BJJ Reverse Closed Guard: Exploring Its Versatility

Every BJJ practitioner needs to seek to understand the advantages of the BJJ Reverse Closed Guard without limitations. This guard position has great potential due to its twofold purpose: the possibility of control and the possibility of attack.

Knowing how to utilize the techniques of tossing the opponent in counter to actions in such a position enables a practitioner to advance his grappling techniques in BJJ and MMA, for instance. This ban’s objective is to range the closures before and after the patas and all the essential breaks and chokes of the tummy cripple. So let us explore Reverse Close Guard more, from its basics to high-level submission skill sets at all levels.

In BJJ, the guard position stops the opponent from achieving dominance and enables fighting techniques while defending such attacks. These are open, close, and half-guard, which present different techniques and submission moves.

It is the most important to master because it is critical in controlling his movement and submitting and successfully defending.

Another adaptation arises in the form of reverse closed guard, which fuses control and attack of the opponents uniquely, as well as different ways of power and mechanics of the grappling skills.

A martial art form like BJJ emphasizes mat fighting and grappling. There are numerous techniques in BJJ. Amongst all the methods, one of the most essential parts of grappling is when the individual fights from the guard position.

The guard is the barrier to isolate your opponent and a springboard to gain a firm hold on your opponent's body and movement. Thus, it is the most crucial tool for defense and offense in BJJ.

The BJJ player can achieve different positions from this guard, through which they can balance their opponent and submit him with a sweep or other submissions.

The position of a guard is targeted to stop the movement of an opponent from achieving the position that brings them power.

It also acts as a defensive shield for the one standing at the bottom, protecting them from the submission attack of the opponent and giving them a chance to escape the submission or to attack the opponent.

It also makes it possible for the one standing at the bottom to enter a submission move , attack the opponent, or shift their position to a dominating one.

Contain various classifications of guards, possessing varied characteristics, techniques, and submission moves. The close guards, open guards, half guards, and the rest participate in the submission grappling

In this position, the player uses their leg to wrap it around the opponent's body rather than locking it to create distance between them and provide flexibility in various submission moves.

In this particular guard, BJJ fighters bring their legs around the opposite waist and lock them in by using their feet, restricting their body movement and giving no chance of escaping or counterattacking.

The half-guard position is where your leg is entangled with the opposite leg, which gives you multiple opportunities to sweep and use various submission moves.

A closed guard is one of the essential guards in BJJ, also known as a complete guard; a fighter uses his legs to wrap around the feet of the opponent locked together to hold and lock the opponent in one place.

These guards limit the opponent's posture and start attacking towards the head or limbs of the opponent. This is one of the most efficient grappling moves in BJJ and MMA.

The opponent has excellent control in this position, employed mainly for various submission moves and sweeps, and acts as a defense shield against the passes.

This guard is a variation of the traditional close guard position. Control of the opponent is maintained in close guard by wrapping the legs around the opponent's waist and locking the ankles tightly behind the back to keep the hold and secure the position.

In reverse close guard, the fighter holds his opponent with his legs. Still, instead of gripping his opponent's waist to secure the position, they place their foot on his opponent's thighs to hips with knees pointing out for another position to go for a sweep or submission move.

In this guard, the player changes their position in which their head is placed toward the opponent's leg rather than directly facing them, providing a variation of rafale to attack by making its excellent position in offense mode.

He also shares his method of doing reverse close guard. He has presented the reverse guard techniques in a modern sense using the different formations of entries and strategies to get in a reverse close guard position.

His method of entry into a reverse close-guard position

• Start by gripping your opponent's GI sleeves or collar and pulling them.

• Create an attacking angle by positioning your body a suicide and wrapping your legs around the opponent's waist.

• Then, shifting your ship's position to one side will increase the force to control your posture.

• Maintain control by keeping one of your legs higher on the opponent's back and getting in an attacking position.

• Pull your opponent closer by using your hips. Shift your hips position and open up for a sweep.

• Use your legs and shift your body weight to create a pendulum to unbalance your opponent.

• You can use this motion to submit an armbar or triangle choke.

•  Use that motion against counter pass and stay alert while maintaining your guard.

This guard can also enhance your grappling games against strong opponents, allowing you to understand the mechanism and various approaches used from the bottom position.

Some key features should be implemented using the reverse close guide.

In the reverse guard position, the players end up winding their legs around the opponent's torso to control the opponent's balance. Their foot on the knee gives them dynamic control over their body movement.

