What Is This "Falcon Guard" All About?
Do You Know The Falcon Guard?
In the world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, guard is everything. How you approach guard is entirely up to you. For a beginner, some of the first guards you will learn are closed guard, open guard, and half guard. For the more experienced players, guards like De La Riva, X Guard, and even Lasso guard become a part of a well rounded arsenal of defensive positions. But the beautiful thing about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is that people never stop innovating. Such is the case with the Falcon Guard.
This Simple Tweak Turns A Regular Closed Guard Into A Closed Guard On Steroids
So what exactly is the falcon guard? Think of it as closed guard 2.0. Designed by Joel Bouhey, a Hawaii native black belt under the legendary Luis Heredia, the falcon guard is a great way to bring your closed guard to the next level. Let us watch this short clip of Joel Bouhey demonstrating the Falcon Guard and then we will discuss the technique. Check it out!
The falcon guard starts in a position where you have your opponent’s arm trapped in an over hook. You want a deep hook on your training partner, keeping your hand connected to your other arm’s bicep. Also note the clinch Joel has at the back of the head with his other hand. Naturally the guy on top is going to try and escape this by using his arm to choke your neck and pressure forward. This is when you can adjust your hips to pinch your opponent’s shoulder, allowing you to now escape your other leg up to his other should, crossing your feet behind his head. From here you will notice a triangle is immediately available. But the main idea behind this guard is exploiting your training partner’s instinct to pressure forward and attack your neck as an opportunity to move your legs up to his shoulders. Getting to this position opens up both the ability to attack all sorts of arm locks and wrist locks. Great stuff from Joel Bouhey! Be sure to give his Falcon guard a try in your next live roll or competition!
Luis Heredia Black Belt Joel Bouhey’s Falcon Guard Opens Up A Ton Of Easy Sweeps & Submissions. Though it just looks like closed guard, it is a closed guard 2.0! These guard concepts will make closed guard cool again! Use this system for both gi and no gi jiu jitsu
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