Top 3 Guard Players to Study in Jiu Jitsu (2024)
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Guard Top·Nate Markham
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Guard Top
Familyガードトップ(Gādo Toppu)
Translation: Guard top
Overview
The Guard Top family within the Guard Group covers the techniques and strategies for the top player when trapped inside an opponent's guard — maintaining posture, controlling grips, and working to break the guard open for passing. [1] This family addresses the fundamental challenge of being inside closed guard: the guard player has broken your posture, controls your collar and sleeves, and threatens with armbars, triangles, and sweeps. [1],[2] The top player's survival and advancement depend on maintaining an upright posture, fighting grips, and systematically working to open the guard through standing or kneeling guard breaks. [2],[3]
Guard Top PositionTop of GuardInside Guard
History & Origin
Effectiveness
Lineage
Competition Record
Images
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Biomechanical Mechanism
Primary Action — Maintaining upright posture inside the opponent's guard to prevent submissions and sweeps while working to break the guard open
Joints Involved — Spine (maintaining straight-back posture is critical — broken posture enables guard player's attacks), hips (base — wide hip placement resists sweeps), hands (grip fighting to strip the guard player's controlling grips)
Force Vector — Upward and backward — posturing up creates distance from the guard player's pulling force; this neutralises collar chokes, armbar setups, and triangle entries
Control Mechanic — The top player controls the exchange through posture — head up, back straight, hands on the opponent's hips or biceps; this posture prevents the guard player from loading submissions
Position & Entry
From takedown — After a successful double leg, land inside the opponent's closed guard and immediately posture up with hands on their hips [1]
From opponent's guard pull — When the opponent pulls guard, posture up before they can establish deep grips
From failed submission defence — After defending a triangle or armbar attempt from bottom, re-establish posture in the guard
Videos
1 video
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Ratings
Risk of injury to the person this technique is applied to
4
Moderate4/10
Inside guard exposes the top player to triangles, armbars, guillotines, sweeps; poor posture is very dangerous
Skill level needed to execute this technique reliably
Beginner
Whether this technique is allowed under major competition rule sets
Restricted
— IJF — Guard pulling penalized as non-combativity — ground...
IJF Sport and Organisation Rules 2025, Article 27PDFLegal
— IBJJF — Legal — guard is fundamental to BJJ, sweeps from ...
IBJJF Rules Book v6.0, June 2024PDF— ADCC — Legal, guard pull penalized -1 point in points por...
ADCC Rules Update, April 2025PDF— Unified MMA — Legal — no penalty for playing guard
Unified Rules of MMA, August 2025PDF— FIAS Sport Sambo — Legal
FIAS International Sambo Competition RulesPDFTraining Notes
✓Posture is survival — inside closed guard, keep back straight, head up, hands on hips; broken posture = getting submitted (Ribeiro, 2008) [1]
✓Learn to stand up in closed guard — the most fundamental guard-breaking method
✓Strip grips proactively — every grip the guard player establishes is a potential attack setup
✓In MMA, posture up for ground-and-pound — create distance and strike downward [2]
✓Guard breaking before passing — don't try to pass a locked closed guard; break it first
Common Mistakes
!Broken posture inside closed guard — leaning forward with head down enables all of the guard player's attacks
!Hands on the mat — gives guard player wrist control; keep hands on their body
!Trying to pass from inside closed guard — the guard must be opened first
!Ignoring grips — allowing deep collar grips enables the guard player's entire offence
!Lying flat on the guard player — creates a position where the guard player has all the initiative
Related Techniques
Counter Techniques
Setup Chain
1Establish Posture — sit upright with straight back
2Grip Fight — strip guard player's grips
3Break Guard — stand up or knee-through to open guard
4Initiate Pass — choose passing approach
5Consolidate — establish side control with crossface and underhook
Sources & References
Primary Source
Jiu-Jitsu University (Saulo Ribeiro, 2008)
1BookJiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
Description sources — [1] Jiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008) [2] Mastering Jujitsu (Gracie & Danaher, 2003)
2BookMastering Jujitsu (Gracie & Danaher, 2003)
3CitationJiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
Description sources — [1] Jiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008) [2] Mastering Jujitsu (Gracie & Danaher, 2003)
4CitationMastering Jujitsu (Gracie & Danaher, 2003)
Community
Athletics
Requires
postural strength, grip strength, base stability
Favours
heavy bodyweight, long arms, strong core
Key muscles
erector spinae, forearms, quadriceps, core
Sub-techniques
Notes
Guard top — the position of the fighter inside the opponent's guard — requires passing to advance. In MMA, guard top allows ground-and-pound strikes but in pure grappling, the guard top player must pass or risk being swept or submitted. (Ribeiro, Jiu-Jitsu University; MMA training manuals)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I defend my legs when my opponent goes for a footlock or aoki grip?
One effective defensive option is to immediately spin to the K guard on the side of the leg being attacked. This transition helps you escape the grip before your opponent can establish control.
What guard variations are most useful for leg lock defense?
Shallow K guard variations are effective setups for defending legs, and pairing them with guard retention fundamentals gives you reliable options to stay safe while your opponent is actively hunting for leg locks.
How does the Guard Top work?
The Guard Top family within the Guard Group covers the techniques and strategies for the top player when trapped inside an opponent's guard — maintaining posture, controlling grips, and working to break the guard open for passing. This family addresses the fundamental challenge of being inside closed guard: the guard player has broken your posture, controls your collar and sleeves, and threatens with armbars, triangles, and sweeps.
Where does the Guard Top come from?
Guard top strategy developed as a response to the Gracie family's guard innovations — once the guard became offensively viable, top players needed systematic approaches to survive and advance.
Is the Guard Top legal in competition?
IBJJF: legal — Legal — guard is fundamental to BJJ, sweeps from guard score 2 points; IJF: restricted — Guard pulling penalized as non-combativity — groundwork from guard permitted …; ADCC: legal — Legal, guard pull penalized -1 point in points portion; Unified MMA: legal — Legal — no penalty for playing guard; FIAS Sport Sambo: legal — Legal
How dangerous is the Guard Top?
Danger rating 4/10. Moderate — inside guard exposes the top player to triangles, armbars, guillotines, sweeps; poor posture is very dangerous
How do I set up the Guard Top?
The standard setup chain: Establish Posture → Grip Fight → Break Guard → Initiate Pass → Consolidate.
How do I defend against the Guard Top?
Standard counters include: Posture Break — pulling head down to set up attacks / Sweep — reversing position from guard / Submission — triangles, armbars, guillotines / Guard Retention — re-establishing guard when nearly passed.
What are the variants of the Guard Top?
Common variants: Closed guard top (posture management) (maintaining upright posture inside locked guard [1]); Open guard top (standing) (standing in front of open guard to initiate passes); Open guard top (kneeling) (kneeling position for pressure-based passing); Half guard top (top position with one leg trapped in half guard).
How effective is the Guard Top in competition?
Guard top work is scored indirectly through guard passes (3 points). In MMA, ground control time from guard top is a major judging metric.
What are common mistakes when doing the Guard Top?
Top errors to watch for: Broken posture inside closed guard — leaning forward with head down enables all of the guard player's attacks / Hands on the mat — gives guard player wrist control; keep hands on their body / Trying to pass from inside closed guard — the guard must be opened first / Ignoring grips — allowing deep collar grips enables the guard player's entire offence.
What are other names for the Guard Top?
The Guard Top is also known as Gādo Toppu, Guard Top Position, Top of Guard, Inside Guard.