Your feet act as a barrier where you enjoy greater control over distance and flexibility to push or pull the opponent.

A body position enables you to achieve an effective close guard. Movement of the body allows you to establish different body positions that increase the dominance and pressure on the opponent's body, thus enabling you to control the opponent.

Changing the body position enables you to achieve better control over the opponent and transform it into other body positions to gain submission.

This guard's crucial position gives you control over the opponent's leg. You may grasp their gi sleeve or their collar to get a better hold on them and break their posture so that you may escape or launch a counterattack. These sharp gripes stop opposite movements and pin them in one place

Push the opponent slightly by using your legs and get into a seated position. Use your speed to roll the opponent over to reach a dominant position and sweep the opponent .

To get into a dominant position, you need to unbalance your opponent. For that, you must sit up with your upper body engaged with the opponent simultaneously, use your hips to balance them, and get on the top for better control.

If your opponent tries to get back into position, use your leg to roll them over and trap their arm to execute shoulder lock. As you transition into the shoulder lock position , move your leg over the face and place it there to secure the position while sitting up.

From the reverse close guard, you can also submit a triangle choke. The process is similar to close guard, in which you wrap one of your legs around the opponent's neck and others around their body.

Once you have gotten into the choking position, squeeze your legs together while applying pressure downwards on the opponent's carotid arteries.

Start by isolating your opponent's arm and shifting your body weight in the direction where you apply the armbar to create immense pressure. 

Use your leg and treat it by applying pressure on your elbow while pulling your head down. This will generate a lot of stress on the arm and making that out.

Use cross-collar or sleeve grips to break their posture by pulling them forward, but still hold on. Energetic legs that hook and hold his position. The drills can pull them into your guard to lift their weight.

You are practicing shrimping out of your opponent to open space up. It is also essential in the transition to the sweeps or submissions. Train in pairs with your partner pressing and you shrimping.

Include hip escape drills and keeping yourself on guard. Be cautious not to let your hips turn to either side with your knees closed.

Begin in reverse closed gue and work your way up to living with a partner, forcing the application of sweeps and submissions. This way, you can be in a situation where timing problems occur.

Set your timer for short rounds wherein you must sweep or submit from a reverse closed guard. It makes the situation more urgent and more flexible.

Sweep with your leg going towards the closed guard, hooking their far leg with a leg of yours while lifting with your other leg.

Keep one hook in and use your other leg as an anchor to push against their body while pulling them down with your grip posture through this. Sliding from reverse closed guard into knee guard position for space to allow a sweep or straight tap.

Are engaged from the reach or placement of the feet on the hips of your opponents. It gives you control and opens up space. Push them off your feet, pushing against the hips and thighs to create the off-balance position that makes sweeps and submissions much easier.

Being too stiff will allow your opponent to pass through your guard easily. Keep your legs and hips rolling so you can move.

This lets your opponent break your guard and take you out with a pass. Be active with your legs and your hips.

Allowing the opponent to close negates the benefits of the guard. Always be prepared with a ready distance. Allowing the opponent to close negates the benefits of a reverse closed guard. Always be willing to make space.

Never lock out your hips. Active hips will be critical when creating angles for submission and sweeps.

Trying too hard with submissions may lead to the opposite action, which is counter-submission. Try to be well-balanced on attack and defense.

Closing with this technique is a novelty of the traditional closed guard position in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, applying a different approach to controlling and attacking the opponent, which must provide flexibility regarding sweeps and submissions for the practitioners.

The application by Owen Jones for the entry into the reverse closed guard added much more knowledge to the technique and the practical application, thereby making it a helpful thing to add to one's arsenal as a grappler.

Mastery of the mechanics and strategy involved in the reverse closed guard can significantly enhance your grappling game and play to your advantage in BJJ and MMA competitions.

Q: Is a certain level of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu's black belt required to perform this technique?

As with any technique, familiarity with its applications will depend on the skill level. However, you can master the more advanced applications only when you're practiced in basic guard techniques.

Q: What are some common errors to avoid when using the closed guard reverse?

Common errors include not controlling the hips to tighten the object held, not establishing a good grip on the opponent, and not considering leg position adjustments to maximize body positioning for maximum body control and leverage.

Q: Can the closed guard reverse be used effectively in defensive situations?

The reverse closed guard is used more when sport grappling is being taught. However, its applications and control mechanisms are easily transferable to self-defense situations when faced with attackers who could be more assertive or more significant.