Key Takeaways
- The Short Guy Guard Alec Baulding DVD is a five-volume guard instructional built specifically around the problems shorter grapplers deal with against longer, rangier opponents.
- Its biggest strength is structure: it starts with guard retention and guard establishment, then layers spider-lasso, deep lasso, collar-sleeve, cross-sleeve, and several auxiliary guards into one connected system.
- This is not a one trick release. It is a broad, Gi-heavy bottom game built around leverage, grips, angles, and transitions rather than flexibility or leg length.
- More experienced guard players and competitors will probably get the most from it, but thoughtful white and blue belts can still use it as a roadmap if they are willing to study the material in layers.
- Rating: 9/10
MASTERING THE SHORT GUY GUARD ALEC BAULDING DVD DOWNLOAD
The Short Guy Guard Alec Baulding DVD does something a lot of instructionals only pretend to do: it solves a real body-type problem instead of selling a generic system with a clever title. Alec Baulding frames this course around a simple reality. If you are shorter than many of your training partners, guard can feel uphill from the start because longer athletes get easier hooks, longer frames, and more natural grip advantages.
His answer is not to tell shorter grapplers to just be faster. It is to give them a layered guard game built around tighter leverage, smarter entries, and high-control positions that do not depend on having long limbs. That is why the Short Guy Guard Alec Baulding DVD immediately stands out.
Why Shorter Grapplers Need a Different Guard Framework
A lot of guard instruction in Jiu-Jitsu quietly assumes the player has room to extend, invert, and create distance with long levers. That is not always realistic for a shorter, stockier grappler. Those athletes usually do better when the guard game emphasizes tight connections, disciplined grips, off-balancing, and transitions that keep opponents in manageable ranges instead of letting them stretch the position out.
The Short Guy Guard Alec Baulding DVD appears to understand that from the ground up. What makes the course appealing is that it does not reduce short guy guard to one magic position. Instead, it treats the problem as a system issue. You need retention first. Then you need reliable ways to establish your preferred connections. Then you need a chain of guards that feed each other when opponents change posture or base.
On the product page, that shows up through a progression from guard retention into spider-lasso, deep lasso, spider guard, collar-sleeve, cross-sleeve, De La Riva, sit-up guard, and even secondary answers like quarter guard, knee shield, butterfly, X-guard, and half guard.
That breadth matters. A shorter athlete usually cannot afford to be stubborn from bottom. If one entry stalls, there has to be another route ready. That is a big reason the Short Guy Guard Alec Baulding DVD feels practical rather than gimmicky. It is about building a reusable framework, not just a highlight-reel sequence.
Who Is Alec Baulding?
Alec Baulding is a black belt under Romero Cavalcanti and has spent most of his competitive life under the Alliance banner. He is as an ADCC East Coast Trials champion, an IBJJF London Fall Open winner, and a colored-belt standout who won an IBJJF World Championship and Pan Championship at purple belt.
The lasso guard has long been one of his favorite positions, which is especially relevant here given how much of this instructional revolves around lasso-based control. His background also fits the theme of the course. He began Jiu-Jitsu at 15 after first trying Taekwondo, eventually receiving all his belts from Romero Cavalcanti, including his black belt in 2015.
Alec is an active competitor and coach who has become notably focused on instructional content, much of it specialized for smaller athletes who share his shorter, stockier build. That last detail matters. It suggests the Short Guy Guard Alec Baulding DVD is not random marketing language. It is consistent with the niche he has been developing as a teacher.
In other words, Baulding is a credible person to teach this. He is not just a good grappler making broad guard claims. He has a real competition pedigree, a clear stylistic identity, and a documented history of building teaching material around the needs of compact athletes.
Full Short Guy Guard Alec Baulding DVD Review
The Full Short Guy Guard Alec Baulding DVD is aimed at a specific athlete, and the product page is unusually clear about the intended outcome: build a seated guard foundation, neutralize reach advantages, and transition into spider guard, lasso guard, and collar-sleeve variations that work for compact frames. That focus alone makes the instructional worth attention, because it addresses a problem many smaller athletes feel every day but rarely see broken down this directly.
Volume 1 – Positional Sparring
The first volume is exactly where this course needed to start: guard retention and guard establishment. Baulding opens with an introduction, then moves into guard retention basics, positional sparring for retention, establishing guard, and positional sparring for establishing it.
That is a very smart choice. Too many guard products start with flashy attacks before explaining how the player is supposed to reliably get into the right shape in the first place. Here, the Short Guy Guard Alec Baulding DVD begins by addressing the entry barrier.
For me, that immediately boosts the value of the course. If you are shorter, your guard game often fails before the real technique begins because you lose distance or let the top player settle their pressure too early. Starting with retention and positional sparring tells me Baulding understands the difference between knowing moves and actually arriving in usable guard positions against resistance.
Volume 2 – Spider Lasso
The second part is where the main Gi engine starts to show itself. Baulding goes into spider lasso guard, distinguishes shallow and deep lasso, covers transitions, movement, positional sparring to establish the position, then addresses standing attacks and common top-player reactions such as combat base, both knees down, and the so-called Mendes Bros squat.
This is one of the strongest sections conceptually because it is not just “here is spider-lasso.” It is spider-lasso as a live problem-solving hub. That matters for a spider lasso guard player.
