Closed Guard BJJ | The Complete Guide for Beginners and Practitioners

Hey there, fellow grappler! If you’re new to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, or even if you’ve been rolling for a while, you’ve probably found yourself on your back with someone’s legs wrapped around your waist. That’s the closed guard, and believe it or not, it’s one of the most powerful positions in BJJ.

You might think being on your back is a bad spot, and sure, sometimes it is, but in BJJ, position beats strength. And when you know what you’re doing in closed guard, you can control, sweep, submit, and even dominate your opponent from the bottom.

Let’s break it down together, step by step.

What Is the Closed Guard in BJJ?

The closed guard is a core BJJ position where you lie on your back, wrap your legs around your opponent’s waist, and cross your ankles behind them. Your hands grip their collar, sleeves, or neck to keep them close. This setup gives you control over their posture and movement.

It’s a safe spot for beginners because it limits your opponent’s options. They can’t easily stand or pass your guard. Meanwhile, you can attack with sweeps or submissions. I’ll never forget my first time using closed guard in a sparring session; it felt like I was steering the fight!

Core Techniques from the Closed Guard

Posture Control

Want to stop someone from punching, passing, or standing? Break their posture.

Here’s how I usually do it:

• Collar grip + sleeve grip: I pull the collar down while pushing or pulling their sleeve, this bends their spine forward.
• Double wrist control: Holding both wrists at the same time helps me break their base and open up attacks.
• Overhook or neck grip: When I feel someone trying to sit up or stand, I often wrap one arm over their shoulder or grab the back of their neck to keep them close.

💡 Quick Tip: Keep your knees tight, feet crossed, and your core engaged. If your guard feels like a lazy hug, they’re going to stand right up.

Sweeps

You don’t always need to submit someone; you can just flip them over and get on top. That’s where sweeps come in.

1. Scissor Sweep

This one’s perfect when they’re kneeling and you have a strong grip on their collar and sleeve.

Steps:

1. Grab their collar with one hand and their sleeve with the other.
2. Place one shin across their belly, and the other leg stretched on the mat.
3. Scissor your legs while pulling the collar and sleeve.
4. Roll them over and come up into a mount.

If they push back too hard or lean away? Transition into a triangle setup.

2. Hip Bump Sweep

This sweep is gold when they posture up or try to open your guard.

Steps:

1. Sit up quickly with your arm over their shoulder or grabbing their elbow.
2. Post your opposite hand behind you.
3. Bridge your hips up and twist, like you’re throwing them over your shoulder.
4. Roll them to the side and land on the mount.

💡 Quick Tip: Timing is everything. If you hesitate, you’ll miss the chance. When you feel their weight shift, go.

Submissions

Submissions from closed guard are sneaky and powerful. They come fast and sharp, if you know how to set them up.

1. Triangle Choke

When your opponent leaves one arm in and one arm out, it’s go-time.

Steps:

1. Break their posture and pull one arm across your body.
2. Shoot your leg over their neck and lock your foot under your knee.
3. Adjust the angle (cut your angle by shifting your hips).
4. Squeeze your knees and pull your head down.

🎯 Keep the arm trapped across their body to tighten the choke.

2. Armbar

Classic move. You’re isolating one arm and attacking the elbow joint.

Steps:

1. Control one arm at the wrist and sleeve.
2. Place your foot on their hip and pivot your body sideways.
3. Swing your other leg over their head.
4. Squeeze your knees and lift your hips.

💡 Bonus: If they stack you, try transitioning back into a triangle.

3. Cross-Collar Choke

This one’s been around forever because it works.

Steps:

1. Get deep grips inside their collar, palm up on one side, palm down on the other.
2. Pull your elbows to your ribs while flaring your wrists outward.
3. Engage your core and finish the choke by squeezing and pulling.

I once caught a guy twice in this choke during a local tournament. He underestimated the closed guard. Big mistake.

Transitions

Sometimes, the closed guard isn’t working, or your opponent just won’t move. That’s when it’s smart to switch things up.

