I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – guard passing is probably the most difficult part of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I guess one reason is that there are countless guard variations out there. Another is that everyone plays every guard a bit differently, meaning you’ll always face unknowns when you’re trying to pass the guard. That leads us to the question “is there a guard passing formula you can use on any and all guards in BJJ”? I’d like to think there is and it’s all about BJJ guard pass basics, actually, rather than flashy moves.
BJJ Guard passes basics. What exactly does that mean? Well, getting past any guard, of course. But how? The answer to every grappler’s enigma has to do with understanding why guards are effective rather than how. As usual, there are several different schools of thought out there. Each of them has merit, but they all seem to come up short when it counts the most – during rolling or a match. The best way to figure out guard passing is on your own, but asking the right questions. That’s what guard pass basics are all about.
Why Is The Guard Effective?
If you take a look at why a guard works, you ‘ll figure out I thas something to do with the legs. Hmmm. If you take a closer look you’ll notice it also has to do with the core. Also, there’s a sprinkle of framing in there somewhere. On their own, each of these three guard characteristics can cause passer problems. AL three working together though is what you get when someone knows why they’re playing guard, rather than how. That’s when you, as the guard passer, are in trouble.
In terms of guard pass basics, let’s look at the guard as if it is build of layers. Layer one is the legs. they’re the peskiest layer of them all, wiggling everywhere, hooking, overlapping and causing all sorts of trouble. this first layer is what usually baits the guard passer into an exchange that rarely ends up with a pass and favors the bottom person. The legs are the main reason why you get stuck in submissions and sweeps when you try to pass a guard.
The second layer is a much more subtle one and one that not many people pay attention to. It is all about the core. It is the core that helps guar players achieve one very subtle layer of the guard – touch their elbows to their knees. This is precisely the space you want to be occupying when passing. So, if you look at the core as the source of why the opponent is able to block your passes, then you can solve your problem in many different ways.
Finally, there are the arms. They are the pesky little extremities that make frames, both long-range and short-range ones that annoy more than any other layer. Just when you think you’ve passed someone’s guar,d those frames come up, helping the guard player create space and recover one or both previous layers. with some BJJ guard pass basics, though, you’ll soon be able to deal with this nuisance.
Beating The Layers Of The Guard
Before I give you the formula I think will benefit you the most, let’s address some BJJ guard pass basics that are considered staples, and were brought to us by some of the best grapplers around. I’ll use two Ryans as an example, although there are way more concepts out there than just these.
The first Ryan is Ryan Hall. There’s really no need to introduce him as he is a grappling wizard that has battled the best in both BJJ and MMA. His take is that you pass guard in one of four main directions. You can go around the legs, through the legs, under the legs or over the legs. This approach is effective, simple and gives you a system to follow, However, it is an oversimplification of Ryan’s entire system, which includes studying the defensive guard and its layers in extreme detail, and extends far past just these four strategies. In other words, on their own, they won’t do you much good.
The other Ryan is Gordon Ryan. The GOAT in BJJ has an appraoch of his own. He likes to categorize guard passes in loose passes, tight passes and submission passes. As amazing as his system is, it is still based mostly on the how rather than the why of guards. that makes it perfect for advanced grapplers, but not as much for those looking for the BJJ guard pass basics.
Which brings us to the simplest philosophy of all – the reason why you can’t pass the guard is because a guard cannot be passed. Yup. All guards are designed as attacking positions that are also very easy to defend. Think of them as fortresses. And, to get into a fortress, you need to first make sure you’re not going to fall into one of its traps. Then you need to make it’s defensive layers ineffective before you break down the fortress and march right in. It is the same when passing a guard.
Guard Pass Basics: Be Lazy
The best BJJ guard pass basics advice I can give you is to be lazy when passing. Remember that you can’t pass the guards, just like you can’t enter a fortress. You can pass the legs, though, when you kill all other defenses, just like you can enter through a breached wall in a fortress. Dealing with al players that preceded passing, though, is best done by doing less, rather than jumping around and trying to force your way through.
Lazy guard passing means you’re trying to pass by answering the question of why guards work. First off, they work because of the first layer- the legs. So push your hips forward, bend your knees and stand in a staggered stance. Keep your posture up. That’s it. NO matter what they do with their legs, you’re completely safe from just about any guard.
