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Closed Guard Fundamentals: Complete BJJ Technique Guide
Master the Closed Guard Fundamentals in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Complete breakdown of grips, positioning, and attacks. Track your guard game with JitsAI.
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2026-02-17
# Closed Guard Fundamentals: Complete BJJ Technique Guide
## What is the Closed Guard Fundamentals?
The Closed Guard Fundamentals is a fundamental Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu technique that every practitioner should master. Whether you're a white belt just starting out or an experienced grappler refining your game, understanding the mechanics and timing of this technique will elevate your BJJ.
## How to Perform the Closed Guard Fundamentals
Here's a detailed breakdown based on expert instruction:
# Closed Guard Fundamentals
All right, guys, let's learn a little bit the fundamentals about the closed guard. So basically, what's closed guard? Closed guard is when I lock my legs here, keeping my opponent between my legs, okay? But let's understand why I should do so. Okay, why should I lock him between my legs? Let's start with a situation that Sab is down, lay down, and I actually mounted on him, okay? The mount position, I believe you guys know, is one of the most dominant positions in Jiu-Jitsu, okay? Because I'm on top of him, not just on sparring, but also in self-defense, I'm very much dominant here, okay? Why? Because basically he cannot strike me. And if I want, I could strike him. Plus, I have gravity. I have freedom of movement to control him. I have several attacks.
But what happened? Sometimes I'm trying to attack him, and my opponent end up flipping me, and I end up on the bottom. Okay? What happened now? Since I know that if he mount over me, he's going to be in a lot more dominant position. Or if he gets to my side, he's going to be in a lot more dominant position. I should keep him locked between my legs. Because if you think about the closed guard is almost like I'm mounted on him. It's just upside down. This is a really good way to actually hold my opponent in front of me, and then I can use my legs, and I can use my arms to do several attacks.
Keeping my opponent in front of my legs is a very important skill in jiu-jitsu. Why? Because maybe he's trying to do an instinctive movement, which is like trying to choke me from that situation. It's just not ideal. I can always use my legs to start attacking him like arm bars and many other things.
So basically that's how you understand why you should close guard. You should close guard because it's better keeping him in front of you, in front of your legs, than having him mounted on top of you. Does that make sense? Of course my hands are free. So I can do several attacks from here. Basically attack is just you go with the hand inside his collar. The other hand you go underneath, very deep. Of course you turn your wrists and then you have a collar choke.
Okay, sometimes you're trying to apply the choke, the guy starts pushing you, trying to defend. And then he's exposed his arms. You can use your legs to actually attack the arm. Also, you have to think about that. Any movement that my opponent is out of balance, any movement I do, I will end up straight in the mount, which is the most dominant position. So that's why we should close guard, and we should know attacks from the closed guard. All right? I hope I explain it in a basic way, so everybody understand what closed guard means, okay?
## Key Points to Remember
When drilling the Closed Guard Fundamentals, focus on these essential details:
1. **Positioning** — Your body position determines your success rate
2. **Timing** — Wait for the right moment, don't force it
3. **Grip** — Secure proper grips before committing to the technique
4. **Finish** — Follow through completely once you initiate
## Common Mistakes to Avoid
Many practitioners struggle with the Closed Guard Fundamentals because they:
- Rush the technique without proper setup
- Neglect the importance of base and balance
- Forget to control their opponent's reactions
- Don't drill both sides equally
## When to Use the Closed Guard Fundamentals
The Closed Guard Fundamentals works best when:
- Your opponent's weight distribution creates an opening
- You've set up the technique with proper grips
- You can commit fully to the movement
- You have a follow-up ready if the initial attempt fails
## Track Your Closed Guard Fundamentals Progress
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*This technique guide is based on instruction from Professor Henrique, covering the Closed Guard Fundamentals as part of the JitsAI Fundamentals Course.*