The Importance of Guard Retention
Posted by Emil Fischer on
One of the most useful tools a jiu jitsu practitioner can develop is the ability to retain and recovery guard at will. In the retention and recovery of guard, arises a certain innate security that one can always reset to a comfortable guard when needed.
Perhaps the most important aspect of guard retention and recovery is that of hip mobility and understanding of limb placement. Also it is important to know when to hold onto the guard and when to let it go and set up a secondary or tertiary guard. Top level practitioners are able to seamlessly go from guard to guard without ever skipping a beat.
Once the guard is passed, all efforts must be made to place elbows and knees between the guard player and the opponent, and if the opponent is able to negate the placement of elbows and knees, the guard itself will be negated. It is imperative to understand the exact timing and placement needed for effective guard retention.
More important than any submission or escape is the ability to retain and recover guard, so work on it in your daily training regimen. Check out this video of world champion Bernardo Faria explaining some of his favorite ways to retain guard. Also make sure to check out his Instructional DVD “Escapes From Everywhere” 4 DVD Set. Bernardo teaches 47 different escapes from all type of situations: Escapes From Everywhere 4 DVD Set by Bernardo Faria (Click Here)
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