BJJ Lesson 9: Guard Retention Overview and Tips - Foundations Of Guard Retention

Summary

This instructional video script focuses on guard retention in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a crucial skill for beginners often overlooked in training. It emphasizes proactive defense, maintaining alignment, and managing distance with frames. The script distinguishes between guard retention and recovery, highlighting the importance of 'headlights' positioning and knee-elbow connection for effective defense. It also touches on transitioning from defense to offense and the concept of the leading edge in guard retention techniques, promising a detailed exploration of these techniques in a follow-up video.

Takeaways

• 🤼‍♂️ Guard retention is crucial for beginners in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and involves keeping an opponent in front of you with your guard, preventing them from passing to a more dominant position.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Guard retention techniques are proactive, requiring alignment, distance management, and understanding of reactionary movements to maintain defensive positioning.
• 📚 There's a distinction between guard retention and guard recovery. Retention is about keeping the opponent in front of you, while recovery is about regaining guard after the opponent has almost passed.
• 🏅 In competition, guard retention can lead to point scoring. If an opponent passes your guard, they earn points, but if you can regain your guard before they settle, you may only concede an advantage.
• 👥 The concept of 'headlights' is introduced, which refers to keeping the opponent's legs on either side of your centerline to maintain control and prevent them from passing.
• 🛡️ Multiple frames are essential for guard retention, providing redundancy and layers of defense. The goal is to replace any frame that is removed to maintain control.
• 🔄 Knee-elbow connection is a key element in guard retention, creating a barrier that prevents the opponent from controlling the space between your hips and armpits.
• 🧍‍♂️ Posture is important; a slight concave in the spine and lifting the tailbone off the mat can improve mobility and knee-elbow connection, facilitating better guard retention.
• 🚫 Avoid creating a lever with your hand under the opponent's hip, which can lead to wrist injuries. Instead, use your forearm or the heel of your palm for framing.
• 🔄 The leading edge of the body is pivotal in guard retention. It's the part of the opponent's body that leads pressure or attempts to pin you, and recognizing it correctly is vital for effective guard retention.

Q & A

What is guard retention in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

Guard retention in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu refers to the techniques and strategies used by a practitioner to maintain their guard position against an opponent attempting to pass or disrupt it.

Why is guard retention important for beginners in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

Guard retention is crucial for beginners as it is a fundamental defensive skill. It helps them manage distance, maintain alignment, and prevent their opponent from achieving a dominant position from which they could submit them.

What is the difference between guard retention and guard recovery?

Guard retention is about keeping an opponent in front of you with your guard, preventing them from passing to a more advantageous position. Guard recovery, on the other hand, occurs when an opponent has almost passed your guard and you need to regain it.

How can understanding the 'headlights' concept help with guard retention?

The 'headlights' concept refers to maintaining your legs in a position that blocks the opponent's movement, similar to how headlights illuminate the road. Keeping your opponent within your 'headlights' helps control their movement and maintain your guard.

What is the significance of knee-elbow connection in guard retention?

Knee-elbow connection is essential for creating a strong defensive structure. It prevents the opponent from controlling the space between your hips and armpits, which is critical for maintaining guard and preventing passes.

Why is it important to have multiple frames in guard retention?

Having multiple frames provides redundancy and makes it harder for the opponent to pass your guard. If one frame is disrupted, having others in place allows you to quickly reestablish control and maintain your defensive position.

What is the leading edge of the body in the context of guard retention?

The leading edge of the body is the part that leads the pressure or movement when an opponent attempts a guard pass. Recognizing and controlling the leading edge is key to preventing the pass and retaining the guard.

How does posture affect guard retention?

Posture plays a significant role in guard retention by affecting mobility and the ability to create and maintain frames. A slightly concave spine and lifted shoulders facilitate better knee-elbow connection and overall guard retention.

What is the high leg or high pummel technique in guard retention?

The high leg, also known as the high pummel or crossover, is a fundamental guard retention technique. It involves using one leg to control the opponent's movement and maintain the guard, often by placing the leg over the opponent's back or shoulder.

Why is it advised against placing the palm of your hand under an opponent's hip during guard retention?

