by S.D. Seong • September 2003
G
rapplers call it the “guard.” It occurs whenever one person lies on his back and gains control over his opponent by putting him between his legs. The bottom person’s legs may or may not be locked together at the ankles.You have probably seen fi ghters use the guard in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Japan’s PRIDE and Pancrase extravaganzas, as well as here in the pages of Black Belt. But if you have not trained extensively in grappling, you may have been left wondering how two participants can go about attacking and defending from this strange position in which most hand and foot strikes fail to function.
Defending Yourself
As a grappler, you probably shouldn’t plan on maneuvering into the guard to attack your foe. But if a quick opponent manages to shoot in and take you down, you should not mind being on bottom temporarily. For this reason, the guard is often classifi ed as a defensive posture.
That does not mean your opponent cannot attempt to attack while you hold him between your legs, however. In fact, he may try any number of techniques, and some of them may succeed if you are not prepared.
Perhaps the fi rst thought of an opponent caught in your guard involves grabbing your groin. After all, everything is right there, a mere couple of inches from his itchy fi ngers. A bit too inviting, perhaps? You bet, because once your opponent diverts his attention from his defense to your groin, you can easily trap an arm for an armbar or other fi nishing technique.
The next most common attack is probably the downward punch to the face. You should prepare yourself for this possibility by keeping your head off the ground. That increases mobility and, if you do get punched, results in an impact with considerably less force than if you had kept your head against the ground. But as soon as the attacker commits himself to a punch, he once again exposes his arm, which can easily end up getting broken or wrenched out of its socket.
While held close to your chest, your opponent may try to throw a series of short hook punches to the side of your head. Because the power of his hips and shoulders cannot be used to amplify the power of his striking arm,
these hits will serve mostly to distract you. Nevertheless, they can infl ict some damage—just look at Royce Gracie’s head after the UFC 5.
Another attack consists of your closely held opponent sliding forward along your body to deliver a head butt to the bottom of your chin. You may have seen Ken Shamrock use this technique against Gracie in their superfi ght at the UFC 5. The head butt can defi nitely take its toll on your jaw, but you can easily block it with your hand or avoid it by turning your head to either side.
Clear for Attack
Fighting offensively with your opponent in your guard works well because you have four weapons—two arms and two legs—while he has only two. And you can play a waiting game until he tires out and becomes vulnerable, or until he tries something and gives you an opening for a fi nishing technique.
Two attacks are common: If he allows you to trap one of his arms, you may be able to catch him in a triangle choke. If he places one arm on the ground near your torso, you can grasp it at the wrist, twist your body and encircle his upper arm with your other arm, which results in what Brazil-ian-jujutsu practitioners call a kimura.
The additional offensive techniques discussed below come from the
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As Gokor Chivichyan (left) holds Karo Parisyan in his open guard (1), the opponent tries to stand (2).
Chivichyan hooks the opponent’s left ankle with his right hand, pushes him backward with his left leg (3) and sits up to secure his hold on the leg (4). Chivichyan then wraps his right arm around the ankle and leans backward to twist the foot to the outside (5).
arsenal of Gokor Chivichyan, a 39-year-old grappling expert originally from Armenia. Chivichyan started training in combat sambo at age 5 and later took up judo, Western boxing and shotokan karate. He became the bare-knuckle combat-sambo champion of the Soviet Union fi ve times, judo champion of Europe two times and sport-sambo champion of the world two times.
Chivichyan now operates the Hayastan Dojo in Hollywood, California, and has trained one of the most successful judo teams in the United States.
Not content merely to coach martial artists, the Black Belt Hall of Fame member recently brought home two gold medals in judo from the Pacifi c Northwest World Festival. He offers the following proven techniques as a complement to your basic grappling skills.
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Chivichyan holds Sarkis Chivitchian in his open guard (1).
The opponent moves his right leg in preparation to escape, and Chivichyan inserts his left leg between his legs (2). He then pushes the opponent to the side as he places his left calf in the crook of his left knee (3). Next, Chivichyan sits up and forces the other man down (4). He hooks his left foot behind his own right knee and pulls the opponent’s lower leg to apply the lock (5).
Ankle Twist
As you keep your opponent in your guard, he may try to escape by standing up. Whether he manages to plant two feet or only one, a basic ankle twist can quickly bring him back down to the mat and elicit a break or submission.
“Most people will stand up and push down with their elbows to try to pass the guard,” Chivichyan says. As your opponent pushes against your stomach to raise himself, trap his hands or elbows.
“Then circle your right arm around his left heel and pull it toward your armpit,” Chivichyan says. At the same time, move your left leg onto his
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5 As Rufi Keshishyan (right) tries to pass Chivichyan’s
guard, Chivichyan grabs his left collar with his left hand (1). He then reaches for the other side of the collar to complete the cross-lapel choke (2). How-ever, the opponent keeps it out of reach. Chivichyan immediately shifts his body and pulls the other man’s right arm to the side (3). He places his right leg over the opponent’s head and shoulder (4) and pulls the collar as he pushes with his legs (5).
torso and use it to push him backward and down.
