I believe everyone who starts training Jiu-Jitsu, at some point, hears the following question from a higher-ranked training partner or from their instructor:
Do you prefer to play on the bottom or on top? Pass the guard or play guard?
Yes. I really think everyone has heard this question, and most beginners still don’t even know how to answer it.
Starting to train Jiu-Jitsu
To assess the situation in front of you and answer the question with confidence, you’ll need time to think it over and also to test yourself in both situations.
One factor that helps with the decision is your body type. This isn’t a rule, but most people who are more flexible prefer to play guard, in other words, to “play” on the bottom. And the less flexible, and usually heavier, ones prefer to pass the guard.
You’re probably saying, “But at my academy there’s a heavy guy who’s flexible and plays guard,” or “I’m light, flexible and I prefer passing the guard.” So don’t forget that I said above this isn’t a rule, it’s just a factor that ends up helping a lot of people decide. But why can this factor be decisive?
Before answering that question, let’s make clear what playing guard means.
What is the guard in Jiu-Jitsu?
In Jiu-Jitsu, our guard is basically played with our legs, and with them we have to stop the opponent from getting past them and crossing the line of our hips. If that happens and the opponent stabilizes the position for three seconds, they score the points for the guard pass, but that’s a topic for a future article.
There are many types of guard we can play, but the first guard we learn is the closed guard.
What to do from closed guard?
From closed guard we have a few options, such as going for a sweep, a submission or even a back take, as I show in the following video:
So why can body type influence our decision to pass the guard or play guard?
A large part of guard movements demands greater flexibility and good mobility. Besides that, not everyone is willing to keep absorbing pressure to avoid getting their guard passed, especially when we’re just starting to learn Jiu-Jitsu.
On the other hand, whoever is playing on top needs a strong base so they don’t get swept, and must also know how to apply pressure to pass the guard and stabilize the position.
Conclusion
Although your physical characteristics are a significant factor, that doesn’t mean your decision should be based on them alone. After all, I bet your academy also has that flexible guy who passes the guard and that big heavy guy who’s always sweeping everyone, right?
Anyway, I could spend hours writing about characteristics to try to help with your decision, but deciding whether you pass the guard or play guard is a tough call. Besides being very personal, it takes training time to put yourself in both situations so you can see where you feel more comfortable and where you struggle more.
My advice is to practice movements in both situations and work through your difficulties with your instructor. That way you can decide what you should study more to develop your Jiu-Jitsu.
Do you have any questions about either situation? Leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to help.
Good training, and don’t forget to only practice these movements under the supervision of a qualified instructor.
Oh, and don’t forget to follow me on social media, share this article with your training partners and sign up for the mailing list to get the next articles!
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