BJJ Lesson 10: The High Leg In Guard Retention - Foundations Of Guard Retention

Summary

The video script discusses the 'high leg' technique in guard retention, a popular method from Lachlan Giles and RxBC. It emphasizes using the high leg as the primary guard retention tool, leveraging distance and foot framing. The script illustrates how to recompose guard by crossing legs and maintaining connection, using the hips and legs to control the opponent's movement. It also covers the importance of multiple frames for redundancy and safety, highlighting the technique's effectiveness in both reactive and preemptive scenarios to maintain guard and transition to offense.

Takeaways

• 🤼‍♂️ The 'high leg' technique is a primary method for guard retention in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, often used to maintain control from a distance.
• 🔄 The high leg involves a crossover movement of the leg to recompose guard position and prevent the opponent from passing.
• 🦿 Utilizing the feet as frames and maintaining a knee-elbow connection is crucial for a strong guard.
• 🚫 Beginners often struggle with the high leg due to a lack of flexibility or incorrect hip positioning.
• 💪 Generating base from the hips rather than the floor is essential for successfully executing the high leg.
• 🔄 The technique allows for both preemptive and reactive use, depending on the opponent's movements.
• 🛡️ The high leg serves as both a defensive 'shield' and an offensive 'spear', controlling space and allowing for counterattacks.
• 🤸‍♂️ Flexibility can aid in the high leg technique, but it's more important to use multiple frames and leverage for success.
• 🔄 The high leg can be used in various scenarios, not just in response to a leg drag, but also to proactively maintain guard.
• 🔄 After executing the high leg, it's important to maintain strong grips and knee-elbow connections to avoid being re-dragged by the opponent.

Q & A

What is the high leg technique in guard retention?

The high leg technique, also known as the high polo, is a guard retention method used in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It involves using the legs as levers to maintain control over an opponent from a distance, allowing the practitioner to use their feet as frames.

Who are Lachlan Giles and RxBC?

Lachlan Giles and RxBC are notable figures in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community. Lachlan Giles is a high-level competitor and instructor, and RxBC refers to the 'Ricardo Barros Borges' Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu team, which is known for its guard retention techniques.

What is the significance of the knee-elbow connection mentioned in the script?

The knee-elbow connection is crucial for maintaining a strong guard in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It provides a stable base and allows the practitioner to control their opponent's movement while keeping their own body protected.

How does the high leg technique help in controlling the inside space?

The high leg technique helps control the inside space by allowing the practitioner to track their opponent's movements with their legs and maintain a connection that blocks the opponent's progress towards the practitioner's centerline.

What is the purpose of lifting the hip during the high leg technique?

Lifting the hip during the high leg technique is done to create an arcing direction with the leg, which helps the practitioner to swing around and block their opponent's attempts to pass their guard. It also helps to generate base off of the opponent rather than the floor.

Why is it important to maintain a strong leg press alignment during the high leg technique?

Maintaining a strong leg press alignment is important because it provides the practitioner with a stable base and strong posture, reducing the risk of injury and allowing them to effectively control their opponent's movements.

What is the role of flexibility in executing the high leg technique?

Flexibility plays a role in the high leg technique by allowing the practitioner to externally rotate their hip and place their foot in a position that helps maintain the guard. However, the script emphasizes the importance of using multiple frames and not relying solely on flexibility to avoid injury.

How does the high leg technique differ from a leg drag?

The high leg technique is not just a response to a leg drag; it can be used preemptively or reactively to block an opponent's progress towards the practitioner's side. It is a proactive measure to maintain guard retention rather than a mere reaction to an opponent's move.

What is meant by 'multiple frames' in the context of guard retention?

In guard retention, 'multiple frames' refers to using various body parts such as the legs, arms, and hips to create a stable and redundant structure that can maintain control over the opponent even if one frame is compromised.

Why is it important to maintain knee-elbow connection while performing the high leg technique?

Maintaining the knee-elbow connection while performing the high leg technique ensures that the practitioner remains connected to their opponent and can effectively block their movements, even as they switch or adjust their leg positioning.

How does the high leg technique transition into offensive moves in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

The high leg technique can transition into offensive moves by keeping the opponent in front and maintaining control over the centerline. This allows the practitioner to use their foot as a 'spear' to poke and control the opponent while keeping them at bay with the 'shield' of their guard.

