Anyway, there are some very nice guard passes in there, as well as some good general rules. JJ Machado seems to be big on double underhook guard passes, where both arms are outside the legs. You hoist the guy up, stacking him somewhat, and pick a side to pass. Throw/roll his hips out of the way and move into side control.
JJ refers to this type of guard pass as "very common, effective and safe." Which means that I need to include it.
The other "common" guard pass JJ mentions is what I'll call the "underhook and push" method. JJ describes it as "a very effective and contemporary method of passing the guard is to underhook one arm inside the opponent's arm and push the opposite leg down and pass over that side. The underhook keeps the opponent's shoulder flat on the ground, giving the passer significant control."
Of course, the thing to be wary of with this pass is the triangle choke. To avoid the triangle when doing this pass:
Once you've got the "other leg" controlled, you want to pass with your inside knee. The underhook prevents you from being able to do the "backstep."
The last method I'll mention here is what JJ calls the "traditional one-arm-under" method. He says:
The traditional one-arm-under method of passing the guard is very solid and precise. Your one arm under the leg grabs the belt and controls the opponent's hips, keeping him from moving away from you. You have the option of passing to that side and around the leg by stacking the opponent on his head, or should he block that sidee, you can simply pass to the inside as you slide your knee over his other leg, which is down on the mat.
If I can find pics of these passes, then I'll put them in a separate post and provide the appropriate links.
I feel as if I've got a lot to learn. I've been working extra hard on my guard game over the past month or so, and I've developed a halfway decent omoplata attack from the closed guard. I've also been trying to work out escapes from side control (or guard replacements, if your prefer). I found a nice one in JJ's book while doing laundry this morning. But some pass-the-guard drills on Saturday suggested that I still don't really have a technically sound approach to the guard. I'm really still at a push-and-shove level, and not applying technique consistently.
I know I need to concentrate more on the passes I know well--the Saulo Ribeiro pass and Rodrigo's standing guard pass. There's also the point about the knee. But I'm hoping that having a bunch of guard passes to refer to will help me focus on the commonalities that are important to remember whenever you are trying to defeat the guard.
