Guards are an effective position in BJJ you want to know about. They help you achieve a few things, such as sweeping the opponent, attaining a more dominant position, such as Full Mount and Side Control, and finishing the fight by executing a submission.
It doesn’t get better than this. Guards are your friend and you want to dedicate a lot of learning time to learning a few of the best ones, which I’ll list in this instructional guide.
This is what this article will do for you. It’ll help you learn and understand these guard positions more thoroughly, which in return will allow you an endless set of options, such as the ones I’ve already mentioned.
Before diving in, I want to mention two important things regarding the way I’ve ordered this article. The numbers in the list do have a meaning: #1 is the one I encourage you to learn first—followed by #2 and so on.
Likewise, I’ll include a link to a separate guide about each guard type at the end of each one. This will allow you to start practicing the ones you want to learn right now. Indeed, a spider web of related instructional guides that you want to read.
So let’s dive into #1!
#1 – Open Guard
| Guard Type | Effectiveness | Simplicity | Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Guard | 5 | 9 | 7 |
The first type of guard you want to learn about is the Open Guard. This is the most basic of these positions—because all the rest are built on it. To get into any guard, you have to begin in the Open Guard.
As a result, it should be the one you learn first. Get this one right and the rest will come easily. So how does it work and what does it look like?
The Open Guard is when you’re in bottom position and have your legs wrapped around the opponent’s lower back. However, they won’t be locked. This position doesn’t give you as much control over the opponent because it lacks grips. That’s why it’s not the most dominant one.
From it, you can either sweep the opponent, attain a more dominant position, or finish the fight using a submission. The option I prefer using is to attain a more dominant position, particularly Mount and Spider Guard.
Both will allow you to finish the fight in many ways, as you’ll see in the following sections.
This is the first guard type you want to learn and understand before moving on to the more advanced positions. So spend a lot of time in it and experiment with the different techniques from it.
If you want to read about the best submissions from the Open Guard, follow this link. You can also read more about the Open Guard position by following the 2nd link.
#2 – Closed Guard
| Guard Type | Effectiveness | Simplicity | Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Closed Guard | 8 | 8 | 8 |
The 2nd guard type you want to familiarize yourself with is the Closed Guard. It’s the same as the Open Guard but with a twist. This small twist will let you gain much more control. And as you might know, the more control you have in BJJ, the more likely you are to dominate the fight and win.
So what’s that twist? You might ask yourself.
The Closed Guard position is the same as the Open Guard, but you’ll lock your legs in addition to wrapping them around the opponent’s lower back. This leg lock will allow you tons of control, which in return will open you up to more options to finish and control the fight.
Common submissions from Closed Guard are:
- Omoplata
- Triangle Choke
- Guillotine Choke
- Kimura
- Americana
- Armbar
- Kneebar
- Toe Hold
- Straight Foot Lock
- Wrist Lock
So remember, the Closed Guard utilizes the same position as we’ve discussed in the previous one. However, the only addition is to lock your legs. You also want to get into it whenever you have the chance to do so, especially when you’re in Open Guard.
Follow this link to read more about the Closed Guard position and how to use it properly.
#3 – Half Guard
| Guard Type | Effectiveness | Simplicity | Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half Guard | 7 | 8 | 7 |
Next up, we have the Half Guard. This is the position you want to learn now, as you have a basic understanding of the fundamental positions. Learning both the Open and Closed Guards will be critical for learning this one.
So if you still feel uncomfortable using these positions, it’ll be worth it to invest more time into them and only then advance to this one. That’s why bookmarking this article will be of great use to you. Alright. So how does this position work?
The Half Guard position is when you’re either at bottom, with your legs wrapped around one of the opponent’s legs, or on top, with the opponent’s legs wrapped around one of your legs. You can execute many submissions from both the top and bottom.
The Half Guard is a unique position because it allows you to control both from top and bottom. You’ll be able to submit the opponent from either one, making it a fair game, which makes using it more interesting, or at least it’s that way for me.
Anyways, you’ll be able to use it to submit the opponent quickly and effectively, as you’ll sweep the opponent and finish the fight with a submission you learned to use from this position, such as the Straight Arm Lock or Heel Hook.
To learn everything you need to know about the Half Guard, follow this link. Likewise, if you want to learn to finish from it effectively, follow the 2nd link.