Outlines

00:00

🤼‍♂️ High Leg Guard Retention Technique

The first technique discussed for guard retention in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the high leg, also known as the high polo. This method is highlighted as a popular term from Lachlan Giles and RxBC in the 'Guard Retention Anthology'. The high leg serves as the primary guard retention tool, allowing practitioners to maintain distance and use their feet as frames. The speaker demonstrates how to recompose the guard by using hip movements and leg crossovers to maintain connection and block potential passes. The importance of knee and elbow connections for stability and blocking is emphasized, as well as the need for a strong base to prevent injury. The speaker also discusses the use of flexibility and external rotation of the hip as supplementary tools, but cautions against relying solely on them due to the risk of injury. The concept of multiple frames and redundancy is introduced to ensure a strong and secure guard.

05:00

🛡️ Advanced Guard Retention with High Leg and Preemptive Strategies

The second paragraph delves deeper into the high leg guard retention technique, focusing on the mechanical soundness of having multiple frames and the use of the partner for base generation. It illustrates how to lift the hip just enough to facilitate the high leg crossover without exposing oneself to being flipped over. The speaker addresses the importance of not overextending the hip and maintaining a strong connection with the opponent. Various scenarios are discussed, including how to handle a solid frame when trying to highlight and the strategic use of the low leg to expedite the process. The paragraph also covers the transition from reactive to preemptive guard retention, using the high leg not just as a response to a leg drag but as a proactive measure to maintain guard and control. The analogy of a shield and a spear is used to explain how to block the opponent's progress and maintain an offensive stance, emphasizing the need for strong grips and knee-elbow connections to ensure effectiveness.

Keywords

💡Guard Retention

Guard retention refers to the techniques and strategies used by a person in a grappling martial art, such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, to maintain control of their guard when their opponent is attempting to pass or escape. In the video, guard retention is the central theme, with the high leg technique being discussed as a method to prevent the opponent from passing the guard.

💡High Leg

The high leg, also known as the high polo has, is a specific guard retention technique where the practitioner uses their leg to control the distance and maintain the guard against their opponent. The video script describes how to use the high leg to frame with the feet and prevent the opponent from passing, illustrating its importance in maintaining a strong guard.

💡Headlights

In the context of the video, 'headlights' is a term used to describe the position where the practitioner's legs are wrapped around the opponent's waist, similar to how headlights are positioned on a car. This position is crucial for maintaining control and preventing the opponent from passing the guard, as demonstrated when the script mentions having a 'nice knee elbow connection'.

💡Legs as Levers

This concept refers to the strategic use of one's legs to create leverage and control over the opponent. In the script, it is mentioned when the opponent accesses the practitioner's legs to redirect them, highlighting the importance of using legs effectively to maintain guard retention.

💡Crossover of the Leg

The crossover of the leg is a movement where the practitioner swings one leg over the opponent's body to recompose their guard. The video script explains how this movement can be used to regain control and maintain the guard, even when the opponent is attempting to pass or escape.

💡Leg Press Alignment

Leg press alignment is a position where the practitioner uses their legs to press against the opponent, creating a strong base and preventing them from passing. The script describes how, with a strong leg press alignment, the practitioner can support their body and maintain control over the guard.

💡Sticky Butterfly Hook

A sticky butterfly hook refers to a position where the practitioner hooks their leg around the opponent's body, similar to how a butterfly guard is set up, but with the added element of 'stickiness' or control. The video script uses this term to describe a situation where the practitioner's leg is engaged on the side of the opponent's body to maintain control.

💡Hip Lift

Hip lift is a movement where the practitioner lifts their hip off the ground to create an arcing motion with their leg, which can be used to swing around and block the opponent. The script emphasizes the importance of lifting the hip correctly to avoid being trapped by the opponent's arm.

💡Multiple Frames

Multiple frames refer to having various positions or techniques ready to use in different situations to maintain guard retention. The video script discusses the importance of having redundancy in frames to ensure that if one technique is not successful, another can be employed.

💡Pre-emptive Highlight

A pre-emptive highlight is a strategic move where the practitioner uses the high leg technique not just in response to an opponent's action but also to anticipate and block their movements. The script explains how this can be used to maintain control and prevent the opponent from passing the guard before they even attempt it.

Highlights

Introduction to the high leg technique in guard retention, also known as high polo has, popularized by Lachlan Giles and RxBC.

The high leg serves as a primary guard retention tool, effective at a distance, using feet as frames.

Demonstration of how to recompose guard by performing hip movements and leg crossovers to maintain connection.

The importance of a knee-elbow connection for stability and blocking during guard retention.

Technique to track the opponent's movement by engaging the leg on one side of their body.

The sticky butterfly hook as a method to maintain guard retention.

How to use the strong leg press alignment to support against the opponent's drive.

