TFS#14: David Against Many Goliaths

As we’ve all experienced, it’s easier for a bigger person to smother a smaller person in Jiu-Jitsu.

Playing guard might seem impossible against bigger opponents.

“Don’t let him get on top of you,” is a common thing coaches will yell at their new students.

Of course, no one wants anybody on top of them in Jiu-Jitsu…but how do you stop them?

The key development for smaller guys will be guard retention.

Understanding the types of guards and how you’ll have to play these guards is crucial.

Luckily there are three guards I'd recommend you focusing on if you're a smaller person.

Spider Guard

This guard is all about distance management.

By controlling the sleeves and using your feet to frame on their biceps, you’ll stop them from closing the distance between the two of you.

For this guard, you have access to multiple attack options including armbars, triangles, omoplatas and sweeps.

The nice thing about these attacks are that they chain together very well.

De La Riva Guard

De La Riva (DLR) guard is a very versatile and dynamic guard.

This guard offers a variety of attacks and sweeps and is easy to get to.

Centered around the DLR hook, the guard focuses on controlling a single leg, making it difficult for your opponent to put their weight on top of you.

You’ll also slow down your opponent’s passing attempts.

Grips will vary, but the most popular I’ve seen is the cross collar and ankle grip.

X-Guards

X-Guards are great for sweeps.

There are two different x-guards: traditional x-guard and single leg x-guard.

If you can see the pattern here, this guard is also great at maintaining distance.

For both x-guard variations, you’ll be entangling your opponents directly underneath them.

Similar to the DLR, entangling a leg or two will make it hard for them to put their weight on top of you.

It’s to also get to leg locks (don’t worry too much about leg locks if you’re a white belt).

What you can do

Learn these three guards and the basic mechanics.

• Learn how to get to each guard

• Learn a basic sweep from each guard

• Learn a basic attach from each guard

As you get more comfortable, you can start increasing complexity of moves and learn to transition from one guard to another.

Now let’s start rolling…

Techniques For The Week

1. Build Confidence With Your Spider Guard Using These Drills
Drill these with a partner and ask them to stay active. This way you’re getting the real feeling of someone moving in your spider guard.

2. 4 great Options For De La Riva Guard
You’ll soon want to play on your back against a bigger person after learning these techniques.

3. 3 Sweeps You Need-To-Know From X-Guard
This guard doesn’t get enough love, so use this straight forward approach to catch your opponent off guard (no pun intended).

Two Of My Social Media Posts Everyone Seems To Love

• 20+ key reasons that kept people from leaving

• One simple tip to save energy and how to allocate that energy for extra rounds

Food For Thought

Closing Thoughts

It's extremely frustrating to end up in bottom side control or bottom full mount.

Instead of looking up "how to escape...," the real way to deal with it is to avoid it.

And you've heard that...but to avoid those positions, you'll have to work on guard retention.

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