Where should I start from open guard? One of the problems associated with open guard is the sheer number of options available to you as you play the position. You can be seated or supine, inside control or outside control, a large number of different grip variations, many different types of guard to play and a seemingly infinite number of moves. The number of options can soon expand into a dizzying number and in the heat of the action you can end of hesitating as you make choices. Whenever the choices seem to too confusing I recommend you use the cross collar, sleeve cuff and foot inside bicep guard you see here. It is in my opinion the single most versatile open guard and has exemplary defensive and offensive properties. It leads equally well into both positional sweeps and submissions on both kneeling and standing opponents. When it all seems confusing – USE CROSS COLLAR, CUFF AND BICEP GUARD AS YOUR DEFAULT OPTION and you can't go wrong. The good news is that this form of open guard allows you to enter seamlessly into just about any other form of open guard so as your skill level grows you can keep using it as an entry into all the new guards you learn as you progress. If you are making open guard your field of study – make this one your first stop and it will give you a powerful and versatile start that will never let you down!