The concept of using the opponent's pressure to facilitate the high leg technique.

The mechanics of lifting the hip to create an arcing direction with the leg for blocking.

The significance of hip movement and turning to face the opponent for successful guard retention.

The risk of injury when relying solely on flexibility without proper hip movement.

The necessity of having multiple frames for redundancy and structural strength in guard retention.

How to use the shin and hand on the opponent's biceps to maintain guard even with a lower head position.

The importance of positioning the ankle, knee, and hip correctly to avoid injury during the high leg technique.

Different methods of re-composing guard using the high leg, such as hooking the foot on the outside of the shin or on the hip.

The high leg technique as a preemptive measure to block the opponent's movement before they can penetrate.

The analogy of using a shield and a spear to explain the offensive and defensive aspects of guard retention.

The high leg technique's role in transitioning into the maintenance phase of setting up actual guards.

The necessity of maintaining knee-elbow connection while performing the high leg technique for effectiveness.

Transcripts

[Music]

okay the first technique that we're

going to talk about in garb retention is

the high leg

it's also known as the high polo has

been quite popular as a term from

uh lachlan giles and rxbc from the guard

retention anthology which is an

excellent instructional yeah

so the highlight is going to be your

primary

guard retention because we're able to

use this at a a good distance where

we're able to use our feet as frames

here

so right now i have rod in my headlights

i have a nice knee elbow connection

as rob starts to redirect my legs across

the center line

he's accessed my legs as levers this is

pretty crappy guard right now

but what i'm able to do is perform a

movement with my hips and a crossover of

my leg

to be able to bring my leg over to the

other side of his body

to recompose the headlights in the sense

that now i still have connection to rob

on either side or at least something

ready to block them so one

with the strong leg press alignment if

rob drives into me i'm able to actually

support this

and then if he moves around to his left

i'm able to track him by having this leg

engaged on this side of his body with

like a

sticky butterfly hook kind of here with

the shoelaces on my foot

or a frame it's going to be kind of

dependent on the situation

and because i have his foot over to the

other side of his body rob can move

around to his right

i'm able to track him my arms are always

here knee elbow connection ready to

block at the shins ready to block the

biceps depending on the situation

so now i'm able to bring my legs back

over to get my guard back so i'm able to

control

the inside space really important that

rob as the passer here is actually

trying to move in

realistically how guard passer would rob

just kind of like throws my legs off the

side from here

i don't really have to do anything i

just bring my legs back in this is

something that's really difficult for

people at the very beginning

is that you need a partner that actually

moves in

rob's putting that pressure in and as

he's stepping in he's

actually starting to penetrate through

with his knee here

while this is what he wants to do this

is also what gives me the proper

position to be able to work this more

realistically because i'm able to now

curl my leg

into his quad here to start lifting my

hip

so i'm generating bass off of rob here

not the floor necessarily

here i'm able to lift my hip so now i

can start kicking

my knee up towards my chest to create an

arcing direction with my leg

to swing myself around and block here

notice how my hip lifts

notice how my hips turn to face rob here

this is what's going to make all the

difference

if my hip stays flat i'm probably not

going to be able to

circle past you can see how this frame

is just going to trap me here by lifting

i can go outside the range of his arm

and how it can follow me

and it also allows me to recompose that

angle because something that people will

do a lot

and we do it to an extent is we'll use

flexibility and external rotation the

hip

so if rob drops down a lot here and i

don't move my hips very much

i might be inclined to try and do

something like this and now if

i'm not warmed up and if i don't have

other supplementary furniture one it

might not be successful but if rob

dropped a lot of weight on me right now

oh jesus if i'm not able to comfortably

put my

up to my chest i'm at risk of hurting

imagine somebody

at the leg press at the gym starting to

set themselves up on the machine like

this

i'm bringing out my phone because this

is going to be awful to watch

by composing that angle i want to make

sure that my ankle

is in good positioning with my knee good

positioning with my hip so that as i've

lifted myself up here

if rob drove into me i have strong

posture strong base into the ground and

strong

structure so i'm strong i'm not at risk

of hurting myself

yeah this is why when we talk about

having multiple frames

and having some redundancy to that

that's why that's so important if rory

goes to leg drag me and i rely on

just my flexibility and i put my foot in

something i bring your shoulder down

i put myself here oh man my knee is

about to explode

but if i rely on my shin my hand on his

biceps

now even if i did have like you lower

your head quite a bit even if i did have

to rely on my flexibility

i'm keeping the majority of rory's

weight in my left hand

and my left shin and so now that i've

managed to put my

right foot in here i can maybe move it

to the hip and then