Placing the palm of your hand under an opponent's hip can create a lever that, if the opponent cuts their hips, can trap your wrist and potentially lead to injury. It's safer to use the heel of the palm or the web of the hand for framing.

Outlines

00:00

🤼‍♂️ Guard Retention in Jiu-Jitsu

The paragraph discusses the importance of guard retention in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), especially for beginners. It notes that guard retention is often overlooked in training, but has gained more attention recently. The speaker emphasizes the proactive nature of guard retention, which involves maintaining alignment and managing distance. The paragraph introduces the concept of 'headlights', a term borrowed from Grappler's Guide, which refers to keeping the opponent's legs within the range of one's own legs to prevent them from passing. The difference between guard retention and guard recovery is explained, with retention being about keeping the opponent from passing and recovery being about regaining guard after it's almost been passed. The speaker also warns against using the palm of the hand to block the opponent's hips due to the risk of injury.

05:02

🔄 Guard Retention Techniques and Posture

This paragraph delves into the mechanics of guard retention, focusing on creating multiple layers of frames to prevent the opponent from passing. It discusses the concept of redundancy in guard retention, where having multiple frames provides a safety net if one is compromised. The importance of knee-elbow connection is highlighted as a way to control the space between the hips and armpits, which is crucial for maintaining a strong guard. The paragraph also touches on the idea of posture in guard retention, suggesting a slight concave in the spine to facilitate better mobility and knee-elbow connection. The speaker advises against completely laying flat on the mat, as it reduces mobility and increases the surface area, making it easier for the opponent to move the defender.

10:02

🏋️‍♂️ Body Mechanics for Effective Guard Retention

The paragraph continues the discussion on body mechanics in guard retention, emphasizing the importance of reducing contact with the mat to increase mobility. It explains how lifting the shoulders and tailbone off the mat creates a more mobile base, allowing the defender to pivot and maintain control over their hips. The concept of using the opponent as a base for movement is introduced, illustrating how the defender can use the opponent's body to generate momentum and change angles. The paragraph also addresses the exceptions to the general rule of being curled up, such as when facing a double under pass, where a heavier and more grounded posture is required. The speaker reiterates the importance of maintaining knee-elbow connection and minimizing the space between the defender's hip and armpit.

15:02

🛑 Guard Retention Strategy and Leading Edge

In this paragraph, the speaker focuses on the strategy of guard retention, particularly the concept of the 'leading edge' of the body. This refers to the part of the opponent's body that is leading the pressure when attempting a guard pass. The formula for guard retention is outlined as blocking the leading edge, mobilizing the hips, and re-composing the hip angle. The paragraph also discusses the appropriate and inappropriate use of framing the opponent's hips, warning against using the palm of the hand due to the risk of injury. The speaker emphasizes the importance of recognizing the leading edge accurately, as guessing wrong can lead to a passed guard. The paragraph concludes with a预告 of the next video, which will cover specific guard retention techniques, such as the high leg or high pummel.

Keywords

💡Guard Retention

Guard retention refers to the techniques and strategies used by a person on the bottom in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to maintain their guard position against an opponent attempting to pass. It is a critical skill for beginners and advanced practitioners alike, as it allows the bottom player to control the pace and positioning of the match. In the script, guard retention is discussed as a proactive approach where the player must manage distance and alignment to prevent the opponent from passing their guard.

💡Defensive Loop

A defensive loop or cycle in the context of the video refers to the continuous and repetitive movements that a player on the bottom uses to prevent their opponent from advancing to a more dominant position. It is part of the broader concept of guard retention and involves a series of reactions and proactive measures to keep the opponent at bay. The script emphasizes the importance of being proactive within this defensive loop to manage distance and maintain alignment.

💡Frames

Frames in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are the structural positions that a player uses to create barriers and control space. They are used in guard retention to manage distance and prevent the opponent from advancing. The script mentions using frames to manage distance and suggests that having multiple frames provides redundancy, making it more difficult for the opponent to pass the guard.

💡Headlights

The term 'headlights' is used metaphorically in the script to describe the ideal positioning of the legs in guard retention, where the player's legs are aligned with the opponent's hips, knees, and feet, preventing the opponent from easily passing the guard. Staying within the 'headlights' is crucial for maintaining control and preventing the opponent from getting past the legs.

