachlan Giles DVD. Armbars help seal the deal with this transition quickly wrapping up a subject I thought would get more attention.
Instead, Giles focuses more on open guard entries, beginning with a kneeling opponent. He goes over the 2-on-1 grip setup, offering entries even against opponents who decide to be heavy, as well as those trying to flee or sprawl. The volume ends with narrated rolls featuring lots of the entries covered so far.
Part 5 – Entires vs. Half-Kneeling
Luring opponents in combat base to your K-guard is what volume number five of the No-Gi Open Guard Lachlan Giles DVD is all about. Control and positional details come first, paving the way for connecting the De la Riva guards to the K-guard in a variety of ways.
Lachlan also briefly covers entries versus standing opponents in this part of the instructional, once again utilizing the Reverse De la Riva Guard to set up a K-Guard game. He ends this part with a narration of rolls featuring the subject as well.
Part 6 – K-Guard Follow-Ups
This is where things hit an advanced note, but Lachlan really manages to pull it off in terms of connecting all the key dots. It is not easy to work off of dynamic concepts such as guard retention, but Giles somehow succeeds.
This portion of the No-Gi Open Guard K-Guard Lachlan Giles DVD addresses how to get back into guard after someone almost passes your guard, as well as how to stay on guard using the K-guard principles already covered. It is a great way to give meaning to entries and provide defensive pathways into the K-guard as opposed to solely covering offensive ones.
Lachlan also begins his coverage of offensive options from the guard in this section, introducing the subject by presenting key grips and the super important position of both your legs in the K-guard configuration.
Part 7 – Attacking from the K-Guard
The K-guard is prominently a leg-locking launchpad and that is exactly where Lachlan starts his attacking lessons. Backside 50/50 heel hooks are the primary attack Giles offers, with plenty of finishing variations and details that we’ve already seen in Lachlan’s 50/50 DVD.
X-guard follow-ups also feature in this volume of the No-Gi Open Guard K-Guard Lachlan Giles DVD helping blend leg locks together even better with K-Guard setups. He wraps up by offering an alternative attack chain featuring the lateral closed guard.
Part 8 – Troubleshooting
The final part of this very long instructional is all about solving common problems that you’ll encounter playing the K-guard. Most of the chapters cover reactions that you’ll face often, such as people trying to clear your legs or fleeing away from your K-guard.
Lachlan also covers all relevant guard passes, such as leg drags, which might present a danger to your K-guard, as well as back takes, crab rides, and foot locks from the top. A set of drills and more narrated rolls conclude the No-Gi Open Guard K-Guard Lachlan Giles DVD
The Best Open Guard in BJJ?
This debate is one we can’t really settle. With new guards, alphabet named or not, emerging constantly, I can’t claim that the K-gaurd is the end-all and be-all of all guards, but it does offer one of the best, if not the best option for playing open guard these days.
First of all, the guard doesn’t require any particular athletic abilities to set up and play. Secondly, it offers a great balance of retention qualities and attacking options, which not many open guards do. Finally, it is perfect for both Gi and No-Gi, but really favors No-Gi a bit more which is crucial, as most people have no idea what open guard to play without the Gi anyway.
The No-Gi Open Guard K-Guard Lachlan Giles DVD is not just an introduction to the K-guard. It provides everything and the kitchen sink in terms of the guard and doesn’t require you to watch the full instructional in succession. This means that you can pick apart those bits that provide the information you need for your game only and use them immediately.
DOWNLOAD HERE: NO-GI OPEN GUARD K-GUARD LACHLAN GILES DVD
K-Guard Mastery!
It is about time you mastered the guard every No-Gi competitor in the world is becoming proficient at! The K-Guard is going to help your BJJ, whether you’re a competitor or not, and it will improve your games regardless of belt level or experience. The No-Gi Open Guard K-Guard Lachlan Giles DVD is the only resource you’ll need (to date) to reach a K-gaurd mastery that transforms your game.
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