closed guard - how to break out of it - what's you best technique?

[mighty mouse]

how do you break out of a closed guard - what's your most effective technique? i find resistance very difficult when it comes to breaking the closed guard.

[yenhoi]

Setup and practice (good mechanics/sensitivity.)

There are too many options and what ifs to describe online. Drill, drill, drill.

[BellyOfTheBeast]

controlling the hands maybe, making space, doing something to distract the person like hit the their ribs or slap on the back of the head. If your strong enough and have leverage you can try to lift them up and slam then down to the mat or push then against something so they would break the hold or wait until they get worn out. I guess It all depends on different things I guess but im definately no expert.

[JIMI]

yenhoi is right. There is way too much to discuss to type it all out here and then have it make any sense. I can say this though, if you watch a lot of the newest PRIDE fights and UFC fights, closing the guard is starting to be a thing of the past. Remember that mixed martial arts needs to continue to evolve to be effective. You will see that newer fighters are not necessarily trying to keep you in the guard now, simply because some fighters have no problem now with "grounding and pounding in the guard" Many fighters are way more comfortable now at fighting within someones guard. So as a result fighters are not trying as much now to hold you in, and if you do hold them in the guard, they are much more comfortable being in there now with newer fighting techniques. Just something to think about

[aseepish]

Hands on the biceps, stand up and headbutt the face, clear the legs, knee on the chest and blast. Simple!

[Mr. Miyagi]

In most friendly training situations the picking up and slamming down of your opponent is frowned upon or not allowed.

I suggest drilling the most basic guard passes and for the most part, just using two ways that work best for you. To break the closed guard, I like to stay on my knees, have good posture, push his hips down, dig my elbows into his knees, and try to do a tight pass. Getting the legs open does not guarantee you will pass his guard if he moves his hips well and/or has a good open guard. I learned this pass in one of my first classes ever but I still use it more than any other because it works.
There are some people you roll with that cling to the closed guard but most people will open their legs up and try to make things happen, which opens up chances for you to pass. BTW, the opening of the legs shouldn't take too much strength if you're doing it right.

[BellyOfTheBeast]

I dont want to sound like an ass but I train for real life situations and if i have no other options id go for the slam, im not training to be friendly or nice because will the person I get in a fight with show sympathy for me and hold back? Probably not, so anything i can to do break the hold ill do it.

[DRLashambe]

This one is my favourite because no one ever expects it (it loses its effectiveness after your opponents have seen it a couple of times). When your opponent has you in a really tight guard, sit back, and come to your feet. After this, if your opponent is still holding on, put your elbow on the outside of your opponent's knee, and step over both his legs. Your back will be to your opponent, but there's a 99% chance that your opponent will have rolled to his stomach. This leaves you in the perfect position to do ankle locks or achilles tendon locks.

A question to bellyofthebeast: what kind of neighbourhood do you live in?? If you're training for street realism, how often do you really need to train for an opponent who knows how to hold a proper guard?

[akja]

Originally posted by Mr. Miyagi
In most friendly training situations the picking up and slamming down of your opponent is frowned upon or not allowed.

I suggest drilling the most basic guard passes and for the most part, just using two ways that work best for you. To break the closed guard, I like to stay on my knees, have good posture, push his hips down, dig my elbows into his knees, and try to do a tight pass. Getting the legs open does not guarantee you will pass his guard if he moves his hips well and/or has a good open guard. I learned this pass in one of my first classes ever but I still use it more than any other because it works.
There are some people you roll with that cling to the closed guard but most people will open their legs up and try to make things happen, which opens up chances for you to pass. BTW, the opening of the legs shouldn't take too much strength if you're doing it right.

elbow in the kness!