💡Retention vs. Recovery

Retention and recovery are two distinct concepts within guard play. Retention is about keeping the opponent in front of you with your guard, while recovery is the act of regaining your guard after the opponent has almost passed it. The script differentiates these by explaining that retention is about maintaining a position, whereas recovery involves reactivating your guard after it has been compromised.

💡Knee Elbow Connection

The knee elbow connection is a specific alignment technique discussed in the script where the player's knees and elbows work together to create a barrier that prevents the opponent from penetrating their guard. This connection is part of maintaining a strong defensive structure and is crucial for controlling the space between the hips and armpits, which is a key area for preventing guard passes.

💡Leading Edge

The leading edge in guard retention is the part of the opponent's body that is most likely to cause a guard pass if not controlled. The script explains that recognizing and controlling the leading edge is critical for effective guard retention. It could be the shoulder, shin, or any part of the body that is exerting the most pressure or is in the most advantageous position to pass the guard.

💡Off Balancing

Off balancing, or kuzushi, is a principle in martial arts that involves unbalancing an opponent to create an opening for a technique. In the context of the video, off balancing is mentioned as a goal when the player on the bottom has successfully retained their guard, allowing them to then use offensive techniques to submit or control their opponent. The script suggests that once a player is proficient at guard retention, they can use off balancing to create vulnerabilities in their opponent.

💡High Pummel

The high pummel, also known as the high leg or crossover, is a specific guard retention technique mentioned in the script. It involves using one's legs to maintain a high position on the opponent's body, making it difficult for them to pass the guard. The script indicates that this technique is a staple of guard retention and will be further explored in a subsequent video.

💡Base

In the script, 'base' refers to the foundational support that a player uses to maintain stability and mobility during grappling. Having a good base is essential for both offensive and defensive movements. The script discusses how reducing contact with the mat can improve mobility, which is crucial for reacting to the opponent's movements and maintaining guard retention.

Highlights

Guard retention is crucial for beginners in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and may not be emphasized enough in training.

Retention involves maintaining a defensive position, while recovery is regaining guard after it's been compromised.

The distinction between retention and recovery can affect scoring in competitions.

The 'headlights' concept, borrowed from Grappler's Guide, refers to keeping the opponent within the range of your legs.

Frames are essential for managing distance and preventing the opponent from advancing.

Knee-elbow connection is vital for maintaining a strong defensive structure.

Guard is primarily a defensive tool for managing range and safety.

Offensive opportunities arise from proficient guard retention and off-balancing the opponent.

Minimizing contact with the ground can increase mobility and responsiveness during guard retention.

The leading edge of the body is the part that applies pressure or pins during a guard pass attempt.

Blocking the hip with the palm of the hand can be dangerous and is not recommended.

The formula for guard retention includes blocking the leading edge, mobilizing the hips, and re-composing hip angle.

The high leg or high pummel is a fundamental technique for guard retention.

Guard retention techniques will be further explored in the next video, focusing on the high leg or high pummel.

Transcripts

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all right uh we're gonna talk about

