Spoiler alert… I have short, muscular legs. These physical attributes can at times make it impossible to retain a closed guard against larger opponents because I cannot cross my ankle for even a halfway decent closed guard. Therefore, in these cases, I have to operate with an open guard. Now convention dictates that in the hierarchy of jiu-jitsu strategy the closed guard is superior to the open guard. However, even the icons and legends of Brazilian jiu-jitsu must resort to abandoning closed guard for open guard.
Case Study: Royce Gracie.
Royce Gracie is often credited with introducing the guard and bjj to the world via the United States and UFC 1. Yet, 11 years later, when Royce fought sumo wrestling grand champion Akebono at a 2004 Pride F/C event closed guard was never implemented! Royce didn’t even try to close his guard because he simply could not! Instead Royce kept his guard open and eventually ended the bout via an omoplata/wristlock finish!
From this case study and personal experiences we can see that open guard is a necessary skill to develop. To begin your study of open guard I would suggest watching this video highlighting important concepts of the butterfly guard; a fantastic guard to implement against larger opponents. Once you have had time to watch the video move on to the video below that details one of my favorite combinations the Russian butterfly sweep to the guard finish guillotine.
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Gracie NEPA was first established in 2005. Since then, Jeff Reese and his talented assistants have been relentlessly working to educate students in the art of Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Gracie NEPA headquarters is located in Scranton but it’s influence has spread across Pennsylvania as assistants and students have opened schools of their own. For more information call: 570-963-9739 or visit us on the web at https://www.gracienepa.com
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