Luiz Panza On The 50/50 Guard

By Corey Kuropas, December 31, 2016

Luiz Panza is one of the big up and coming stars of the IBJJF black belt circuit. Panza, who is a black belt from the world famous Checkmat has beaten some of the world’s best and won some of the biggest tournaments in Jiu Jitsu. He is particularly known for his use of the closed guard, leg attacks and the 50/50 guard. Now the 50/50 guard has been a hot topic of the last few years in the BJJ world. Some say it is an excellent position that allows for guard passes and destructive leg attacks. Others say it is simply a stalling position used to barely edge one another out and win matches based solely on advantages. People in the Jiu Jitsu scene are highly divided on this topic. But what about the man who uses it in almost every one of his matches? Luiz had some pretty interesting things to say on the matter.

Right out of the gate, Luiz mentions that he loves the 50/50 position because of the fact that he can use leg locks. If you look at his record, you can see how true this is. He has won a ridiculous amount of his Jiu Jitsu bouts with straight foot locks. He has won some with kneebars and this year, he even won the No Gi Worlds with a calf slicer. He shows that the 50/50 position can be dangerous when used by an aggressive black belt that is looking for the finish, and not for the advantage points. That shows true black belt mentality.

The Checkmat black belt is aware of the criticism about the 50/50 position, even when it comes to his own fights. He mentions how people talk about the slower nature of the position and how it seems that he does stall. But Luiz disagrees. He continues on to say that he enjoys the 50/50 due to his dominant nature there. But he also mentions that if he cannot get a submission from the 50/50 that he is not afraid to let it go, and go to another position to begin a different kind of attack. The interviewer also asks what he thinks about the recent rule changes that the IBJJF has implemented on the 50/50 guard. Panza says that he actually enjoys the rule changes. He believes that no one should go to the 50/50 just to stall the fight and try to stay safe. He believes that one should be completely active if deciding to go to that position. The foot lock master says he loves the fight and anyone playing that position should love the fight too.

Luiz Panza is on a hot streak. He closed out 2016 very strongly and it is with great anticipation to see how he does in 2017. What will be in store? More matches against top level guys and certainly and hopefully more titles to add to his collection. This year, we were also blessed to have Luiz release a DVD about his favorite positions, sweeps and submissions. Some from the 50/50 as well. It’s a great DVD set that anyone serious about Jiu Jitsu should grab!

Click here to see Hidden BJJ Secrets, an awesome four DVD set!