guard retention now

uh guard retention is where we retain

our guard yeah uh yeah

this is a big deal as a beginner in jiu

jitsu this is gonna be something that

depending on where you train you may get

very little or even no

training on this it's just something

that you're supposed to get good at

at some point although luckily over the

last let's say

year or two a lot more attention is

being paid to this in general in the

community so there's some excellent

instructionals

uh that you can get uh that will help

you learn this i always want to give you

an overview of what the stuff

sort of yeah so we're talking about

retaining guard we're talking about

being in a defensive loop or cycle or

defensive movements however you want to

define it so

you have to be very very

proactive in the sense of making sure

that you're keeping yourself in

alignment managing the distance better

you can

but understanding as well there's going

to be a lot of reactionary movements

here and so we got

like when we start getting into sweeps

and stuff we'll show you guys how you

can actually start to transition into

turning

the into offensive movements where

you're going to be able to actually

start attacking

but right now rob's going to keep

himself in good alignment

using frames to manage the distance

depending on the guard that he's using

but usually within like garb retention

if we're talking about trying to

drill and spread specifically you're

actually going to be playing more of an

open style and not trying

yeah so let's let's talk specifically

about

retention versus recovery because that's

an important distinction

it's honestly not a very important

distinction for let's say the vast

majority of you who are not going to

compete

but for those that are interested in

competing and those that are just

interested in being a little bit more

knowledgeable

retention is when i'm keeping somebody

like in front of me with my guard and

not letting him get

to a passing position whereas recovery

is where somebody's

almost gotten past my guard and i have

to get my

guard back at that point the the

distinction between the two

is one that can score points or

advantages

in competition if somebody gets past my

legs

and settles the position they have

passed my guard they will earn

usually three points depending on the

rule set but if they just kind of get to

here

momentarily and i manage to get my guard

back

they will still score what's called an

advantage which if you're not sure what

that is it's kind of like

getting a half point for hitting the rim

in basketball which doesn't exist

which goes to show you how stupid they

are but anyway that's another story

uh so yeah the important distinction

between retention

and recovery retention assumes that i'm

still

let's say doing fine like i don't have

any real problems if i'm just doing

guard retention if you never get

outside of what we like to call

headlights which is something we stole

from jason scully who runs grappler's

guide which is an awesome resource

um headlights is if you were to just

draw a line throughout like from your

hips out your knees out your legs

as long as rory is rob's on his back

here

you can see how by the position of his

legs even if he extended his legs out

quite far here

i am in the headlights of his legs here

there's a leg on either side so

especially if we go like say just feet

on the hips

if i move around to my right rod's left

he tracks me and if i move to my left

his right he tracks me if he has both

his legs

on one side of my center line well we

can see that there's not really much of

a guard

if i was an idiot and drove into lakes

you're great but i'm going to be going

around this direction where his legs

aren't able to stop me

where he's not using his legs properly

his friends to block like the leading

edge of my body that's moving around the

pinum

and it's going to be very easy and

that's going to be my goal as the

passengers to try and redirect the legs

off this side is one of the methods to

try and pass guard here

yeah so as long as i'm able to keep rory

within my headlights

and while i've got him within my

headlights as long as i've got

frames on him that prevent him from

coming forward because for instance like

rory could be

in my headlights but if he pins one of

my legs

okay this is no girl oh damn ah that's

not great so it's not as simple as just

keep someone in your headlights we're

talking about hip positioning in that

instance where if you're keeping your

hips facing your opponent so yeah you

have all your weapons your waist

basically yeah so this that's kind of

the first thing is i want somebody

in front of my hips in front of my

frames and then i want as many frames as

possible throughout the process so like

if i've got

one foot on rory right now this is not

great if he

gets rid of it he's immediately able to

get to my hips

if i've got two feet on rory that's

better

but there's still things he can do if he

gets rid of this one and then it starts

to knee cut maybe or

leg drag whatever he's going to be able

to get directly to a passive position

so if i now have a frame over here if

i've got a frame over here

now if he goes to move she goes to do

anything it becomes really difficult for

him to get anywhere if he gets past

one of my frames i've still got three

left if he gets past

two of my frames i've still got one left

etc etc so

when we're talking about guard retention

we want as much redundancy built into

the system as possible

yes there are some people who are highly

flexible

or very good at the the recovery part

getting back to guard

and they still make it work but unless

you're very athletic

very flexible et cetera et cetera not

something you want to rely on you want

