Kenneth Brown | 2nd Gear BJJ

The Closed Guard Offense Compendium

(This will be updated regularly with additional techniques. Updated: 01/04/2022)

Over the years, many closed guard lessons have been taught at the academy, and a few have been put on tape..

In this post, we’re going to go through those videos and add another layer of detail to each and every one of them. Hopefully this will help you improve your understanding of the position and have more success with it as well.

Let’s go.

The Pendulum Sweep

This technique is what we call a sweep.

In essence, it’s an improvement of position. We go from being on the bottom where weight can be put on us, punches can rain down, and all kinds of other bad stuff can happen to reversing the position and landing on top.

That’s not all either.

When done right, it also takes us directly to mount, which is one of the most dominant positions of Jiu Jitsu.

A few things are necessary in order for us to have success with this, though.

The first thing is that we have to control an arm, and that control must prevent opponents from touching the mat, which will minimize the force we generate for the sweep. That’s why the best case scenario is when we succeed in pulling the arm completely across the body.

A problem, though, can arise if the opponent is able to free the arm. Thus it must be locked in the position, and a great way to do that is by hugging their body tight to us, so that there is no space to pull the arm free.

Next, we have to increase our potential leverage, and shooting our free arm under their leg and jacking it up accomplishes that task well.

Then, we have to damage their structure of their position in some way. Otherwise, they’ll shift that weight back towards their heels and unlock their inner immovable rock. So first, we shift ourselves back under their center of gravity and then we rock them forward.

That’s the moment when it comes together.

It doesn’t matter if they outweighed us by twenty pounds. If we put someone in that situation, with their arm trapped, their weight rocking forward, and our whole body available for the creation of leverage, the sweep is easy.

All that matters is how effective are we at creating the necessary conditions for the technique to work smoothly.

The Scissor Sweep

In the gi, the scissor sweep is a great attack that can also be used to set up cross chokes.

More importantly, though, the structure of the traditional grip configuration allows you to both break posture and manage distance.

That stops opponents from crushing you with their weight while at the same time makes it difficult for them to retreat from the danger. How you establish that grip structure matters though. Here are some key details:

Align your index finger slightly above the opponent’s collar bone when you set the cross collar grip. (That allows you to easily switch from strong pulling grip to a stiff arm against the jaw if necessary.)
Establish a same side sleeve grip with your other hand. It can be four fingers over the top (cat’s paw) or an overgrip over the cuff (pistol).
Escape your hips and bring your top leg across your opponent’s midsection. (This is important step for the scissor sweep, and it also allows you get on your side which will give you more leverage.)
Pull the elbow of your sleeve grip arm under your body. (This creates a strong structure that reinforces your grip and makes it difficult for opponents to break.)

If you do all of those things well, the scissor sweep will naturally succeed when you scissor your legs.

The Hip Bump Sweep

The hip bump sweep is another staple of the closed guard.

And if you understand the specific conditions for its success, it still works at high levels. The key, though, lies in learning how to sit up with speed and precision. You have to learn how to angles to attack at a moment’s notice because there is a moment of opportunity whenever an opponent leans back.

Once you understand that timing element, your success will then depend on your ability to achieve the following objectives:

Can you sit upright with the palm of your hand (not your elbow) on the mat behind you as your base?
Can you get your arm across their body and connect your armpit to the front of their shoulder?
Can you pull their arm into your chest and prevent them from touching the mat with it?
Can you throw your hip into their body to knock them back then spin them like a top to put them on their back?

Those are all important objectives for achieving success with the hip bump sweep, and you can work on the first element without a partner. Just lie on your back, shift your hips to the side, bring your elbow (with the arm you want to base with) above your shoulder and then push off your elbow to build up to the upright position.

The Armbar

The armbar is one of the most effective techniques in Jiu Jitsu.

They’ve even done studies on what submissions succeed the most at the highest levels of competition, and the armbar has consistently at or near the top of that list.

Why?

Because it can be done in almost every position if we understand how it works and what we need to control in order to make it work better.

The armbar from closed guard, though, is often one of the first variation of the submission taught all across the globe, and the following objectives have to be achieved in order to have success with it:

The opponent’s elbows must be brought to the line of our hips. (That brings them into our strike zone and makes the elbow vulnerable to attack.)
The elbow we plan to attack must be brought across our body to our navel or past that line. (That makes it harder for opponents defend the attack once it progresses to the next stage.)
Upper body control must be established. (This is where we bring our legs into the battle.)
We must move towards a perpendicular angle. (It gives us the space to bring a leg around to the other side of their head and completely isolate the arm and shoulder.)
Pressure must be applied towards the thumb of the arm being attacked. (The thumb always tell us where the elbow is.)

Now what of these objectives apply to more than just the closed guard armbar…

Hm, that’s a good question.

There are two, and they have even been given names.

The first has been called chain theory. It’s the idea that for any armbar, the two central control points are the wrist/thumb and the shoulder. Those are the ends of the chain. If we control them and immobilize all movements, the elbow will also be immobilized. That means that there will be no escape once we start magnifying the pressure on that trapped arm.

