This week we will be starting a new topic in our Jiu-Jitsu class, the spider guard! The guard is what made Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu famous in the 90’s when Royce Gracie won the first UFC defeating many of his opponents off of his back, Prior to Royce shocking the world with the effectiveness of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu martial arts instructors would never dare try to win a fight on the ground let alone off of their back but after Royce mma was changed forever and now every MMA fighter knows if they do not have an effective guard the fight will be over before it even starts.
Since the early days of Jiu-Jitsu in the UFC a lot has changed and Jiu-Jitsu has evolved to include several styles of guards, each with advantages and disadvantages depending on where you are using your Jiu-Jitsu. However, one thing is true, if you don’t know what to do inside somebodies guard you can very easily find yourself getting swept or submitted. This morning we began our study of the spider guard discussing and drilling our gripping and movement to understand where we want to be in the position and what you are looking for to either prevent the pass or work to sweep. In Jiu-Jitsu position always comes first, once we understood the position we could begin to work our offense, in this case sweeps. Don’t skip class this week or you might find yourself getting swept!