Guard Without Arms
Mat mode
5:00
Tell the roomTop passes with the hands clasped behind the back.
Show full gameHide full gameRules · how to win · coach notes
TOP PLAYER
POSITION
Standing an arm’s length away, no contact. Hands clasped behind the back.
OBJECTIVE
Pass using hips, shoulders, and knee placement only.
CONSTRAINTS
Hands stay clasped. No submissions. Passing happens without using the hands on the partner. Reset when the top player holds the 3-second pin, or when the bottom player survives the round with legs between the passer and the torso. Default 5-6 min rounds.
WIN CONDITION
Side control or knee on belly, hands still clasped, held for 3 seconds.
BOTTOM PLAYER
POSITION
Supine, feet toward the top player, knees bent. Arms stay on the mat.
OBJECTIVE
Keep the guard with hips and legs only.
CONSTRAINTS
Arms stay on the mat (post and switch sides; no pushing or framing on the partner). No closed guard (may not lock the ankles). No submissions. Same named reset and 5-6 min rounds.
WIN CONDITION
Survive the round with legs between the passer and the torso.
Grapplers Collective, Guard Without Arms.
Problem
Hip-based guard retention and body-based passing without arm techniques.
Tell the room
Top passes with the hands clasped behind the back. Bottom keeps the guard with hips and legs only, arms on the mat. The top pin must hold for 3 seconds.
Setup
Start standing at arm's length. Bottom supine, feet toward the top player, knees bent. Top standing an arm length away, no contact.
Score
Hold the pin for 3 seconds.
- Top — side control or knee on belly, hands still clasped
- Bottom — survives the round with legs between the passer and the torso
Rules
- Top hands stay clasped. Passing happens with hips, shoulders, and knee placement only.
- Bottom arms stay on the mat. Post and switch sides; no pushing or framing on the partner.
- No closed guard. The bottom player may not lock the ankles.
- No submissions. Positional retention only.
Adjust
Easier
Top announces the direction before each pass, and the bottom player starts with feet on the hips.
Harder
Give both players full arm use — grips and leg clearing on top, frames and sweeps below.
If it stalls
If the bottom player scoots away instead of repummeling, shrink the mat to 3m x 3m.
guard