The hardest attack to defend is the one you don’t see coming. In jiu-jitsu this applies to every position, if we can position ourselves in such a way where we have multiple attack options depending on how our opponent reacts. In BJJ an attack not only refers to submissions but also positional advancement like guard passes and sweeps.
Today in our Team Training class at Crossroads BJJ we discuss how to put ourselves in a position where we have multiple opions to pass the guard from the standing position. Last week we worked standing to break the closed guard, and this week we continue that chain by discussing how to set up a more refined guard passing strategy. Once we stand in the guard the bottom player will immediately begin to try and set up their guard and if we do not begin to neutralize thier attacks we will be put in a position where we are defending instead of working to pass.
In BJJ we must work to shut down attacks before they become a problem. Once we achieve this position where the bottom jiu-jitsu player has limited options we can begin to predict what these reactions will be with a higher rate of success. And if you know the jiu-jitsu players reactions before they do you will be able to make smarter choices, allowing you to beat your opponent with intellect and not strength