The guard

[straightblast]

With the evolution of MMA how effective is the guard compared to 15 years ago when you were fairly safe in that position. I see more fighters stay inside someones guard and smash the bottom person.

[Liver Punch]

I think the guard is in the same place exactly as 15 years ago: against people who don't train it, you can close it and attack off your back safely and effectively.

Against people who do train it, you can use it to avoid punishment until you can move yourself to a more advantageous position.

When the first UFC happened, it wasn't the first time the guard had been used - just the first time that the masses had seen it being used against fighters from other arts on PPV. Against game opponents, you will probably see a lot more active guard, use of modified guards and open guards, but against laymen...it's the same old story.

[pittbullJudoka]

The guard is a tricky place to be. To keep from being smashed you have to have a sence of ergency to make something happen. Also you have to train how to defend strikes from your back it not as easy as some would like to think but it defenately not some place I would want to hang out.

[tallgeese]

The guard now HAS to be active in a sd setting or mma setting. Hanging out and waiting is off the table due to everyone now cross training. LP is right on how it works against the untrained individual however, all things work better against those who aren't prepared for them.

Active can take a lot of definitions based on what your setting is. But moving to a superior position or ending the fight is always preferable. Working the hips for angles or to break posture to prevent being struck is critical. One plus to the position is that you do have control, to a degree, over the hips of your opponent. This certainly gives you options.

One question you have to ask is this: If I remove the guard from my sd arsenal, then what are my other options when bad guys tackles me and starts ending up on top? Ending up on the bottom of mount? Rolling to my stomach and letting him hit me in the back of the head? Ineffectually strike from a position of non-dominance?

If the last few options sound bad, it's because we all know they are. The guard gives us an option to prevent all of those TO A DEGREE. No tactic is perfect. But it's infinitely better than most of the options.

[Drew]

I think we are about to see an upsurge in the popularity of the guard. As, erm, quirky as Eddie Bravo is, he is really pushing this rubber guard thing, and the fighters I see actively use it often dominate their opponent.

Thing is, I don't often see people use it. It will catch on though. I have had great success with it myself. You keep your guy so close he can't hit you, can't even think with all of the submissions you are able to chain from that position. If they fail, you often end up on top anyway, so who cares?

It really seems to bypass many (though definitely not all) of the problems with the current usage of guard in pro MMA.

[Groinstrike]

I think we are about to see an upsurge in the popularity of the guard. As, erm, quirky as Eddie Bravo is, he is really pushing this rubber guard thing, and the fighters I see actively use it often dominate their opponent.

Thing is, I don't often see people use it. It will catch on though. I have had great success with it myself. You keep your guy so close he can't hit you, can't even think with all of the submissions you are able to chain from that position. If they fail, you often end up on top anyway, so who cares?

It really seems to bypass many (though definitely not all) of the problems with the current usage of guard in pro MMA.

I personally disagree, i have seen very little recent success with the rubber guard in high level mma recently. It seems to me the a good top position wrestler is going to blow right through it. I could be wrong, but i don't remember seeing a fighter either submit or sweep an opponent from the rubber guard in any recent high profile fights.

Im not saying that their is not a use for the rubber guard, i just think that there is slightly to much faith being put into it. IMHO

That being said, and this being the combative forum, i must say that the guard is not a good place to be combatively. It should be viewed as a transitional position only, GET UP or hit a sweep and GET ON TOP.

[Drew]

Sotiropolous vs Stevenson

Ben Saunders vs Santos

Shinya Aoki vs Akira Kikuchi

These are just a few example of elite MMA fighters using rubber guard to significant effect, and there are many more.

Good point about any guard being less than optimal in a combative situation though, that point was right on.

[barrypardue]

If your guard is strong then it is still hard to get out of

[ps1]

The only thing that's really changed is the awareness that the guard can be a dangerous place for the guy on top as well as the guy on bottom. In the past, the guy on top thought that nothing bad could happen and kept getting caught in chokes and armbars. Now they know better. Ground and Pound specialists make defending submissions in the guard a huge part of their training.

Additionally, Royce wore a gi in the old days. This made him a little stickier than they are now because both are without pants or shirt. Very slippery. This is why armbars are so rare from that position now.

[lowereastside]

ps1 says - "Additionally, Royce wore a gi in the old days. This made him a little stickier than they are now because both are without pants or shirt. Very slippery. This is why armbars are so rare from that position now."

Point well taken - It does change the game a bit - also individuals start to know your game - BJJ is not as dominate - still very effective. Just like the Military - weapons are developed and then other weapons are developed to counter.