Self-Defense Guard Tactics

The two most important defensive skills in Jiu Jitsu are your ability to never get pinned AND having a guard that's impossible to pass! 

Defense and guard retention are critical skills to your success in Jiu-Jitsu and your ability to defend yourself. Your ability to keep your legs and feet between you and your opponent is critical. This is one of the most important skills to master in Jiu-Jitsu.

If your opponent can’t pass your guard, they won’t be able to get a dominant position. If your guard is effective enough, you’ll be able to sweep and submit anyone who tries to pass.

These are 4 areas you should be focusing on for your guard retention:

Defense 

If you can stop your opponent from passing your guard, it makes it almost impossible for them to submit you. You can control the pace of the round/match. In turn this will stifle your opponent’s attacks.
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Offense 

When you stop worrying about your guard being passed, you can focus instead on sweeping and submitting the person trying to pass… This allows you to be more aggressive from the bottom position, helping you create more offensive opportunities.

Control 

When your guard retention is technically sound, it’s easier to control the distance between yourself and your opponent. 

This makes it harder for them to strike or pass your guard, depending on the scenario. You can dictate the pace better, as well as the flow of the fight.​

Transitioning 

The more effective your guard retention, the easier it is to transition from a defensive position to an offensive position, or vice-versa. You become a more adaptable well-rounded fighter and better able to flow with your opponent’s movements.​
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If you can focus on these things during training and especially during competition it will help you immensely on your path to success in tournaments AND in real life self-defense scenarios. 

We focus on these tactics at Bushido Zionsville to help our students to be well-rounded and prepared for whatever gets thrown their way.