I remember watching a BJJ black belt world champion trying to demonstrate a spider guard sweep and being appalled. His movement and his technique were barely blue belt level.
How could this be?!?! This guy had tons of gold bling collected at the very highest levels of competition. Furthermore, he began most of his matches on the bottom, swept his way to the top, and then passed.
The answer to this seeming contraction is that you’re NOT “good at guard” in general. Instead, you can SUCK at one type of guard and be world class at another type of guard.
This world champion was a genius at the half guard and the closed guard. Once he got those systems started in those positions he was basically impossible to stop.
But he was also a rank beginner at the spider guard.
And that’s how you have to think of guard; not as guard-in-general, but rather as a system of techniques and strategies centered around a specific configuration of guard.
Ideally you’ll have guard systems to deal with all the most common types of passing (standing, kneeling, pressure-based, mobility-based, etc).
So take a long hard look at your bottom game, figure out which guard systems you’re good at and where you need to improve.
Refine your strengths and and fortify your weaknesses. This is the way
To help you with specific guards you may want to work on consider checking out some of the following instructionals.
- BJJ for Old F***s, the Guard. The best guard techniques and strategies for grapplers over 40.
- The Spider Guard Masterclass. Definitively the best spider guard resource out there.
- The Single Leg X Guard Masterclass. I spent a year working on nothing but the SLX to make this for you.
- The No Gi de la Riva Formula. The de la Riva guard is a critical tool to control and attack standing passers in no gi.
- Nonstop Jiu-Jitsu. A world champion’s system for the de la Riva guard in the gi.
- The Open Guard System and The Closed Guard System, two killer instructions by the great Jon Thomas
- The Guard Retention Formula. Your opponent can’t smash you if he can’t pass your guard.
If that seems like too much choice then I’ve got one more crazy option for you…
Grab The Complete Grapplearts Anthology which includes EVERY instructional I’ve ever done (guard, guard passing, submissions, training methods, strategies, etc) and proceed through them at your leisure.
Best of luck with your training either way!
Stephan