The value is not in memorizing one configuration; it is in understanding how the position changes when the passer changes height, pressure, and posture. Volume 2 looks especially useful for anyone who wants a tighter short grappler guard system rather than a loose collection of techniques.
Volume 3 – Deep Lasso
Volume 3 broadens the system without losing direction. Baulding adds deep lasso, spider guard, basic ankle lock mechanics, a warning not to stay in spider guard too long, then moves to collar-sleeve guard, standing omoplata attacks from collar-sleeve, major control points, triangle, and armbar.
I like this part because it shows the instructional is not trying to trap the viewer inside one preference forever. The progression from lasso to spider to collar-sleeve makes sense for a compact athlete who wants to keep offensive layers available while staying connected.
The inclusion of collar sleeve guard details is especially valuable, because that position often rewards precision and angle creation more than raw reach. It fits the theme of the Short Guy Guard Alec Baulding DVD very well.
Volume 4 – Collar Sleeve Guard(s)
The fourth volume might be the most modern-feeling section of the course. Baulding covers far-side collar-sleeve, cross-sleeve guard, omoplata roll variations, re-rolls, 2-on-1 triangle/omoplata options, cross-sleeve X-guard, matrix entries, crab ride roll, K-guard back take, movement, responses to combat base, and omoplata step-over defense.
What stands out here is the way the guard starts opening into more dynamic pathways without abandoning the original theme. The Short Guy Guard Alec Baulding DVD still feels like it belongs to shorter athletes, but it is no longer only about surviving length disadvantages.
By this point it is also about forcing dilemmas, chasing the back, and threatening layered attacks once the top player overreacts. If you already have a decent seated guard for shorter athletes, Volume 4 is probably where you start seeing the most competitive upside.
Volume 5 – Special Topics
The final volume is a grab bag, but in a good way. Baulding includes special topics such as alternative grips, double-sleeve transition to De La Riva, bump responses, and the Jon Thomas vice guard, among others.. This is where the Short Guy Guard Alec Baulding DVD starts to feel like a full reference rather than a narrow instructional.
The obvious upside is range. The obvious downside is that viewers looking for one hyper-focused game may find the final section a little more scattered than the earlier volumes. Still, I think it works because it shows Baulding trying to future-proof the system. If the first four volumes build the main road, Volume 5 adds side streets, detours, and troubleshooting options.
Learning Short Guy Guards
The best way to use the Short Guy Guard Alec Baulding DVD is not to binge it and then hope it appears in sparring. Volume 1 should be drilled and pressure-tested first, especially the guard retention and guard-establishing sequences.
After that, most people would benefit from picking just one main lane from the middle of the course, usually spider-lasso or collar-sleeve, and trying to make that section functional before moving on. The course looks much more like a system to build over time than a quick-fix product.
Competitors will find this instructional especially useful because of how often it returns to posture, control points, transitions, and positional sparring. Those are the things that usually survive tournament nerves.
For hobbyists, the appeal is slightly different. It offers a body-type-conscious map that can stop shorter grapplers from wasting months copying games that work better for taller training partners. That is a real benefit, and one of the biggest reasons this Alec Baulding instructional deserves a strong rating.
AVAILABLE HERE: SHORT GUY GUARD ALEC BAULDING DVD
Who Is This For?
This course is best suited to blue belts and above, especially people who already know they enjoy playing guard. Competitors and detail-oriented hobbyists will likely get the most from it.
If you like grip sequences, layered attacks, and forcing reactions from bottom, the Short Guy Guard Alec Baulding DVD should fit your game nicely. It also looks particularly relevant for anyone who has struggled to translate mainstream open-guard advice into something that works with a shorter frame.
That said, it is not ideal for everyone. Pure No-Gi players will obviously get less from a system built around spider, lasso, collar-sleeve, and pant-grip frameworks. Brand-new white belts may also find the later volumes a little dense if their basic retention and grip awareness are not there yet.
They can still learn from it, but they will need patience. As a guard system for shorter athletes, it looks excellent. As a beginner’s first-ever instructional, it is a bit more demanding.
Pros & Potential Drawbacks
Pros:
- Very clear audience fit: the course knows exactly who it is for, and that makes the teaching direction much tighter than in generic guard instructionals.
- Strong foundational opening: starting with retention and establishment makes the entire system more usable in live training.
- Excellent positional connectivity: spider-lasso, deep lasso, collar-sleeve, cross-sleeve, and auxiliary guards all appear as linked options rather than isolated techniques.
- Competition-friendly emphasis: the product page repeatedly frames the material around tested details, positional sparring, and reactions against common top-player stances.
- Useful breadth in the last volume: the extra material gives the viewer more than a narrow A-game and helps the system stay adaptable.
Potential Drawbacks:
- Not especially minimalist: if you want one tiny, ultra-focused sequence, this is broader and more layered than that.
- Less useful for No-Gi specialists: much of the material is built around Gi-specific gripping and guard structures.
Short Legs Aren’t a Problem
The Short Guy Guard Alec Baulding DVD is one of those instructionals that gets high marks because it solves a specific problem with a real system instead of vague advice. Alec Baulding has the background to teach it, the product structure makes sense, and the material appears to progress logically from retention into increasingly dangerous and flexible guard layers. For shorter grapplers, that alone makes it highly appealing.
