Posture, Grips and Distance

Danaher on guard retention: frames, hip movement and making the passer start over instead of chasing a single recovery.

Danaher on open guard as a system: distance, frames and the reactions that turn a standing passer into a sweep or back take.

Henry Akins argues the legs are 90 percent of open guard and that defence starts before the passer touches your legs. Conceptual, with a contrarian view on seated guard.

Why seated guard suits older or less flexible grapplers against a standing passer: match their lead leg, keep the arm in front and attack with simple sweeps rather than relying on retention.

Lachlan Giles on the arm drag from seated guard: win the wrist, drag to the armpit and immediately glue your chest to the trapped arm so they cannot pull it back before you come up to the back.

Five seated guard postures compared in under a minute. A quick reference for what your legs and base should look like.

Seated and butterfly guard fundamentals against a defensive opponent: long, mid and close range with the feet, and pushing or kicking them in four directions to open their elbows for underhooks.