#4 – Butterfly Guard
| Guard Type | Effectiveness | Simplicity | Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butterfly Guard | 8 | 7 | 8 |
The 4th guard position we’ll review is the Butterfly Guard. You’re probably familiar with it, as it’s, well, highly prevalent. However, if you’re not, here’s how it works and what it looks like:
The Butterfly Guard position is when you’re in bottom and wrap your feet around the opponent’s thighs, each with a same-side grip. Hence, your left foot will hook the opponent’s right thigh and the other way around. It’s a highly effective position to be in.
When you’re in it, you also want to use your hands to overhook and underhook the opponent’s back. This will give you more control, and more opportunities to sweep/finish the fight.
The most common sweep you want to learn from this position is the Butterfly Sweep. The matching names aren’t a coincidence. The Butterfly Sweep is a move you can perform from the Butterfly Guard. So you definitely want to learn both.
Here’s how to do it: (Follow this link to read about the Butterfly Sweep)
- Start in the Butterfly Guard
- Grab the opponent’s right arm
- insert your left arm below the opponent’s shoulder
- Grip his back (if wearing a Gi)
- Pull the opponent
- Knock him off-balance (toward you)
- Use the mat to generate force
- Sweep him over
- Attain Full Mount
And from the Full Mount position, you have an endless set of options to finish the fight with. If you want to read about the best submissions you want to learn from Mount, follow this link. And if you want to learn more about the Butterfly Guard, follow this link.
#5 – Spider Guard
| Guard Type | Effectiveness | Simplicity | Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spider Guard | 9 | 6 | 8 |
So you now know how to use the Closed, Open, Half, and Butterfly Guard. These are all great. But now, let’s dive into more advanced positions you want to familiarize yourself with. The first one we’ll review is the Spider Guard.
The Spider Guard is a type of Open Guard (like the Butterfly Guard.) To be in it, you want to be in bottom Open Guard and grip both the opponent’s sleeves with your hands while placing your feet on his biceps (left on right, and right on left.)
This position is an exceptionally effective one because it allows you plenty of control. Really think about it: you have 4 contact points (4 grips) with the opponent’s body. Two with your legs and two with your hands. All of your grips are strong if you place them correctly.
So there’ll be no chance that you won’t have the upper hand in the fight if you’re in it. Also, sweeping and finishing from it—isn’t as hard as many grapplers think. Here are the steps to performing the Kneebar from it: (Follow this link to read complete breakdowns of more Spider Guard submissions.)
- Start in Spider Guard
- Slide your right leg to the side
- Turn to the right, following your right leg
- Pull the opponent’s collar
- Pull the opponent with you
- Turn even more until you’re under his thigh
- Lock your legs around his leg
- Get the Kneebar lock
- Apply pressure by hyperextending his leg
- Get the tap
Learn more about the Spider Guard by following this link!
#6 – De La Riva Guard
| Guard Type | Effectiveness | Simplicity | Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| De La Riva Guard | 9 | 6 | 8 |
The next advanced guard variation we’ll review is the De La Riva Guard. This one is definitely one you have heard of, even if just in the name. You might now know what it means to be in it, but you will after reading this section.
So what is it?
The De La Riva Guard is a position primarily taught in BJJ which utilizes hooking one of your feet around the opponent’s hamstrings and the other placed on his hips, of the same side. It’s a type of Open Guard, as your legs aren’t locked. Lastly, you want to grab the opponent’s ankle for more control.
It’s a position that will make your training partner imbalanced. Therefore, it can be more than powerful to use it and remain active. For instance, you can pull with your hooked leg and push with your other one. This is the push-pull system that’s widely known with this guard type.
But there isn’t enough space to explain all of it. So if you want to learn to use the De La Riva Guard properly, and how to finish from it, follow this link!
Learn more about the De La Riva Guard—by following this link!
#7 – X-Guard
| Guard Type | Effectiveness | Simplicity | Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| X-Guard | 8 | 7 | 8 |
The X-Guard is the 7th guard type we’ll review. This isn’t a single position, but a set. For instance, the Single Leg X-Guard is a variation we’ll review at #10 (spoiler!) Therefore, you want to first focus on one of the variations and then advance to learn more.
Because we don’t have enough room in a single section, I’ll review the Overhook X-Guard for the sake of clarity and conciseness. This variation is fairly simple and easy to understand. So let’s see what it is and how to perform it properly:
The Overhook X-Guard is when you’re at the bottom while hooking your close leg (close to the opponent) around his far leg’s thigh. Then, you underhook the other leg around the same leg, exactly at the height of his knee. Finally, you overhook his ankle that’s closer to you with your forearm.
