Pulling Guard

What it is

Pulling guard is taking the fight to the ground by sitting into your guard, instead of taking your opponent down. You get a grip first, put a foot on their hip and sit down close to your heels while you pull them toward you, landing in open guard or closed guard. It is the most common way to start a BJJ match on the ground, and done safely it is easy on both bodies.

When to use it

• You prefer playing guard to wrestling, or they are the better wrestler.
• You have a good grip, such as collar and sleeve, and want to start your guard game.
• In training, when you start rounds from standing and want a safe way to the ground.
• In competition, knowing that under IBJJF rules pulling guard scores no points for either player.

How to do it

1. Get a grip first: collar and sleeve in the gi, or a collar tie and a wrist without it.
2. Step one foot in and put it on their hip, or on the inside of their thigh.
3. Sit down and back, close to your heels, with your chin tucked. Do not fall from standing height.
4. As your hips reach the mat, pull with your grips so they come toward you over your foot.
5. Land in open guard with your foot on the hip and grips held, or wrap your legs around their waist and lock your ankles for closed guard.
6. Get to work at once: hips off the mat, break their posture or start a sweep before they stand back up.

Key details

• Grip before you sit. A pull with empty hands lets them walk straight around your legs, and some rulesets penalise it.
• Sit down, never jump. Jumping guard on a standing partner is illegal at white belt and restricted in many divisions, and if they fall back with your legs locked their knees can be badly hurt.
• Sit close to your heels. The closer your hips land to your feet, the softer the landing and the quicker your guard.
• The foot on the hip controls the distance, so they cannot land their weight on you as they come forward.

Common mistakes

• Mistake: pulling without a grip. They step back, stay standing and pass around your legs.
• Mistake: jumping both legs around a standing partner. They fall with your weight on their knees and get injured.
• Mistake: falling backward from full height. You land hard on your back and they land on top of you in a pass.
• Mistake: sitting down and lying flat. They posture up and start passing before your guard exists.

What they will try

• They step back out of reach as you sit and start passing from standing.
• They strip the grip before you sit, so you land with nothing to hold.

Gi and no-gi

In no-gi there are no collar and sleeve grips, so pull from a collar tie and a wrist, or sit to guard off a missed takedown. It is harder to hold them close, so open guards such as butterfly and seated guard are more common than closed guard.