Guard Retention
Mat mode
5:00
Tell the roomTop passes to side control, mount, or north-south.
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TOP PLAYER
POSITION
Standing in combat base with hands on the knees.
OBJECTIVE
Pass to side control, mount, or north-south. The pin must hold for 3 seconds.
CONSTRAINTS
No closed guard. Bottom may not lock the ankles. Keep connection with feet and knees. No leg locks. Neither player attacks the legs. Top starts standing. Passing begins from combat base, never from inside the guard. Reset when the top player holds side control, mount, or north-south for 3 seconds; when the bottom player sweeps to top; when the bottom player finishes a submission; or when the bottom player stands up to neutral. 5-6 min rounds.
WIN CONDITION
Side control, mount, or north-south, held for 3 seconds.
BOTTOM PLAYER
POSITION
On their back, feet on the hips, knees bent.
OBJECTIVE
Keep the hips facing the passer and sweep, submit, or stand up.
CONSTRAINTS
Same no-closed-guard, no-leg-lock, combat-base-start, and named reset rules. 5-6 min rounds.
WIN CONDITION
Sweep to top, finish a submission, or stand up to neutral.
In competition
See it in competition: Nicholas Meregali: Passing Highlights →
Grapplers Collective, Guard Retention. 5-6 min rounds.
Problem
Active hip movement and connection maintenance under passing pressure.
Tell the room
Top passes to side control, mount, or north-south. Bottom keeps the hips facing the passer and sweeps, submits, or stands up. The top pin must hold for 3 seconds.
Setup
Start in open guard. Top standing in combat base with hands on the knees. Bottom on their back, feet on the hips, knees bent.
Score
Hold the pass for 3 seconds.
- Top — side control, mount, or north-south
- Bottom — sweeps to top
- Bottom — finishes a submission
- Bottom — stands up to neutral
Rules
- No closed guard. Bottom may not lock the ankles. Keep connection with feet and knees.
- No leg locks. Neither player attacks the legs.
- Top starts standing. Passing begins from combat base, never from inside the guard.
Adjust
Easier
Top passes with chest and hip pressure only — no hands on the legs.
Harder
Allow closed guard and leg locks for both players, and start the top player already inside the guard.
If it stalls
If the bottom player keeps turtling, the passer is too aggressive for the pair — change partners before changing constraints.
guard