Okay, you got into the closed guard. Now you can relax a bit and work slowly. Oh, wait, what’s going on, the top person is not sitting still and you can’t take a break? Suddenly your lsoes guard is open, your guard as a defensive wall is gone and you’re battling with all your power to prevent side control. Sounds familiar?
Just like the mount position, or the back mount, the closed guard in BJJ is only as good as what you do with it. Unless you’re attacking from the position the moment you wrap your legs around the opponent’s waist, you’re setting yourself up for trouble. Perhaps you need an Alex Smith DVD to help.
Many people need to understand the closed guard is mainly there to attack form, which is what the Offensive Closed Guard DVD attempts to do. Can it fulfill its goal and return the closed guard to the status of a dangerous attacking position it deserves? Let’s see.
Key Takeaways
- 2-part Gi BJJ DVD covering fundamental attacks from the closed guard
- Move breakdowns, transitions, drills, and full closed guard strategies.
- A system of pairing sweeps and submissions to create dilemmas.
- BJJ World Expert Rating: 8 out of 10.
OFFENSIVE CLOSED GUARD ALEX SMITH DVD AVAILABLE HERE!!!
Preview the Alex Smith Offensive Closed Guard DVD
The Timeless Threat of the Closed Guard
I love the closed guard. That is how my BJJ journey started almost 14 years ago. That is how it is now. However, for the better part of this period, I really did not like or use the closed guard. I just hated having to deal with it in rolling and competition, much like you.
It took reaching late brown belt for me to rediscover the power of the position that I deemed “too simple” to use. I get that this outlook on the closed guard is a phase everyone goes through, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is still the most trusted position in BJJ to this day.
Just think about it – how many times are you caught in the closed guard, or use it yourself in one rolling session? How about tournaments? One thing I always have my competitors drill as part of competition class is who to hold and how to pass the closed guard – it is everyone’s fallback in tournaments.
Mastering the closed guard does not mean you need to have a game centered around the position, even though that is not the worst idea in the BJJ world. All you need is a quick and proven system of submissions and sweeps to tap into once you inevitably enter there. The Offensive Closed Guard By Alex Smith DVD focuses on exactly those techniques.
Senior RAF Aircraftman Alex Smith
Alex Smith is one of the standout black belts teaching in Roger Gracie’s London academy and for more than one reason. He is a highly accomplished black belt under Roger’s black belt Kev Capel and is currently in charge of fundamentals classes at the RGA in London.
This shows that Smith has a talent for teaching, as well as the patience to take new people through Jiu-Jitsu over and over again. The 33-year-old is a competitor himself, still actively competing in the Master’s division.
In addition to being an exceptional grappler, Smith was a part of the RAF as a Senior Aircraftman, where he captained a team of grapplers as a purple belt to win the UK Armed Forces Martial Arts Inter Services. He has recently expanded into the world of digital instructional, with the latest Alex Smith DVD up for review today.
Detailed Review: Offensive Closed Guard Alex Smith DVD
The Offensive Closed Guard By Alex Smith DVD is a Gi BJJ instructional with 2 hours long material divided into two volumes, about an hour each. In it, the Roger Gracie Academy instructor shares a very cohesive, competition-ready game on how to use the closed guard as a launching pad for relentless back-to-back attacks.
Part 1 – Guard Retention and Sweep-Submission Combos
The first part of this Alex Smith DVD begins by explaining how crucial it is to stay in the closed guard once you attain it. Alex points out the key grip battles, and talks about the same things everyone does from closed guard- braking posture, managing distance, and opening elbows.
What he does differently is to only present these foundational closed guard mechanics from an attacking standpoint. Namely, he favors sweep and submission setups over guard retention so much, that he even goes into some risky setups, such as flirting too closely with getting stacked.
What he does demonstrates to almost perfect is sneaky, and above all, effectively effortless combined attacks, starting with armbars, and moving to collar chokes and triangles, all the while weaving in sweep threats.
Part 2 – Arm Drags
In the second, and final portion of the Offensive Closed Guard By Alex Smith DVD the opening focus is on how to counter opponents’ defenses when you attack with the combinations from the previous part.
After that, he goes into a subject that is even more forgotten and rusty for most than the closed guard is – arm dragging from the closed guard. Once the pinnacle of back exposure from the guard, Alex now rekindles this attacking avenue by pairing it with solid sweeps and the shoulder crunch butterfly guard.
Chaining Closed Guard Attacks
The Offensive Closed Guard By Alex Smith DVD perfectly captures the essence of what I try to get my students to achieve with the closed guard – always attack, but never threaten with just one attack. The benefits of this strategy are twofold.
First, you can retain guard without struggling to prevent passes if you give your opponent a more immediate problem than your guard. That comes in the form of sweeps and submissions, which will keep them busy, and therefore, stationary.
Second, when you pair two submissions together, or even better, a submission and sweep, you significantly increase the chances that one, or even both will work. Do this with all your closed guard attacks and you’ll quickly develop a game that is incredibly difficult to deal with.
DOWNLOAD DVD ALEX SMITH OFFENSIVE CLOSED GUARD
Keep it Closed!
Every now and again, you’ll end up in your closed guard, whether you want to or not. When the moment inevitably arises, why not be ready to get out of the position ASAP by finishing a sweep or submission attack immediately?
That way, even if you hate the closed guard you can be both effective with it, and out of it in the same motion. If you love it, the endless possibilities that arise from having an offensive mindset and mechanics to your closed guard will open a whole new dimension to guard play for you.
With countless instructional targeting the closed this Alex Smith DVD really does offer something different – a very basic yet effective way of setting up the Offensive Closed Guard. Of course, we’d expect nothing less from the head fundamentals instructor at the Roger Gracie Academy.
The Best Closed Guard DVD Instructionals and Digital Releases
