Guard Systems
The seven guard systems in no-gi grappling — closed, half, butterfly, X-guard, De La Riva, shin-shield, and seated. Unifying mechanics, dilemmas, and technique networks for each guard family.
Adapted from InGrappling, Guard Systems. System Games did not invent this curriculum.
A guard system is not a single position — it is a family of related guards, sweeps, submissions, and back-take entries that share a unifying mechanic and resolve through dilemmas. Each system here is a distinct strategic platform with its own decision tree.
A guard system exists when a position generates multiple attack lines that share a mechanical root and create dilemmas with each other. Closed guard's hip-bump-kimura- guillotine-triangle chain is one such system. The X-guard's sweep / leg-lock / back-take branch is another. Half guard's underhook-vs-whizzer exchange is a third. Each one is a web of techniques tied together by a single positional condition.
Each page below names the system's principle, the invariants it expresses, the technique pages that live inside it, the dilemmas it creates, and an ability-level progression. The seven systems together cover the no-gi guard universe — every guard technique on this site lives inside one or more of them.
Locked legs, dense submission webThe Closed Guard System
Legs locked around the opponent's waist as connection. The four-horn dilemma — hip bump, kimura, guillotine, triangle — is the cleanest dilemma chain in grappling.
closed guardconnection eliminates spacethe foot lineCONCEPT-GRD-CLOSED-SYSTEMOne leg trapped, underhook decidesThe Half Guard System
Asymmetric leg trap with the underhook as the central grip-fight. Sweeps, back takes, deep half, and the dog fight transition all flow from the underhook-vs-whizzer exchange.
half guardthe foot linehand posts create offenceCONCEPT-GRD-HALF-SYSTEMBoth hooks in, lift-based sweepingThe Butterfly Guard System
Both feet hooked inside the opponent's thighs as lifting mechanism. Sweeps, the inside heel hook bridge, and the X-guard transition share the same hook configuration.
butterfly guardelbow connectionsheel exposure by positionCONCEPT-GRD-BUTTERFLY-SYSTEMUnder-the-leg hook, three-finish branchThe X-Guard System
Under-the-leg hook configuration for lifting standing opponents. Sweep, single-leg X back-take, and reverse X heel hook all live in the same positional architecture.
X-guardelbow connectionsinside space controlCONCEPT-GRD-X-GUARD-SYSTEMHook around the back of the lead legThe De La Riva System
Single hook around the standing opponent's lead leg. Sweep tree, berimbolo back-take tree, and the bridge to X-guard. RDLR adds the leg-lock branch.