Next up, is the core layer, or the pace between the knees and elbows. This is easy as well. Given that your hips are forward, they are a leading edge. And that edge can smuggle anywhere there is space, taking you’re the rest of the body forward as well. In other words, as an opponent tries to move to retain guard, they’ll actually draw you nearer to a pass. A useful hint here is to use your head – literally. PLace the hed anywhere on the opponent/s torso or under the chin, but try and keep your butt in a vertical line over it while doing so. Now you’re down to just the final layer.
In terms of the frames that keep you at bay, this is the most important time to stay lazy. You put your hips forward, and then you sneaked through to the inside space by simply going ass-up. Stay there. be loose and heavy. If you’re tight, you’re just helping the frames. If you are loose, you can actually allow your body to sneak past any frame into the small spaces any frame leaves behind. In other words, you’ll flow straight into side control or mount precisely because an opponent decides to put their elbows away from their body in order to build up frames.
Presto – you’re past the guard. Any guard. And all it took was hips forward, head down, and then just flow past anything that’s in your way, rather than battling with it. Oh and one final thing to remember – grips are not important as long as they don’t break your posture. that goes for both your grips and those an opponent might place on you. don’t fear their grips, but rather, let them lead you towards a pass.
Conclusion
Ther’es nothing BJJ basics can’t solve. Even guard passing. BJJ guard pass basics are simple when you ask the right questions. Next time you’re up against any guard, instead, fo looking how to pass, or how they’re stopping you, wonder why the guard works. THen become lazy, identify the layers, and flow right past them. Like magic.
Inside space is the space in between your elbows and your knees. If there’s any part of your opponent in this space, you’re already playing defense with a disadvantage. Think about it this way – lay on your back and touch your knees to your elbows. Now imagine you’re playing guard. ALL you need to do is keep the position, really. If an opponent gets side control, knee on belly, even half guard, they managed to sneak into the inside space. If you manage to protect it, they’ll get nothing. You can use this concept to make any BJJ escape possible.
Late escapes are the best to pull off and they work surprisingly good. In a Kimura fashion, that would mean escaping when an opponent thinks they have the finish all wrapped up. There’s an important part in mastering late escapes though – you’ll need to accept that you have to suffer and tap a lot of times in order to work things out. It will all be more than worth it at the end though. Working very early or very lat is going to provide you with a BJJ escape that nobody will be able to figure out.
“Playing dead” is simply a way to stay calm, and very very safe when you’re in a bad spot. Safety is your number one concern when an opponent has your back or is in the mount, for example. So, addressing the elephant in the room, you should not get submitted. But that doesn’t require you to get out of the position just yet. So there’s no need for excessive movement, if any. Simply take up a defensive posture, stay rigid and wait out the storm. The more an opponent moves, the more opportunities you’ll get to, say, retrieve inside space. From there on, you’re back to early escapes, or completely out and able to go on the attack.
The Gracie gаrage challenges proved a success and set up Rorion for his next big step. This one would later prove to be lifechanging for both the Gracies and the entire world of martial arts. By then Rorion had plenty of contacts in the film industry. He even consulted on movies, like Lethal Weapon where he taught Mel Gibson how to do a 
Making the switch from Gi to No-Gi competition is not too difficult. First of all, you’ll need to know that you can’t really play your usual game. That is just as important, if not more, in terms of your standing game. The usual first grips you get, the way you set takedown up, and even how you pull guard differs massively in Gi and No-Gi. So, when you’re contemplating making the switch to No-Gi competition, make sure you factor in the fact that you’ll need to work a lot on your standing game, even if you like to pull guard.
Another option is the quick No-Gi competition preparation. When yo only have a short time you can only focus on the major things that make or break a No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu match. This will certainly prepare you, although you might end up falling back to some lingering old Gi habits that won’t be effective, particularly when things get rough. However, if you do plan it out well with your coach, and you have a 
What we know for sure is that the Gracie family did manage to come up with a crazy combination of martial arts that changed the world. The system they came up with was not meant to be a sport or martial art. At least not initially. They just 
Drysdale is not a man who shies away from controversies and likes to speak his mind. Taking that attitude to a documentary about BJJ history all but guarantees it will be different than others. As far as the information goes, Robert has gone to great lengths for this movie. he tracked down and interviewed people that we don’t often consider when we’re talking about the history of BJJ. One thing I’m very curious about is the much talked alternative lineage also stemming from Maeda and the real story behind it.
