Control the hands and everything else is a lot easier: When an opponent comes forward to begin passing your guard, he will generally come in and approach behind HIS HANDS. His hands will initiate contact with your lower legs somewhere between the knee and ankles, either gripping the body or the cloth of your uniform. If he establishes a good working grip, he will be in the drivers seat. That's good for him – bad for you. Don't just accept hands controlling your lower legs – fight to control his hands and he won't be able to control your legs – and then YOU will be in the drivers seat. Here, I use the sleeve cuff to control my partners right hand and a foot in the bicep to control the left hand. This prevents my partner using his hands in unison – a big part of success in these situations. Learn to use your hands and feet to control his hands when working from bottom guard and watch your overall guard game take off!
