Although at Crazy 88 Jiu-Jitsu, we are a big proponent of standing up to open the guard, there are definitely situations that require a grappler to be able to open the guard while on the knees. Being able to properly open the guard is an absolutely fundamental (and oft-neglected) skill; it is not flashy and it often frustrates beginners. The ability to properly open the guard requires developing good posture / base and some understanding of grip-fighting since they are prerequisites to getting to a position where one can open the guard – these prerequisites are what often makes this skill so difficult for beginners to acquire.
The first clip is a more traditional guard opening.
The second and third techniques are more “modern”. At Team Lloyd Irvin, you have probably seen some variations of this guard break as it is done a lot by Wilson Reis, one of the Black Belts at BJJ United. You’ll often hear fellow students refer to it as the “Wilson Pass” but its fairly popular across the board. The teacher here is one of Wilson’s old teachers in Brazil, Roberto Tozi.
These two techniques will require a lot of practice; expect to get caught in a few umaplatas and triangles as you develop the movements!
We will be holding seminars with Mike Easton (MMA), Wilson Reis (No-Gi), and Mike Fowler (BJJ), in the coming months. Bookmark the Crazy 88 Baltimore News site to stay up-to-date.