• Open guard: If they stand up, you can transition to butterfly guard, De La Riva, or lasso.
• Back take: If they reach too far forward or post a hand, you can sit up, trap the arm, and spin to the back.
• Omoplata setup: When they post an arm or try to hide it, swing your leg over their shoulder and flatten them out.

🔄 Transition Tip: Don’t force the guard to work. Flow with their reactions. Closed guard is a door; you just need to pick the right one to open.

More Advanced Closed Guard Play

Once you’ve got the basics down, posture control, sweeps, submissions, and transitions, it’s time to level up. Advanced closed guard is about blending moves, setting traps, and thinking ahead.

Early on, I used to chain one move at a time: I’d go for a triangle. If it didn’t work, I’d reset. But the better I got, the more I realized: you don’t reset, you flow. The key? Combining your attacks.

Attack Chains

Here’s a simple example I still use today:

• Go for a cross-collar choke → they defend by pulling away.
• I switch to a hip bump sweep when they raise posture.
• If they post an arm? I armbar that hand.
• If they yank their arm out? Boom, triangle choke.

See the pattern? The goal isn’t to land the first move, it’s to force a reaction you can use. Advanced guard players don’t attack randomly, they play chess with their legs.

Overhook Closed Guard

Another slick option is the overhook guard. Instead of focusing on double sleeve grips, you trap one of their arms using an overhook (wrapping your arm around theirs).

From here, you can:

• Set up the overhook triangle choke.
• Use it to break posture and attack with omoplatas.
• Switch to flower sweeps or climbs to the back.

This is one of my go-to setups when I’m up against strong grip breakers.

Collar-Sleeve Play

Once you understand how important grips are, the collar-and-sleeve closed guard becomes gold. It gives you angle, posture control, and smooth entries into chokes, armbars, and sweeps. I usually set it up with my left hand in their collar and right hand controlling their sleeve, then I start tilting my body to the side I’m attacking.

🧠 Think of it like fishing, you set the hook with your grips, then reel them into the trap.

Mistakes You Should Not Make in Closed Guard

Mistake #1: Being Lazy with Your Legs- Your legs aren’t just there to hold on. They should be active. Squeeze when you attack. Adjust when they move. Dead legs equal dead guard.

I used to just wrap my legs and forget about them. My instructor would always escape. Then he taught me to think of my legs like hands. Game changer.

Mistake #2: Attacking Too Fast- Slow down, cowboy. A good closed guard takes time. You need to set up your attacks properly.

Rushing leads to sloppy technique. Sloppy technique gets you passed. Trust me, I’ve been there. Take your time and do it right.

Mistake #3: Forgetting Hip Movement- Your hips are your engine in closed guard. They create angles and generate power.

Watch any black belt play guard. Their hips are always moving. Shifting, lifting, turning. It’s like a dance. Your hips should never be flat on the mat.

Mistake #4: Giving Up Grips Too Easily- Once you get a good grip, fight to keep it. Don’t just let your opponent strip your hands away.

Think of your grips like gold. You wouldn’t just give away gold, would you? Same with grips. Make them work to break your control.

Mistake #5: Not Combining Attacks- One attack rarely works alone. You need to chain them together. Sweep to submission. Submission to sweep. Keep the pressure constant.

Closed Guard vs. Other Guards: Where Does It Fit?

Let’s compare closed guard to some other popular guards in BJJ.

So, where does closed guard fit?

It’s your starting point and your fallback. It’s great for learning how to control and submit. Once you understand closed guard well, you’ll find it easier to learn other guards too.

Think of it like learning to ride a bike. Once you’ve got balance, adding tricks becomes much easier.

Conclusion:

The closed guard is more than a beginner’s tool; it’s a full-on system that works at every level of BJJ. Whether you’re rolling with a white belt or a black belt, this position gives you control, attack options, and a chance to turn the tide from the bottom.

If you’re just starting out, focus on posture control, two solid sweeps, and one or two submissions. Drill them, refine your timing, and most importantly, keep training. The guard is your home base. Make it yours.