Open Guard
Open guard is any bottom position where your legs are not locked around the opponent. You control them with your feet, shins, and grips at range. It is the umbrella over De La Riva, butterfly, X-guard, spider, and most of modern guard play.
A family, not a single guard
Open guard is less one position than a category. Each variation, from De La Riva to single-leg X to spider and lasso, controls a different limb at a different range, but they share one job: off-balance the passer and attack before they can pin your hips. Learning to transition between them is more useful than mastering any one in isolation.
Connection and recovery
The recurring battle in open guard is your feet and grips against the passer's posture and pressure. When one variation is beaten you flow to the next, which is why guard retention and the links between guards matter more than memorizing isolated sweeps.
Community flows for Open Guard
- Octopus Guard 2.0 — From Craig Jones' Octopus Guard 2.0. A no-gi system for handling standing pressure passers: get a deep reverse underhook (attach), bridge hips to off-balance…
- Bitner Guard Chaining — .
- Open Guard Passing Macro Mechanics — Jon Thomas' mechanical principles for entering, controlling, and passing various open guards into stable chest-to-chest pins.
- Tripod And Reverse Tripod Sweep System — Standing-open guard tripod and reverse tripod sweeps with finishing mechanics and common error fixes.
- Ankle Pin Passing System from Wide Guard — Ruotolo-style leg pin passing. A passing system using foot pinning on opponent's ankle to control wide guard and transition to various passes.
- Navigating Guard Transitions — Moving with the currents of combat, transforming resistance into opportunity.
- Cage Control — Techniques for dominateing from the guard w/ cage awareness, turning defensive positions into offensive opportunities
- Practical Guard — Guard control from standing engagements. Transitioning to dominant positions or submissions when the fight goes to the ground. Real-world scenarios with…
- guard retention and transitions — guard retention and positional advancement. strategic setups to keep control, create sweeping opportunities, and transition between guard variations.
- GUARD SWEEP FLOWCHART — Sweeps from various guard positions. Closed guard, half guard, & open guard, each w/ specific options based on what your opponent gives you.
- Bottom Game Concepts — Bottom position grappling through principles. Conceptual relationships between guard positions and their offensive pathways, strategic transitions over…
- The Guard Player's Sanctuary — My guide to thrive from the bottom, transforming defensive positions into offensive opportunities. Focuses on fluid guard retention, seamless transitions…
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between open and closed guard?
In closed guard your ankles are locked behind the opponent; in open guard they are not. Open guard trades the security of the lock for the range and angles you need to attack a standing or posture-heavy passer.
Which open guard should a beginner learn first?
Butterfly and De La Riva are common starting points because they teach the core skills of hooking, off-balancing, and changing angle. The other open guards are variations on the same ideas.
Why do I keep getting passed in open guard?
Usually because the passer beats your grips and reaches your hips before you off-balance them. Prioritize foot and grip connection, keep your hips mobile, and start attacking earlier rather than holding a static position.
From the blog
Map your own Open Guard game
Turn your notes, videos, and rolls into a visual flowchart of techniques, transitions, and reactions you can study and share. Free to start, no account needed.
Build a flowchart