Let there be light. The organization of battlefield Ju-Jitsu into a more sports-like Judo by Jigoro Kano in Japan is our Big Bang of the BJJ evolution. So Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, the 
Following in their footsteps, a new generation of grapplers brought about a completely new form of BJJ. The Mendes brothers and the Miyaos started spinning like Ninja Turtle, creating 
Quite soon after promotion, I found my self referring to blue belts as food along with a great purple belt friend of mine. Suddenly, the joke didn’t seem so bad. However, it was only then that I realized it was nothing more than a joke. So yeah, purple belts deserve respect, as does anyone that steps on the mats. However, they also represent a crucial step in the hierarchy of learning BJJ. It is with blue belts that all higher belts get to develop their game, look to understand BJJ and grow as grapplers.
But there is more. It is not just the offense that has to work. it is defense as well. Here’s a radical idea – let blue belts get in positions like mount, back, submissions, etc. Make them work for it, of course, but let them attack. What better way to fine-tune every escape you might be working on, than with someone that can’t quite hold you las tight as your peers do? Of course, you’ll have to deal with the fact that you’ll tap out to blue belts. However, that’s 
Let’s start with eth e tightest North-South variation you’ll ever learn. It is an Eddie Bravo invention, and one of his best ones I might add. The usual issue with north-south is finding a way to control both the hips and shoulder of the bottom person without compromising your base. Well, leave it to Bravo to solve this puzzle. For the falt mode, you place one arm at the hip of your opponent. You then place your head on the opposite side, glued to the mats and their hip. The arm on the side of the head goes over the near side shoulder, again, as heavy as possible and glued to the mat. Finally, you use your hip to block their other shoulder, trapping the head in the process.
Going on the offensive here, let’s talk about linking several interesting attacks together based on how an opponent reacts. Or better yet, make them react in a certain fashion. From the Kesa Gatame, you’ll often end up with the opponent’s arm over your shoulder. That’s an armlock right there. The key is, trapping them and making them uncomfortable. What you want to do is swing your top leg over their head. But don’t just leave it there, pul with it so that you completely break their posture. Now you can have your fun. An inverted armbar is right there for the taking.
This is one move you’ll instantly fall in love with. It will require the use of a Gi, but you might even figure it out in No-Gi if you’re creative enough. Whenever there’s a frame against your neck, that means you have an arm to trap. Loosening up the partner’s Gi on the far side, Wrap it around their arm, aiming to trap the wrist with the lapel. The goal is to control the end of the lapel with the arm under their head. Now, you have several side control attacks to choose from.
If you haven’t seen Dean Lister vs. Josh Barnett in Metamoris, you need to stop doing what you’re doing and watch that match. What you’ll witness is one of the best side control attacks ever pulled off in a high-level grappling match. Once again it is the scarf hold side control variation, albeit a bit modified.
The goal is to feed the nd of the lapel to the hand of the arm that’s under the head. And by feed, I mean really feed it deep. Elbow goes back and you simply place your head to the near side hip. The choke is unstoppable and people are going to double-tap with both arms like they’re playing drums.
I mentioned Kesa Gatame several times so far, so now let’s look at the Reverse Kesa Gatame a swell, AKA the 
From side control, any side control, just hold the opponent’s own collar with the arm that’s under their head. Pop up, either directly or from knee on belly, and place the point of your knee on their carotid. push with the knee, pull with the arms (your second one is holding the pants at knee level. In No-Gi, both your arms connect behind their neck with an S-grip, near side arm going under the armpit like for a paper cutter choke.
The way we operate as human beings, energy-wise, is not hard to understand. I mean that in a broad sense, given that physiology is a quite complex branch of science that most people do not even have a working knowledge of. As a medical professional and a decade long grappler, I’ll try to put everything in perspective for everyone.
The best way to work organize grappling specific anaerobic training is as interval training manner. The way to organize the intervals is in a 1:3 fashion. That means that for 1 secod you go all out, and then you keep a sustained lower pace fro 3 seconds. OF course, this is just to paint a picture. In reality, you won’t do anything less than 10 seconds, meaning you get 30 seconds of moderate pace to “rest”. the goa lsi to increase, and start counting in minutes rather than seconds. Although, to be honest, working in 1020 seocnd speed bathces andresting for 30-60 seconds is a muxch more realistic represantiton of how you’ll need to utilize anareobic energy while grappling. The goal is to be able to last about 30 minutes wihtout stopping.