picked up in Rubber Guard

[Craig Murray]

Recently I've been getting picked up as soon as I move into mission control. I'm going with guys who are big enough they just scoop me up and pretty soon I'm 5 feet off the ground.

What are the standard responses when someone does this?

[Ben Eddy]

Options:
Put the free foot on the hip and push.

Angle out onto your side (they need you to be parallel in front of them in order to pick you up).

Switch to meathook and isolate his far hand out so he can't use it to pick you up.

Underhook their leg with your free arm or let go of the mission control to underhook (I don't like this option as much because you are letting them stand and you will likely lose your full guard).

Hip bump sweep into them when they go to pick you up. This will either succeed or cause them to push back into you instead of picking you up.

Unhook the free leg from full guard and extend them out with a butterfly hook.

[David Rosado]

Let go and try another guard? I'm not very stubborn when it comes to playing guard. I got slammed from an armbar like 10 years ago. Learned a valuable lesson. It's not worth holding on in my opinion.

[Jason Mallory]

Rickson Gracie use to say you should never let someone pick you up so let go of Mission Control and play open guard until you can stand up.

[Sean James]

I have a parter that dose this constantly. I really push hard with the foot on the hip. If I have the over hook and he actually gets me off the ground, I plant one Foot and push off the ground and pull him back down. Being careful to not let him pass around the planted leg. sometimes going straight to the carni at the end.

[jaywatkins67]

I've had this problem in MMA as well and I completely agree with all of the previous comments. Another option that works for me is, once they pick you up, let go and immediately shoot in for the double leg. They are normally so impressed with themselves that they can pick you up and plan to slam you (or hold you in place depending on the situation), that they aren't expecting any type of counter. It's been pretty high percentage for me over the years, anyways.

[Craig Murray]

Yeah I totally agree with the not being picked up thing... I try to avoid that at all costs. I just hate to give up RG though... I've worked so hard to get the guy into my closed guard and then broken down, just to give all that away and be back to where i started really sucks. My big problem is that I don't have much game yet. Add to that the fact that these guys are bigger AND better than me, and there are only a few things that work.

Right now my game has 3 main aspects:

1. get into RG. From here I have options and can sometimes even tap my opponents.
2. get into a lockdown. From here I usually don't tap them, but I slow them down, frustrate them, and best of all prevent them from tapping me.
3. I get totally destroyed.

Not a lot of options for me! I can't stay on top of guys, I can't play open guard very well, and I'm not allowed to do heelhooks. At this point I only manage to survive if I'm on my back and controlling my opponent. Any other position is doom for me right now.

I appreciate all the feedback! I think my next step is to try to work on some of Ben's advice.

1. cut an angle
2. press into the hip
3. underhook the leg

I need to find a big guy who can't stop me from closing my guard so I can practice this.

Maybe if I wear a weight-vest under my gi it would help

[stan myaskovskiy]

You can also work to Crackhead Control, and Dead Orchard with a leg tied up with the non rubberguard arm. My go to for a guy who wants to really posture and/or pick me up

[Craig Murray]

You can also work to Crackhead Control, and Dead Orchard with a leg tied up with the non rubberguard arm. My go to for a guy who wants to really posture and/or pick me up

Well I have a habit of going to crackhead the second I have mission control. That's part of my problem i think, my leg is already up high so I cannot push the hip without moving my leg back down again. It's a habit I'm going to try to break.

You are suggesting crackhead can somehow stop him from picking up me? I know it's for posture control but I don't understand how that helps me keep my back on the mat?

[stan myaskovskiy]

This breakdown should help. Control their leg and it becomes a lot harder for them to stand up out of it.