to have as many frames

in the way and then when we get into the

guard retention movements which we'll

teach them specifically um at least you

know it's the

the couple best ones that you want to

rely on you want to have

multiple layers of frames and then you

want to have multiple movements that you

can go to

depending on the situation to keep the

other person in front of you or to get

your hips back

in front of that yeah and so we keep

talking about your alignment that you're

wanting within guard retention

knee over connection is super important

as the pastor my goal is to beat the

legs control the hips

and specifically control the space

between the hips and the armpits so

we're talking when we say knee elbow

connection i don't literally mean

like take your elbow and put it on top

of your kneecap what we mean is there's

a

an unbroken wall keeping rory

out of this space if i can occupy the

space like side control

rob tries to close that neon connection

i have blocked this i have really strong

rotational control

if rob kept this knee elbow connection

and i try to drop into that space right

now

it's very difficult now if rob

completely gives up the elbow connection

on this side

i'm going to be able to make good things

happen so it's going to be on

rob to try to do the best that he can

certain movements will create

certain vulnerabilities but if rock can

keep knee open connection on both sides

you can see how there's just a strong

position that i just kind of the

scaffolding that i just end up resting

on top of and i

while i can still i'm still winning a

certain range battle i'm keeping rob

defensive

there's still a lot of options that rob

has rather than me being able to control

the inside space and it's important to

note you know since we were

talking about headlights earlier rory is

still in my headlights it might not seem

like it because like

normally if i was playing guard i'd

prefer to have rory in front of me

but rory being beside me as long as i

maintain this structure

my hips are still facing him he's not

able to occupy the space between my hip

and my armpit

and i've got a series of frames so i've

got my shin i've got my forearm i've got

my shin i've got my forearm

rory is past my feet so like this would

be my longest

range frames but he's not past my

and he's past you know let's say most of

my shin but he's not past my knees yet

he's not past my elbows

i'm very safe here i'm not necessarily

offensively a threat but i'm quite safe

and as long as you

recognize what the guard is meant to be

first which is

a defensive tool a range management tool

something that keeps you safe whether

it's

from a jiu jitsu perspective purely no

strikes not letting someone get to a

dominant position so they can submit you

or from a self-defense

mma context not getting knocked out with

strikes because you're able to keep

somebody in a distance either way

it's first primarily a defensive tool

then it becomes offensive if you're good

enough at keeping somebody in your guard

and off balancing them as we talked

about

with some of the goals on bottom

primarily kuzushi are off balancing

to get somebody into a vulnerable

position so once you achieve this

parameter of keeping somebody

you know in front of you or you know in

front of your your defensive tools

then you can employ your offensive tools

yeah and so like rob said it's not

necessarily having like that

direct connection of your elbow to your

knee there'll be times where you

actually will be extending your arms out

and it'll be just

contact to the inside or the outside or

even a little bit of space created but

the most important thing is that we're

minimizing that when we kind of went to

like that half guard situation or like

with the across

rob here is connecting out towards my

bicep you can see how he's still trying

to maintain that

uh kneel connection the best he can as

this arm comes across here

there might be a tiny little bit of

space there for a moment that's okay

as long as he's not opening this up or

going into like a hip escape that he

holds for a long period of time

then this is obviously going to create

vulnerability

rob might choose to have complete in the

elbow connection which is going to be

the most secure

but if there's a slight little gap at

certain points when he's performing

movements

it's always going to be like there's a

timing thing there's human error that

can be taken advantage of

we're just trying to minimize that as

much as possible yeah the important

thing

that like the overarching thing is that

we know that we need to have

layers of frames anytime a frame is

removed we want to replace it as soon as

possible

and we want to keep somebody out of this

space someone starts to get into this

space

we need to keep them in place so that we

can move away and that's what all of the

guard retention and recovery movements

are going to be based around and so when

we're looking at posture when we're

looking at knee elbow connection it

usually ties in quite well that

we don't usually want to have an actual

straight back and we don't want our head

just laying lazily on the floor so

what i'm actually looking at doing is

creating a slight concave to my spine

here

as i'm just performing a bit of a crunch

to kind of lift my shoulders and my

health and mat this is going to make it

easier to bring my elbows down to my

knees as i bring my knees up to my

elbows

and i lift my tailbone slightly off the

mat here i'm reducing my surface area

which is going to make it easier for me

to be more mobile

if i'm just completely flat like this

one my knee elbow connection will

probably be shittier

and then when rob starts to move me

there it's harder for me to be

