If you’re one of those people who have to bend their head every time they pass through an open door, you must be wondering how you can use your height to your advantage in BJJ. Unlike other sports like boxing where being a little squatter can work wonders for you, with Mike Tyson being a shining example, BJJ favors the tall and lanky.
The top 5 guard passes for tall people are:
- Closed Guard Pass
- Behind The Back Guard Pass
- Butterfly Guard Pass
- Body Lock Guard Pass
- Slick Tripod Guard Pass
But towering over your opponent is not always an advantage. Even if you use one of those guard passes, without knowing how to use your height properly, your takedown might not go according to plan. For tall people, using the top grip as opposed to holding on to the sleeve or lapel is the preferred and most effective grip. So how do you go about executing each one of those and getting a win on the mat? That’s what this article is here to answer.
Closed Guard Pass
The beauty of the Closed Guard is that it works best for tall people. Now being taller than your opponent entails you have longer arms. And that’s the secret we’d like to share here. If you have long arms, and you’re playing Closed Guard from the top, then you can use those powerful arms to limit your opponent’s movement and crack an opening in their armor. Here’s how to do that.
You’re on top so the first thing to go for is to aim for the rival’s arms. Their biceps will be on the ground at the start of this position so grab each one with a hand and pin them to the floor. This has the added advantage of limiting the opponent’s movement as well as launching your attack against their defenses.
Lean on your arms and readjust your position sliding your knee under the opponent’s buttocks. This gives you a better balance and prepares you for your next move. Notice how your long arms allow you to keep the body of the adversary pinned down while you have more room to maneuver and shift your body weight. Shorter arms will make your movements clunky and awkward at best.
One of BJJ best known champs, Fabiano Scherner, favors this position because from that starting point he raises himself into the tripod base. He uses his knee to which is still jammed into the opponent’s guard to make the breakthrough. Now all you have to do is sit back down, forcing your knee even further and slicing that guard wide open. You got your knee between the opponent’s knees and your path is now clear.
Behind The Back Guard Pass
The Behind The Back Guard pass starts with you on top the same way Closed Guard does. Your opponent is on his back and again you go for the biceps. Once you get those secured, you use your head to apply more pressure. Lock your head into the opponent’s chest to have full control over their movement. In this position, the rival can hardly use their body nor arms as a defense. All they can do now is wait for you to make your next move.
The next variation is really important and the taller you are the better you can execute it. Use your head and arms to spring your body up into a wide base. The idea is to cradle your opponent’s body into your own arms before you launch your offensive. To achieve that, slide one arm under their body trying to reach for your other hand. Nudge their body over to help you get them in the position you aim for.
Again long arms work best in getting this technique right. To wrap one arm all the way under the rival’s body you need a really lanky arm. Now with the opponent secure in your arms, it’s time for your knee to work its way between the crouched opponent’s knees. This opens the guard and you can now push their leg to the ground and get you in position for the perfect triangle. From there you can see your way clear to securing the head and arm of the opponent. And it all started with long arms making their way around the opponent’s body.
Butterfly Guard Pass
The Butterfly Guard is a popular technique of guard passes that players learn to master at an early stage of their practice. It’s not an exceptionally difficult one to learn or get good at. But if you are tall you can use your height to add a variation to this technique to make it even more effective. Here’s how you can achieve this.
The usual way players opt for is to keep their heads next to the opponent’s chest on the floor before they make their move and jump over the rival’s hooks. While this is the normal way, it doesn’t mean it’s the most effective. So how can you improve on that? It’s simple. Place your head on the adversary’s chest instead of next to their chest. Why is that effective?
Well, it keeps the opponent wondering which way you’re going to pass. By staying over the rival’s body, you can choose to go either way when you jump over their hooks. You’re keeping your cards close to your chest and not tipping your hand early on. Compare that to placing your head on the mat. This gives away your whole strategy and your opponent can read the next few moves you’ll make and prepare themselves for your assault.
One of the beauties of BJJ is that the more you practice and the deeper you dive in the techniques, the more interesting variations you can come up that give you an advantage over the opponent. Sometimes a simple shift or modification goes a long way into breaking the opponent’s defenses and securing your victory.
Body Lock Guard Pass
One of the problems that white belts and even blue belts grapple with when it comes to guard passes is the leg locking entanglement. Your legs get trapped between the opponent’s and you just don’t know where to go from there. It’s a problem that is exacerbated by a lack of imagination on top of poor techniques. So what can you do about that especially when you have a few inches over your opponent?
When playing the Body Lock Guard pass, it helps to focus on the grip. Your long arms mean you cover a lot of territory and no matter where the adversary hides their limbs, you can reach them. Your grip technique could be a palm to palm or just go for all fingers. Wrists also work if you can get a really tight grip on them. Your next move is to use your head on their shoulder.
Don’t go for the near shoulder. Your guard pass should always focus on the other side. The one the opponent least expects or is prepared to defend. So readjust your base using your head for balance and make your way between the rival’s knees controlling them at the same time.
Needless to say, it takes a lot of practice to get this one down. If your opponent gets a whiff of where you’re going with this, they would clamp down and shut that door in your face. And as with every variation, experiment with it until you find what works with you. Long limbs here certainly give you a better advantage.
Slick Tripod Pass
This technique works well against the Half Guard. As we all know, this is one of the toughest guards to pass. Even a mediocre player who knows what they’re doing can make your life difficult with this one. So as a lanky player, how do you crack this one?
Use your height and your imagination to get around the stubborn opponent and find an opening that you can exploit. Easier said than done, you say. Well, not if you focus on the knee shield and slyly get a grip on the other leg. With the gi securely in your hand, use your other hand on the collar. Those two grips allow you to rise to your feet while using your head to keep the opponent down. Your body is in a tripod shape.
You now have access to the opponent’s leg. Press it down to the mat with your own leg and move your arm to the side of the opponent. Your head maintains its pressure at all times to prevent the opponent from blocking your offensive.