Passing the guard for guys that can't

[Tim Bruhn]

Only been training in BJJ for about 6 months, but have done Judo for 2 years but I still have SO much trouble passing the guard. Even breaking open someone's legs when thier in full closed guard.

Just wanting some re-enforcement maybe that it is a difficult skill to master? It's seems like it should be one of the fundamentals you get good at before anything else but isn't happening for me.

I just seem to always get my posture broken trying to open the closed guard so just when I feel like I'm getting somewhere, I end up at square one again.

Maybe I need to be more aggressive? When I roll I am more of a technique/movement type I suppose, so maybe I just need to go balls out and get more agressive and powerful.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

PS Just got my first tip on my white last night. Super stoked. The start of what has already been an amazing journey and life changing experience that I am super excited about finding else what else it will bring me. (Sorry for the gloat, but I'm sure you all remember that joy of passing your first grading and I just had to let it out)

[Ash "Lottery" Woods]

oh dude your not alone!... there are a few techniques out there for passing the guard and different ways of breaking the legs open fom elbows in the femeral arteries to different ways to posture up

[Muhammad Abdou]

i thought judo guys were supposed to have good posture... work the marcelo pass series, its awsome. as for breaking the closed guard... i always go for the same thing.. posture, pin their shoulders, stand up with staggered stance, slide their groin down your front shin

[Tim Bruhn]

I suck at Judo as much as I suck at BJJ, hence no guard passing skills

[Muhammad Abdou]

the number one key in closed guard is keeping posture. theres no point becoming more aggressive or whatever. you should get to the point where you can control you and your opponents posture from inside their guard indeffinately.. or at least 20 seconds i guess, before you even start worrying about breaking and passing

[Matthew Edlund]

I had trouble passing. Everyone has trouble passing. It takes repetition. Drill like crazy. Master each step. Research every guard pass you can. Use the one's that work best for you. Most times you have to chain different attempts together. Get tricky.

Rule #1 though! Don't get complacent and think you should be going into someone's guard. Above all else fight to stay out of it and pass at the same time. I'm a little dense sometimes. This took me almost a year to figure out I shouldn't be there in the first place. Fight the legs first and work your way up the body to control positions. You'll see this in every one of the MTS where Eddie or Nate goes over the Marcelo 1, 2 or 3 pass. Getting into someone's guard is not even a thought. Pass before you get trapped!

Your guard = Good
Opponent's guard = bad...don't be there. It's like walking down a dark alley in the worst neighborhood. Would you do it? Maybe if you're Rambo.

[Brian Morency]

come in my guard. I'll let you pass into my HG. lol I hate FG.

[Robert Sevigny]

Only been training in BJJ for about 6 months,

yah man, Aussieland doesnt have much going for them when it comes to BJJ... so learning technique is like ALIEN NEWS to you guys, he keeps breaking your posture because YOUR BACK ISNT STRAIGHT... to break his CLOSED GUARD stand up if you can or at least get ONE knee up, and put your KNEE BETWEEN HIS LEGS then sit back down than you can start to look to pass

cheers matey!

[Muhammad Abdou]

yah man, Aussieland doesnt have much going for them when it comes to BJJ... so learning technique is like ALIEN NEWS to you guys, he keeps breaking your posture because YOUR BACK ISNT STRAIGHT... to break his CLOSED GUARD stand up if you can or at least get ONE knee up, and put your KNEE BETWEEN HIS LEGS then sit back down than you can start to look to pass

cheers matey!

is it just me or are you being a troll?

[Tim Bruhn]

yah man, Aussieland doesnt have much going for them when it comes to BJJ... so learning technique is like ALIEN NEWS to you guys, he keeps breaking your posture because YOUR BACK ISNT STRAIGHT... to break his CLOSED GUARD stand up if you can or at least get ONE knee up, and put your KNEE BETWEEN HIS LEGS then sit back down than you can start to look to pass

cheers matey!

I'm guessing so? Unless he rates George Sots as a hack?

Loved the advice Matt about not getting there in the first place. I totally think sub conciously I see it as the starting point so just am happy to fall into it and kinda start from there. Definatley will focus on not getting there in the first place.

Muhammad - We had John Will at our school last Sunday (I didn't get there though) Adam Metcalf is the head BB at AMMA.