mobile now it seems counterintuitive

that i want

to be more mobile in the sense that with

uh

less contact to the ground it's going to

make it easier for you to move me

but because i have less contact with the

mat it's also easier for me

to be following you and when rob starts

looking at redirecting this stuff my

hips are already engaged

i'm able to start to be very mobile just

off my back because my back is my base

here

which is obviously going to be when rob

drives down into me like in a leg press

fashion

i'm brace against the mat but i also

need to be able to generate bass off of

rob so that i can start to pivot so you

can see here i'm using

rob as base so i can actually start to

move myself

and if rob started to move around to my

side here just with my hand

even without contact here i'm able to

use that as base

to see how i can start to mobilize my

hips and so by reducing

my contact with the ground i can start

to spin faster like a top

back and forth to change the angles i

need to make sure that my hips stay

facing rob

and i'm able to use my frames

effectively yeah and there will be

exceptions to that for example

uh if you go double unders so this is

the type of pass that i'm going to want

to

like make my body really heavy and plank

out so that rory can't lift my legs and

throw them by

all right uh so we're not saying you

know always

yep but as a general rule you're going

to want to be fairly curled up

knees to your chest and you're going to

want to

either eliminate or at the very least

minimize the amount of times that you

do this because your knee is coming away

from your chest

which is creating the space that you're

trying to hide from your opponent

so yeah so uh in the next

video we're gonna actually get

specifically into some guard retention

techniques the high leg or also known as

the high pummel

is the staple of guard retention it's

also called a crossover sometimes

there's a few different names for it

um and again as far as overarching

like concepts you mentioned it briefly

but i think it's probably good if we

just

spend a little bit of time talking about

the idea of the leading edge of the body

the the formula that we use for guard

retention is

block the leading edge mobilize the hips

and then recompose your hip angle

the leading edge of the body is whatever

part of the body is going to

pin you uh or is leading the way with

pressure when somebody

attempts a guard pass if rory is on his

knees most of the time the leading edge

will be his shoulder

if rory is on his feet most of the time

the leading edge will be

his inside shin although occasionally

it'll be his outside shin

that doesn't mean always again it's just

the majority of the time

in those situations that will be the

leading edge it's almost never the hip

exactly so as far as again what you may

or may not be taught

blocking the hip as a guard retention

maneuver

is not it's not the be on end all it's

not wrong there are times when it's

appropriate

particularly in guard recovery and

particularly like if i'm at range yeah

like this is this is totally fine

but if somebody has beat my guard

putting my knee down

and blocking the hips so that i can hip

escape is

not very useful not only that and this

is a safety thing that i

take everybody through if i make this

shape where

rory's hip is at the end of my hand like

where my fingers start at the end of the

palm of my hand

what i've effectively done is created a

lever and put

most of rory's center of gravity over

top of it if he

were to cut his hips and my elbow were

to hit the ground my wrist is now

trapped

and i have seen people explode their

wrists for this this is something i warn

everybody

when they're rolling to never do this is

not a shape that you want to make

with all the weight at the end here it's

not wrong to do it with the heel of my

palm

if i have the heel of my palm here if he

turns his hips the worst that'll happen

is my hand will slip it's not wrong to

do it with the web of your hand

again if he turns his hips my hand will

just slip through that's fine

so if you have to frame the hip first of

all it's usually better to do it with

your elbow but if you have to frame the

hip

just please don't stick the palm of your

hand

underneath someone's hip that's a

generally terrible idea

it doesn't lead to anything other than

hospital visits so

avoid that if possible but again the

leading edge will usually be

you know the top of the shin or the knee

or the sort of chest shoulder area you

know occasionally it'll be

the ribs it'll be the hip once in a

while so we're not saying never

but the trick in getting good at guard

retention

is and and guard recovery in particular

as well because guard retention

is really more just about keeping rory

in front of me as long as i just

kind of stay here and just highlight if

he redirects me i'm just getting

i'm keeping my feet in front of them so

i don't have to be

as let's say precise

about the leading edge because rory is

so far away that there could be multiple

leading edges and as long as i have

multiple layers of frames

i'm okay it's when he starts to get past

my legs that now oh there's the leading

edge

that's when recognizing precisely what

the leading edge is becomes very

important

and that takes the longest amount of

time and training just the amount of mat

time to

know okay that's the leading edge okay

that's the leading edge until you know

specifically if you guess wrong

you get your guard passed yeah it takes

a long time yeah

so enough of these broad overviews of

subjects bringing it into the actual

techniques now in the next video we'll

be talking about the highlight or the

high pumble and guard retention

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you