FROM UNDERNEATH
Guard & Bottom Game
Using your legs as a barrier and a weapon: closed, half and open guards, plus the retention work that keeps any of them alive.
In this category
Guard & Bottom Game guides
Closed Guard: Control, Break, and Attack
Closed guard is the most controllable bottom position because your legs set the range. The real work is breaking posture and finding an angle before attacking.
Half Guard: Underhooks and Knee Shields
Half guard is decided above the waist. Whoever wins the underhook and the head position controls the exchange, no matter how the legs are tangled.
Open Guard: Hooks, Grips, and Entries
Open guard trades the security of a closed guard for reach and attack options. It only works while your grips and your leg contacts agree with each other.
Guard Retention: Recovering Before You Lose It
Retention is the habit of noticing a pass early and moving your hips before your partner arrives. Late recovery is an escape; early recovery is retention.
Keep going
Grappling explained as mechanics, not mystique.
A sequence that introduces grappling skills in the order they depend on each other. Advance when the current stage holds up against a resisting partner, not when the calendar says so.