The second is the rule of the thumb, which is just the idea that the thumb will always tell you the direction that pressure must be applied. If the thumb is pointing north, our hips have to drive north.

And both rules continue to hold true.

Covert Mission Deep into Side Control Escape Territory

Here’s a little something for the conceptual minded.

It’s all the best things I ever learned about escaping from side control. Be warned though. It’s not technical. I’m not going to show you some magical move that works all the time against everyone even when they outweigh you by 200 pounds or more.

No, instead you’re going to learn tips and tricks for improving the techniques you already use. And you may even pick up something that fundamentally changes how you play the game. But more than all that, you’re going to expand your understanding of how escapes work.

Let’s go.

Learning Objectives

Escaping Side Control
- Destabilizing Control
- Creating Space
- Adapting to New Situations
Preventing Control
- Framing

These are going to be the four areas of focus for this conceptual lessons. And each plays a crucial role in improving your ability to prevent and escape from side control.

Destabilizing Control

When you learn side control escapes, two things commonly happen:

Your partner holds side control on their knees.
And they do not smash the hell out of your chin with their shoulder.

It leaves you ill prepared for the real thing when someone is doing everything in their power to make your life miserable. Little but significant things like pulling you into their shoulder pressure, driving off their feet to reinforce their weight with force, and shifting their hips to focus it all on one part of your body.

The difference between the two situations is shocking.

But understand that even in the worst case scenario their control must focus on your head and hips. So your task is to destabilize that control. And there are two specific things that you must accomplish:

You have to establish a forearm frame against their hips so they can’t follow you easily.
And you have to free your chin so that you maximize your ability to move in the situation.

Nothing else matters.

You have to regain some control of your head and hips. That’s the first battle once your opponent secures the position. After that, it’s time to create some movement. You’re not going to go for your grand escape yet, but the more movement you create, the more likely it’ll be that your opponent won’t be prepared when you’re ready to go.

Creating Space

One of the problems I notice the most when I watch people try to escape side control is that they don’t bridge. They may think they are but no, it’s not even close.

Instead they bump.

And there is a clear distinction between the two movements. When you bridge correctly, you do more than just elevate. It’s a diagonal movement that shifts your opponent’s weight off of you. And the BEST way to do it is with perfect base.

Your base must be wide enough and stable enough that your opponents will struggle to drive you back down. And when you’re at the highest peak of that movement, you shrimp. That’s when you have the most space possible, and you’ll shocked at how easy escaping will be.

When I see people struggle to escape, it’s because they don’t do that. Instead they bump. Their feet are close, they elevate straight up, and then they do the WORST thing of all.

They try to shrimp while their hips are already falling back down to the ground.

And do you know what their opponents have to do then?

Nothing.

They don’t have to do anything. Gravity will do all the work. And you will feel the result.

Actionable Advice:

Work on your bridge to the point when you can hang out at the highest elevation even against resistance.
Connect the shrimp and the bridge together so that they flow seamlessly.

Adapting to New Situations

Once you improve at creating space on the bottom, you’re going to force your opponents to adapt. They’ll start transitioning to different positions and they will also modify how they control you in side control.

Common side control modifications are:

Inside Hip Block (some people even like to grab the pants)
Kesa Gatame (switching their hips to face you with either head or arm control)
Elbow Pin (bringing the other arm around to pin your far arm to your side and it’s usually accompanied by an inside hip block)
Twister (switching their hips to face your hips with an elbow pin or inside elbow control on the far side)

Those are all different situations, even though technically they can still be considered side control. How you create space has to change a little or a lot (depending on the situation) but the fact that you must create space changes not at all.

There is a wrinkle in the fabric though.

Some of these top positions add another element of control for the top person. No longer is it enough to just get your some control back of your head and hips. Now you must also deal with the fact that both of your shoulders are firmly plastered to the mat. That gives your opponent rotational control of your body, and it kills a lot of movement.

Some thing must be done.

You must again destabilize their position with movement. Anything that you can do without leaving a limb dangling or your neck open to attack. It’s not easy, but that’s the price you pay for letting things progress to this point.

Framing

There’s one thing that you can do that will make escaping easy. Ridiculously so even.

Never let your opponent control your head.

In the transition to side control, sometimes there will be an opportunity to block your opponent’s top arm. You can create a frame against the bicep that will prevent them from hugging your head. And without that control, they can’t stop you from moving. Take advantage of it. Immediately. Give them no opportunity to figure out a way to get past the obstacle you put in their way.

Just adding that element to your game is going exponentially increase your escapes.

And the best part?

It’s going to frustrate your opponents to hell and back again. They won’t like it. But you will (and that’s all that matters).

