BJJ guard positions for beginners are some of the most useful things you can learn in your first year of jiu-jitsu. In Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the guard is more than a way to defend yourself from your back. It is how you control your opponent, set up attacks, and turn a bad moment into a good one.
At Brazil 021 Chicago, we teach guard with a focus on technique, strategy, and timing so every student can improve, whatever their size or athletic background. Here are the five guards we think every beginner should know, in roughly the order most students learn them.
Why Guard Matters in Jiu-Jitsu
A good guard lets you defend, control, and attack. The best guards work for different body types and stay useful at every level. Guard is also where many beginners spend a lot of their early rolls, so a solid guard makes training safer and more fun from day one. In our Jiu-Jitsu Fundamentals class, closed guard and half guard are among the first positions new students practice.
5 Essential BJJ Guard Positions for Beginners
1. Closed Guard
Closed guard is usually the first guard students learn. You wrap your legs around your opponent’s waist, cross your ankles, and keep them close.
- Why it matters: It helps smaller people control larger opponents and keeps you safer from strikes in a self-defense situation. (For more on that, see our post on whether jiu-jitsu is good for self-defense.)
- Common attacks: Armbars, triangles, and sweeps.
- How we teach it: Breaking posture, controlling the arms, and moving smoothly into attacks.
2. Half Guard
Half guard happens when you trap one of your opponent’s legs between yours.
- Why it matters: It works for both defense and offense. You can recover full guard or launch strong sweeps.
- Common attacks: Old school sweeps, kimuras, chokes, and back takes.
- How we teach it: Fighting for the underhook and the knee shield, then building toward offensive half guard ideas like deep half and Z guard.
3. Spider Guard
Spider guard uses sleeve grips with your feet on your opponent’s arms or hips to control distance.
- Why it matters: It is excellent for managing space and setting up sweeps, and it suits students with long legs especially well.
- Common attacks: Sweeps, triangles, and omoplatas.
- How we teach it: Using grips and hip movement to keep opponents off balance and open the way to submissions.
4. De La Riva Guard
In De La Riva guard, you hook one of your opponent’s legs with your leg while controlling their ankle.
- Why it matters: It is key for sweeping and attacking opponents who stand up to pass.
- Common attacks: Sweeps, back takes, and transitions into modern guards like the berimbolo.
- How we teach it: Keeping strong hooks, controlling balance, and flowing into other positions.
5. X Guard
In X guard, you get underneath your opponent and use your legs in an X shape to lift and off-balance them.
- Why it matters: It is excellent for sweeps because it takes away your opponent’s base.
- Common attacks: Technical sweeps, single leg X transitions, and leg locks, which are best learned under close supervision.
- How we teach it: Safe entries, control mechanics, and elevation for consistent sweeps.
Other Guards Worth Learning Later
Jiu-jitsu keeps evolving. Butterfly guard, lasso guard, turtle, and 50/50 are also valuable. We encourage students to explore different guards over time and build a style that fits their body and game. If you want extra help with one guard, private BJJ lessons in Chicago with a black belt are a focused way to work on it.
Guard Positions in Gi and No-Gi
Some guards depend on the uniform. Spider guard and lasso guard rely on sleeve grips, so they are gi guards. Closed guard, half guard, butterfly guard, and X guard carry over well to training without the gi. If you are deciding between the two, our post on gi vs no-gi jiu-jitsu differences explains how each style feels, and our no-gi jiu-jitsu classes are a good place to test your guard without grips.
How We Teach Guard at Brazil 021
- Step-by-step instruction so each technique is clear and easy to follow
- Structured classes that build from basic guard retention to advanced attacks
- Realistic sparring drills so you practice your guard under pressure
- Supportive training partners who help you improve in a safe, respectful room
FAQ: BJJ Guard Positions for Beginners
What guard should a BJJ beginner learn first?
Closed guard. It teaches posture control, basic sweeps, and submissions, and it gives you a safe home base on the bottom.
How many guards do I need to know as a white belt?
Not many. A solid closed guard and half guard will carry you a long way. Add open guards like spider, De La Riva, and X guard once those feel comfortable.
Build Your Guard Game
The fastest way to improve your guard is to practice it with good coaching and good partners. Book a free trial class and start building your guard with us.