“Make sure his heel is [against] your rib cage,” Chivichyan continues.
The intense pressure of the lock comes from twisting the trapped foot with your right forearm. Once he is on his back, hit him with a heel kick to the
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While held in the open guard, Arthur Chivichyan prepares to punch Gokor (1). The sambo instructor places his right knee across the boy’s chest to create space (2), then uses his left hand to trap the boy’s right wrist and places his right forearm against the right side of his neck (3). Next, he shifts the opponent’s right arm across his body and pins him close (4). The senior Chivichyan circles his left arm behind the opponent’s head and grasps his right wrist to complete the choke (5).
chest or face, but the pressure from twisting his foot should prove more than enough to stop him.
Leg Lock
A simple leg lock can come into play when your opponent is in your guard and tries to push one of your legs down so he can pass over it and mount you. Grab his uniform so you can control his body, then slip your left leg past his right knee and lock it around his left knee. At the same time, hold his right arm at the biceps so he cannot punch you.
“Use your right knee to push his left arm away from its position on your thigh,” Chivichyan says. “Then push his left arm across [your body] and to the fl oor. Use your left arm to go over his back, lock your left foot behind your right knee and pull on his left foot.” This applies severe pressure to his knee using a fi gure-4 leg position.
Lapel Choke
If your opponent happens to be wearing a sturdy article of cloth-ing—such as a uniform or jacket—two simple chokes may work against him. First is the basic cross-lapel choke: Put one hand across his neck, then slide it in deep and grab the collar—the farther back, the better. Your other hand reaches toward the opposite side of his neck, passing over the arm of your planted hand, and grasps the collar on the opposite side. Apply pressure on the arteries in his neck by keeping your wrists straight and moving your elbows away from each other.
Yet a skilled opponent can easily prevent you from reaching the second collar, Chivichyan says. “In that case, do the technique holding onto his arm, and he won’t know what you are doing.” After trapping his right wrist, shift the arm across his neck. You now have choking surfaces on both sides of his neck: your forearm on the left side and his own right arm on the right.
Next, place your right leg over his head and push. Pull on his trapped right arm for added effect.
Carotid Attack
The next technique closes off the carotid arteries on the sides of your opponent’s neck. Start by putting your knee on his chest, then extend your right hand across his body and grasp his right shoulder. “At the same time, your left hand holds his right wrist,” Chivichyan says. “Then move your knee away from his chest—you don’t need it there because you’re no longer
concerned about getting punched.” This action will allow his body to lie directly on top of yours.
You now have him locked close so he cannot move. Use your left hand to circle his neck and grab his right wrist. Then lock your right hand over your left forearm or on his shoulder. That action constricts the arteries on both sides of his neck.
Precise placement of your arms is not as critical as in some other tech-niques. “There’s no need to worry if his chin is down because you don’t choke him there,” Chivichyan says. “You are cutting off the blood going through the carotid arteries on the side.
“Even if you don’t have a uniform on, it works 100 percent. Without a uniform, you can grab his neck and hold your own arm.”
Arm Lock
If your opponent tries to strike you while in your guard, you can easily take advantage of the extended limb. “When a punch comes in, block it and trap his elbow,” Chivichyan says. Once restrained, that elbow lends itself to several types of locks, one of which—the rolling-elbow lock—is described below.
Not surprisingly, the key lies in “rolling” your opponent’s elbow. As you extend your arm past the elbow of his trapped arm, you must “scrape” it along the joint to rotate it until the crook faces the direction in which you want to apply pressure—and keep it there. Otherwise, you will not be able to prevent him from bending his arm and escaping.
Once his elbow is rolled and locked, lock your left hand on your right forearm or right thigh to increase the pressure. “You don’t have to grab anything,” Chivichyan says. “You just push his chin away and squeeze his body between your knees.” His arm is trapped and locked, and his body is prevented from twisting and escaping.
Softening Him Up
If your opponent seems to have too much balance and defensive compo-sure for your chokes and locks to succeed from your bottom position, you can always try one of the four distraction tactics frequently seen in the UFC:
short chopping heel strikes to the kidney areas, repeated punches to the fl oating ribs, palm strikes to the side of the head or ears, or elbow smashes to the collarbone. These may encourage your opponent to direct some of his attention to protecting those irritated parts of his body—perhaps just long enough for you to complete a fi nishing technique.
Of course, he can always treat you to some of the same medicine—or to some of that described at the beginning of this article. But if you have conditioned your body well enough and have learned how to take a hit, you should be able to weather this relatively minor storm. And if you have practiced your grappling techniques for fi ghting on your back, you will be able to wait for the right moment and slap on just the right choke, leg lock or arm lock to win the confrontation.
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5 As Parisyan punches, Chivichyan places his right
knee on his chest to keep him away (1-2). He then blocks the strike with his left arm (3) and uses that arm to “roll” the opponent’s elbow counterclockwise and trap it (4). Next, Chivichyan locks his left hand on his right thigh and uses his right hand to push the opponent’s head away, thus increasing the pressure on the elbow (5).