Closed guard: kneeling opponent
Learn how to attack from closed guard when the other person kneels. You break their posture, keep it broken, then sweep or submit.
Break the posture
Closed guard: you are on your back with your legs locked around their waist. Posture means their head is up and their back is straight.
Every attack starts with their head down and their hands off your hips. Break their grips on your hips, then pull them down with your legs.
Arm wrap and overwrap
| Control | What it is | What it opens |
|---|---|---|
| Arm wrap | Their arm pulled across your chest and wrapped | The choke, then the straight armlock |
| Overwrap | Your arm over theirs, their elbow clamped to your ribs | The climb to their back |
From the arm wrap, reach over their shoulder for the choke. If they pull the arm back to defend, lift your hips and straighten it into the armlock.
With the overwrap, their elbow is pinned and they cannot post on that side. When they drive forward, open the guard and move your hips out to the side. Then climb to their back.
Armbar and triangle
Never swing for the armbar while their posture is good. They lift their head, stack you and pass.
- Break their posture and pin one arm across your chest.
- Open your guard, put a foot on their hip and move your hips out to an angle.
- Swing your leg over their head and squeeze your knees.
- Lift your hips with their thumb pointing up.
Triangle: one of their arms is between your legs and one is outside. Put your leg over the shoulder of the outside arm and lock your legs. Then move your hips to an angle and pull the head down.
Loading 3D view
Your legs lock around their head and one arm, with the other arm outside. Triangle in the library ›
Their right arm is across your body and their left hand is posted on the mat. Your right leg goes over their left shoulder. Their right arm stays inside.
Read the weight to sweep
| Their weight | Sweep |
|---|---|
| Back on their heels, upright | Hip bump sweep |
| Forward, head down, one arm pinned to your chest | Flower sweep |
| On your knee shield (your knee across their chest), wrist and head held | Scissor sweep |
Hip Bump SweepUpright, with their weight back, for the hip bump sweep.
Flower SweepHead down, with their weight forward, for the flower sweep.
- Hip bump: open your guard and sit up onto one elbow.
- Post that hand on the mat behind you.
- Drive your hip up into them as your other hand grabs the triceps.
- Follow them over and land in mount.
Flower sweep: pin one arm to your chest first. Reach under their opposite leg and roll them toward the pinned arm, where they cannot post.
Their head is on your chest, they drive their weight forward, and you have one arm pinned. Which sweep fits?
Chain the attacks
Each defence they make opens the next attack.
- Hip bump stopped by a posted hand: grab the wrist for the kimura.
- Arm wrap choke defended by pulling the arm back: straight armlock.
- Gi armbar from a deep collar grip, defended by pulling the elbow out: finish the cross collar choke.
- Overwrap and they drive forward: take the back.
You sit up for the hip bump. They post the hand you were holding on the mat. You grab that wrist and lock a figure four. Your other arm goes over their arm and grips your own wrist. Then you move your hips out for the kimura.
Common mistakes
- Lying flat with the ankles locked, waiting.
- Hugging the head with both arms and doing nothing.
- Swinging for the armbar before the head is down.
- Trying the hip bump while they drive forward.
- In the flower sweep, grabbing the leg before the arm is pinned.
Train it on the Path
Reading is the first step. The Closed guard: kneeling opponent unit has 5 short lessons: you see a position and pick the best move.
Closed guard: kneeling opponent is part of the Purple belt, included in Rolla Plus. Start free with Foundations and the white belt.