Open Guard Fundamentals: Complete BJJ Technique Guide

# Open Guard Fundamentals: Complete BJJ Technique Guide

## What is the Open Guard Fundamentals?

The Open 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 Open Guard Fundamentals

Here's a detailed breakdown based on expert instruction:

# Open Guard Fundamentals

Okay, guys, now let's talk a little bit about the open guard, okay? So basically,

what is open guard? Open guard is when my opponent actually open my close guard,

and he's more free to move. Because my opponent's more free to move, I actually

have to do better grips and better ways to control him. One example of this. So

basically, imagine I start on close guard, and sit down a little bit, E talvez eu

faa em alguŽm que Ž um pouco maior e um pouco mais forte do que eu. E ele grava

a minha bota e ele comea a se mover para fora de mim. E a’ meu guarda est‡

abrindo. Eu n‹o poderia manter o meu guarda, os meus fichos. O que aconteceu?

Se eu n‹o fazer qualquer conex‹o, qualquer gripe, isso se torna muito mais f‡cil

para ele, para realmente pegar o meu lado. Por For example, he could push my leg

down and drop his knee above my leg. This way he pin my leg. And then it's very

easy for him to just run to my side. So once this happened, so he's moving away

from me and he already opened my guard. I have to do grips. I have to hold him

in a way that I maintain my legs active. So one example of that is I'm going to

grab both of his sleeves, and I'm going to bring my knees inside and my feet on

his hip. And this is called it Open Guard. So I'm using my legs to still control

his arms, and I'm using my grips to actually have connections on him.

So this is one style of Open Guard. And once I have my feet on his hip and my

shin on his biceps, how we call it here in our school, it's open guard. Of course,

from here, you could advance to some spider guard. So basically, I have my foot on

his biceps and my foot on his hip. This is another style of open guard.

On the spider guard, he could be on his knees or he could be standing.

Ok, meu guarda est‡ still open, mas est‡ still active. Meu pedao est‡ still active,

para mover. TambŽm outros estilos de guarda open que, talvez,

ele bringe o seu dedo entre os meus pedaos, aqui, removendo meu pedao da sua

rica. E agora em torno, a gente v muita gente jogando,

Ž o guarda de Dela Riva. Ent‹o, eu usei I use my foot around his knee, holding

his leg. I can use this hand also to hold his heel. So basically, I'm always

keeping connections on my opponent in order to keep him facing my legs and avoiding

him getting too much on my side. That is several styles of open guard.

But what is important? The connection. You should always be holding. You should

always be holding somewhere. Another style, go back underneath, another style of open

guard that's very common, which is the butterfly guard. Okay?

It's still an open guard, but I'm actually bringing my seat underneath his thighs.

And then I can start maybe try and lift him and try raising him with my hooks.

But again, I should always have good connections of my opponent, all right?

So understanding the open guard is, since my opponent opened my close guard,

I should have tools, I should have enough skills to even my legs are open,

I can control him and keeping him facing my legs. That's the whole idea about any

open guard techniques. See you next lesson.

## Key Points to Remember

When drilling the Open 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 Open 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 Open Guard Fundamentals

The Open 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

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*This technique guide is based on instruction from Professor Henrique, covering the Open Guard Fundamentals as part of the JitsAI Fundamentals Course.*