Drilling Suggestions

Tips and Tricks

Drill your escapes against different levels of resistance. There’s a lot of room between 0 and 100. And if you want to gain a wide range of experience.
Make a list of all the passes that work on you. Pay attention to the process of their execution, and start looking for opportunities to frame. Start with just weakening the side control position and then move up to guard retention and pass prevention.
Devote time to drilling the bridge and shrimp together. Seamlessly connect the two movements.

Whoa, that’s a lot, right?

But if you’re still hungry for more, show up for class. We cover escaping from bad positions quite a bit.

The Five Commandments of the Underhook Half Guard

In Jiu-jitsu, there is a hierarchy of positions, and everything is interconnected. It all forms a complex web with many different paths to any destination. And within that system of multiple possibilities, there is the underhook half guard.

And it’s quite the interesting position.

Half is a position that easily connects to many others within one or two steps. No matter where you are, there is usually a path back to the half or to somewhere else.

That connection is what makes it such a versatile position, but there is also a drawback. The balance of control in half guard is fragile. Small changes in grips or positions can shift control out of your grasp. That fine line is what makes it a tough position to master.

For that reason, I’m going to share some insights I’ve gained from playing the underhook variation of the position for several years. These commandments will improve your game:

I will fight to stay on my side.
I will keep my bottom elbow glued to my side.
I will win any battle for the underhook because I won’t stop.
I will make my opponent uncomfortable.
I will control the distance and establish leverage.

I Will Fight to Stay On My Side

Hands down, this is the one thing that you absolutely have to do when playing under half guard. By staying on your side, you will not only make it harder for your opponents to pass but it will also be easier to attack.

Your opponents will try to flatten you out by:

Pulling your bottom knee up and moving laterally.

Crossfacing you and driving you down with pressure.

Taking the underhook away from you and pulling your bottom elbow out from under you.

Gripping your bottom sleeve and opposite collar, so that they can pin the shoulder as they pull up on the sleeve.

Be aware of all those possibilities. We’ll discuss how to deal with them in later commandments.

I Will Keep My Bottom Elbow Glued To My Side

By keeping your elbow glued to your side, you reinforce the arm with the mechanical structure of your body. It will decrease the possibility of your opponent pulling that arm away from you and make it easier for you to stay on your side.

This piece is often overlooked but it pays dividends. Just by doing this one little thing, your half guard will become more fearsome. Also if you pull your elbow as far back as possible and then lay on it, the difficulty of flattening you out will increase.

So as a reminder, keeping your bottom elbow glued to your side will:

Make crossface less effective.
Make it difficult for your opponent to flatten you out.

Try it and test the results for yourself.

I Will Win Any Battle For The Underhook Because I Won’t Stop

When it comes to any battle for the underhook, you’re at an disadvantage if you’re on the bottom. The reason for that lies in the power of gravity.

It works in their favour and against you.

As your hand attempts to weave into position, you have to lift your upper body, and all they have to do is drop. Then once the battle has been won, you have to work harder to maintain control because gravity won’t help you maintain the ideal distance.

So going in, we know that they don’t have as much at stake as we do. It’s a war of attrition, and we have to be willing to die on that battlefield rather than quit because the cost for us is higher.

I Will Make My Opponent Uncomfortable

You never want your opponent to be comfortable in any situation. That’s true especially for half guard.

To accomplish that, we must establish grips that will give us advantages and create micro movements that force them to react. I’ll give you examples later.

Grips

A common counter to the underhook half guard game is to overhook. In good hands, it can also transform the position and make it really uncomfortable for you on bottom, but we can neutralize it.

Here’s how:

Open their gi and pass the far lapel around to your underhook hand then pull your elbow tight.
Hug their hip with your underhook hand and pull it tight.

The overhook pressure comes from your opponent moving their hips away and then twisting downward. If you control the hip, you will prevent them from ever getting the necessary leverage.

Micro Movements

The goal is to make them react in small ways so that they can never quite settle. So push them, pull them, bump them with your knee, hook their ankle and pull it away from them.

There are many options.

Our focus is just on doing something. We can’t allow ourselves to be complacent.

I Will Control The Distance And Establish Leverage

The main things that you have to worry about when it comes to distance control is being smashed and protecting your neck. So let’s start with a basic gameplan for addressing those two things:

If you’re flat on your back, you must create space.

If you’re firmly on your side, you must close the distance.

We never want to be caught in the midrange, where it is easy to pummel for the underhook or choke us. So make a conscious effort to glue your head to your opponent. It will also naturally teach you to shoot your underhook as deep as possible.

For leverage, one thing that will change your game for the better is using your feet as independent limbs. One leg should also focus on pinning your opponent’s trapped leg down, but the other should be free.

It is that leg that will give you a structural advantage when it comes to attacking. All you have to do is use to pull your opponent’s ankle away from them. That will force their hip to twist and weaken the structure of their body, making everything you want to do easier.

Depth Over Breadth

This post is focused on giving you a conceptual foundation for underhook half guard. Later posts will expand out from there and approach the topic from the framework of entries, initiation and execution. But if you have any specific frustrations about half guard, feel free to contact us.

So we can resolve them.

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