Closed guard – angle is everything: The closed guard is one of the most representative of classic Jiu Jitsu among of all the major positions. Even if you don't favor it yourself, you can be assured that other people will often use it on you – so the more that you know about it the better – no exceptions. One of the main routes to success from bottom closed guard is ANGLE. It is difficult to perform any kind of successful offense without first getting misaligned with your opponent. You must make a habit of constantly misaligning yourself if your are to become a threat from bottom. Your opponent will seek to counter by re-aligning himself to you. In that action/reaction exchange of alignment vs misalignment if the game of closed guard. Your hips are the basis of the position and you want yours out an angle. This might be something as a small shift to one side that creates enough space to enter a triangle, or it could be a turn far beyond ninety degrees that enables you to spin and rise into an arm bar. In almost every case, some form of misalignment to an angle will be required to generate attacks. Remember always that there is a world difference between being on the back vs being FLAT on your back. It's tough to be effective when you are flat on your back in bottom position – but the simple act of constantly shifting your hips from side to side and gaining angles big and small will help greatly to improve your offensive potential from this great position.
