BJJ Pathfinder
Illustration of open guard from the bottom: the player in orange is seated with feet and hands controlling a standing opponent
Position 04 / 11

Open guard

Your legs are open and your feet and grips control them. Keep your feet between you, then sweep or stand up.

What do you want to do?

21 moves
SubmissionsGuillotine from butterfly · Triangle from spider · Omoplata from lasso · +18 videosSweepsButterfly sweep · Tripod sweep · Arm drag / shuck to back · +620 videosTransitionsTechnical stand-up · Enter single-leg X · K-guard entry to leg lock8 videosBack takesBerimbolo · Reverse De La Riva back take4 videosControlsGuard retention · DLR hook and grips · Spider grips8 videos

About Open guard, bottom

Open guard covers every guard where your legs are not locked: butterfly, De La Riva, spider, lasso, collar-sleeve and more advanced ones like X-guard. Instead of holding them in place, you use your feet, shins and grips to steer them, off-balance them and keep them away from your chest.

The rule shared by every open guard is to keep something between you, a foot, a knee or a frame. Once that is in place, chain off-balances into sweeps, take the back, or stand up into a takedown. Pick one or two guards to learn first rather than trying them all.