Meaning of close guard?

[ShaunGBD]

What is the meaning of close guard?

 

and OMEGA has it set to legal, should it be set to illegal?

[BHK1978]

http://www.grapplearts.com/Glossary_BJJ_Closed_Guard.htm

 

Hope this helps.

[Eyeball]

In game terms, it means whether the fighter on the bottom is allowed to close his guard or not. Not being allowed to close your guard means you can't stall forever keeping your opponent from passing the guard and have to be more active. In game, I assume this means that it's easier to pass the guard and there is less stalling on the ground, giving an advantage to guys on the top in the guard.

[MrSelfDestruct]

it makes it easier to catch ur opponent in a submission from the bottom. it means u can clasp (i think thats the right word) ur legs around them, and get rubber guard and so on.

[LoNdOn]

it makes it easier to catch ur opponent in a submission from the bottom. it means u can clasp (i think thats the right word) ur legs around them, and get rubber guard and so on.

 

That is exactly what it means!

[Nedew]

and OMEGA has it set to legal, should it be set to illegal?

 

Whether it 'should' or not is completely up to you. That's the marvel of choice.

[RingofHonorGuard]

Someone stated that it's easier to catch your opponent in a submission with closed guard. I agree/disagree with that statement, to which I'll explain, and possibly help future FAQ seekers out with closed/open guard.

 

Closed guard, as it applies to MMA, serves the majority as a defensive position to prevent opponents from passing to side control, mount, or another otherwise considered dominant position. Think of it as reinforcement on a castle wall to keep the enemy from getting in. There's two forms, only one of which that's currently in WMMA that I've seen. Wrapping your legs around the waist to lock down the hips, and hooking your feet is the most commonly seen practice. But some fighters with high flexibility will choose the figure four approach, which is also seen by certain fighters when on back mount to prevent rolling during submissions.

 

Rubber Guard is quite possibly the most difficult thing to master in BJJ, and rightfully so because A) it's new and B) it takes a great deal of lower body dexterity to withstand the pain of it. Rubber Guard is what you would consider a defensive guard that can become offensive very quickly. But as I said, it takes an insane amount of flexibility to pull off. The only "mainstream" fighters currently doing well with it by my standard are the Diaz Brothers and Shinya Aoki(Aoki being the Prince of the Rubber Guard, as described by Eddie Bravo).

 

Ultimately allowing guard to be closed will give a fighter with no ground game an extra level of defense against a grappler of high level before he achieves side control or mount to finish the fight. In a high level grappler vs. grappler fight you'd be more likely to see an open guard or butterfly guard as a defensive situation anyway.

[mikey5time]

Rubberguard isn't new. Closed guard is good for MMA because of the fact you don't have a gi to grip, it lets you maintain control. You can temporarily open your guard to adjust your leg position, then work at closing guard again if something goes wrong.

[brashleyholland]

As it relates to the question and the game, as opposed to real life, some MMA promotions ban the closed guard.

 

This is mainly prevelent in grappling orientated organisations, with ZST being the one that comes to my mind. For one thing, it prevents the bottom fighter from holding his opponant in the guard: it's alot harder to pass a closed guard as you have to open it or slip out somehow.

 

For another, it makes for more active/entertaining ground battles. The fighter on the bottom now has to look to sweep, submit or push and scramble, making for a much more offensive bottom game when closing the guard is illigal.

 

On the flipside, it makes it easier for the top guy to pass, stand out of the guard and attempt lower body submissions.