Passing the open guard can be very frustrating. Shortly after starting BJJ, I can remember a class when I was rolling with a short stocky guy (who was much much better than me). Having a wrestling background (high school), I found it very frustrating that I was unable to pass to side control and was kept away at a controlled distance by this guys legs as he effortlessly rotated and pushed me away. Here are a few methods for passing some common forms of the open guard, and not being “that standing frustrated guy.”

Start standing, your opponent is on the ground in front of you in open guard.

Scenario 1 – They have their feet on your hips and are grabbing one of your sleeves:

Grab their pants leg with your free hand.

Push that leg down between your legs, as you kick your leg on that side back, stepping it around out to that side. (You’ll want this leg to land about a half a yard away from them out to the side. make sure you don’t step too close to their arm. You don’t want them to be able to grab your leg.)

Kick the other leg back and swing it around to land with that knee on their belly.

Scenario 2 – They have the Delariva Guard with one leg(their foot is grapviend around one of your legs pushing against the front of the thigh of your other leg), their other foot is on the other hip.

Grab their lapel on the delariva side.

Sit into Horse stance and lean heavy into the delariva leg. This will be very uncomfortable for them.

Kick the other leg back, the one not in the delariva, stepping it around out to that side.

Kick the delariva leg back and swing it around to land with that knee on their belly.

Scenario 3 – They have a butterfly hook inside one knee, the other leg is on the other hip.

River dance – press your knee down on top of their hook. When your knee is lower than their hook, windshield wiper your ankle toward your butt as you step, landing with your foot between their legs.

Kick the other leg back, the one which wasn’t hooked, stepping it around out to that side.
Kick the hooked leg back and swing it around to land with that knee on their belly.

IF they connect their near elbow to their knee and you are having trouble establiching knee on belly

THEN step behind their butt with your far leg and drop that knee in between the back of their knees. This will staple their bottom leg and have them facing away from you. Continue to lean down heavily on their hips as you grab their far lapel with your bottom hand. Lean back, pulling them toward you with this grip as you roll them towards you to establish side control.

Open guard, passing »