center back up to a more you know for me

natural position

and don't get me wrong there are plenty

of

people for whom this is not a problem

there are plenty of people who

myself included i can when i highlight

even though i'm not super flexible this

way i'm very flexible with my hamstring

so i've got my hip on the ground right

now and i can fairly easily

bring my foot over top even if rory

brings his head down quite a bit i can

still get this leg in front of him

by virtue of my hamstring flexibility

not everyone can do that

so we want to be really aware of that

you know as a beginner depending on your

level of fitness depending on your

level of flexibility this movement where

we externally rotate our hip and put our

foot in may not be available to you

and this movement where you stick your

shin to your temple and bring your foot

may not be available to you that's why

we're emphasizing so much

this i mean for one it's just

mechanically more sound to have more

frames in the way

but it's also allowing us to mobilize

our hips using our partner for bass

so we can have that leg press alignment

that rory talked about

but it's important that we know if you

stand back up for a second

while i do want my hip to come off the

mat i don't want my hip to come

way off the mat because now

i can be flipped over we want to raise

our hip

only to the extent that it allows us

to put our you know high leg high pummel

crossover leg in place

so like in this specific scenario where

rory is if i try to do this i can't

quite make it

so i go over and i'm lifting my hips

just a little bit so that i could create

this extension

and i put my foot on him and then one

other thing that's important to note

here

is when somebody's holding your shin and

you go to raise your leg and you feel

like oh man that is just a really solid

frame when we're trying to highlight

we will then low leg so as far as like

expedience oftentimes rather than trying

to lift my hip

trying to throw this leg over just

pummeling my foot to the inside and

stepping on his chest here

will be the the easier thing to do and

the better thing to do yep

and so there are two kind of crossovers

that are happening here there's the

initial high leg in which rob has

crossed his top leg over top

and then there's going to be a switch

back where rob's going to have to bring

the legs

like this the other mistake that we see

beginners make it first

is that as rob has replaced this frame

and he's crossed over my center line

he keeps this foot here and he starts to

withdraw this leg first and we can see

how now he's put both his legs on

the other on the right side of my center

line going to be

very simple for me to re-drag the

opposite direction that i initially

started so

we got to make sure that the redundancy

of multiple frames in place

and rob's making a quick switch of the

legs

so from here before i bring my left leg

across i'm going to start to track

i mean what i can bring my biceps back

in i can start to trap to this side

get my foot on him and then i can bring

my other foot into place on the other

side

and whether he's bringing like just a

knee up to his chest or he's bringing

his leg in there kind of the hook to

control the inside space of the legs

sometimes bringing the foot to the hip

bring the foot right to the biceps or

keep them on the chest and then also

when we start looking at

transitioning right into like the

maintenance phase of setting up actual

guards at that point

i mean if you just do a high leg and you

just kind of go back to like the open

space of retention and not

being super connected to your opponent

with strong grips you're probably just

gonna have to perform another highlight

again

yeah and this is not just a reactive

tool as we mentioned with the

with the guard retention overview we

want to keep somebody here

uh you know in front of us so we can

start to become offensive

so if for instance i start with like a

bit of an open guard here and i've got

my hands on rory's biceps

and even if he hasn't laid let's say you

stand up a second

if rory starts moving to my um my right

his left

if i just have this foot up here ready

to go i don't

wait let's say until rory fully deflects

my legs and now i'm

a little bit off angle and i've got to

do it if i just make sure that

i you know one don't allow him to

control this ankle too much

so let's say rory starts to move to this

side i'm good i'm just going to put my

foot on your shoulder

and i'm going to maintain this in the

elbow connection so the analogy that

i've been using a lot recently in class

is like a shield and a spear

if rory is over here i know where he

wants to go he wants to go into this

space

rory can't pass into this space unless

he's on this side

so my shield is here if he's moving

towards me in any way

i can block him with my shield and then

i can poke him with

this spear right so as long as he can't

penetrate through this space

i can highlight sort of preemptively i

can trace him with this

my foot in this case is hooked on the

outside of his

shin so i've got this fairly strong hook

to follow him in either direction

or the example that rory was showing

earlier was up on the hip so it doesn't

specifically have to be

what we showed uh as where it's a leg

drag and then you highlight it

the highlight is not just a response to

the leg drag it's basically any

situation

where somebody is starting to get to

this side of you and you need to bring

this foot in to block and maintain your

guard

you can use it so it can be pre-emptive

it can be reactive as long as you

maintain

your knee elbow connection while you do

it it's going to be effective

[Music]

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