Blog · Guard · Fundamentals · White belt
Base, posture and control: the 3 fundamentals to open the closed guard
The method Braga Neto, 11-time world champion, teaches for anyone inside the closed guard: base, posture and control before any guard break.
Beginners often get stuck inside the closed guard trying to force it open. In the seminar he taught at Instituto Arte Suave, Braga Neto, an 11-time world champion, summed up the path in three words: base, posture and control.
1. Base: balance first
Base means not falling from one side to the other. Knees wide, sitting on your heels. With a good base, the person on bottom can't off-balance you to sweep or pull you into a triangle.
2. Posture: straight spine
If you lean over your opponent, you get weak and he starts controlling you with his legs and grips. The rule is simple: straight back, head up.
3. Control: your hands on him
In the gi, grab both lapels at the height of his stomach and keep your arm extended, pressing your weight on him. When he tries to break your posture, he tires himself out pushing against your arm.
Only then: open the guard
With base, posture and control, the knee-in guard break becomes natural: one knee goes in the middle, his hips stay on the mat and you open with your back, not your arms. The detail Braga repeats most: once it's open, don't let him close it again. Put your knee inside his leg right away.
That is the essence of the gentle art: according to Braga himself, you don't need more than 50% of your strength to finish or execute a position. The rest is leverage and control.