It’s not that difficult to pull off. What is quite tricky here is hooking your first leg around his far leg. You want to be in a solid position for this to work. So it might be more difficult to pull off. But once you got your first leg wrap, getting the other is easier.
Learn more about the X-Guard and many tips to perform it correctly—by following this link.
#8 – Reverse De La Riva Guard
| Guard Type | Effectiveness | Simplicity | Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reverse De La Riva Guard | 9 | 8 | 9 |
Next up, we have the Reverse De La Riva Guard. If you remember, the regular De La Riva is when you wrap one of your legs around the opponent’s thigh and place the other on his other thigh. That creates a lot of imbalance on his part, as you can leverage push-pull motions to keep him moving and off-balance.
Now, however, let’s review a variation of this guard, named the Reverse De La Riva Guard.
The Reverse De La Riva Guard utilizes inward control by hooking your leg around the inside of the opponent’s thigh. Then, you’ll place your other foot on the hips, the same side hips as the leg you hooked. Finally, you want to grip the opponent’s lapel for more control.
This position gives you plenty of control because it utilizes inward pressure and control, which might be more difficult to deal with. As a result of that, you’ll be more capable of getting more control and finishing the fight.
The Reverse De La Riva Guard is one of BJJ’s most leading and effective positions. You want to get comfortable with these if you desire to boost your BJJ skills and get more results!
#9 – Pull Guard
| Guard Type | Effectiveness | Simplicity | Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pull Guard | 6 | 7 | 7 |
The penultimate position we’ll review is the Pull Guard. This one is less known than the others, but there’s a good chance you’re familiar with it as well.
The Pull Guard begins with you and the opponent standing. Then, you grab his collar and sleeve while placing one foot that’s on the same side of your sleeve grip on his hip. Finally, you lean back and put all your weight on the opponent while sitting and closing your guard.
This is the Pull Guard. From this position, you can continue by attaining an even more dominant position, such as Closed or Spider Guard. These will all allow you more control and a greater ability to finish the fight.
Here’s how to perform the Omoplata from the Pull Guard:
Begin by executing the Guard Pull move. Place your right foot on the opponent’s biceps while pushing it down. Next up, you push your other leg’s shin against the arm you want to isolate, bringing it down. Finally, you push the same shin until the opponent rolls forward, giving you access to the Omoplata position.
Pull Guard Complete Guide (Blinklift)
This is a guard type you want to focus on when you already are familiar with the previous ones. It’ll be best not to get attracted to it as it’s fancy and looks good. Instead, learn it in the later stages of your training, as focusing on the other ones will give you more options.
#10 – Single Leg X-Guard
| Guard Type | Effectiveness | Simplicity | Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single Leg X-Guard | 8 | 7 | 8 |
The Single Leg X-Guard is a fantastic position that will allow you to control the opponent and have a massive advantage over the opponent. It’s a variation of the X-Guard, as you might have understood already. So what’s special about it?
The Single Leg X-Guard is when you wrap one of your legs under the opponent’s leg (that’s on the same side) while putting all your weight on it. Then, you wrap your other leg under his hips, closer to his other leg.
This is it; you’re now in the Single Leg X-Guard position. From here, you can perform countless submissions to first sweep the opponent and win the fight immediately after.
Here’s a visual aid for you to watch, as I understand it might be difficult to understand.
This guard type can definitely be the one you learn last, as it’s a variation of the X-Guard, which is more advanced than might think. It might be simple to understand, but it’ll be better if you understand all the previous ones before you fire up your learning process for this one.
There’s so much more to know about the Single Leg X-Guard. Follow this link to learn everything you need to know about the Single Leg X-Guard!
Final Words
So you now know which guard positions are the absolute best in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I’m confident this article contains clear instructions to start getting into them for the first time. Eventually, however, I can’t include all the details about each of these guard positions, as that will require a library’s worth of books.
But only knowing about these types of guards will allow you to start learning them more thoroughly. And as you probably know by now, focusing on the right material—will lead to faster results, which will lead to more motivation and a greater will to keep improving.
I’ll see you on the mat!
Here are other articles you’d enjoy reading:
BJJ Leg Lock Positions – Ashi Garami & 50/50 and More
Turtle Position: Complete BJJ Technical Breakdown
The 7 Best Positions in BJJ: Dominate Your Opponent
Back Mount 101 – BJJ Comprehensive Guide
Mastering the Full Mount – BJJ Technique Breakdown