What does everybody here think about the closed guard in a streetfight? What do you guys do to avoid punches when you have someone in your closed guard out on the streets? I've personally never had a streetfight where I had to fight someone from closed guard. I think you all agree that the closed guard is a versatile but dangerous position to be in out on the streets, but what if you had to fight from it? In my gym where I train bjj there is a lot of emphasis on the closed guard (as in every bjj school) but we hardly ever see what to do when you have someone in your closed guard out on the streets who isn't trying to pass your guard but who is trying to punch your face into a bloody pulp. What do you guys think you should do when you have someone in your closed guard out on the streets? I personally think that is a problem very common in modern bjj schools, the emphasis is highly on sport jiu-jitsu and/or vale tudo and less on self defence on the streets. Offcourse sport jiu-jitsu is usefull on the streets, but jumping to closed guard on the streets for example isn't the smartest thing to do whereas in spot competion this can be an advantage if your guard is good. I personally think that when you have someone in your closed guard on the streets you constantly have to keep moving and changing your position using your hips. Never lay flat on your back completely still! Keep your opponent really really close and underhook or overhook one or both arms. Then try to sweep or attack the opponent, wich isn't very difficult on the streets as they propably don't know what to do and are propably wildly flinging their arms so that a sweep/triangle/armlock or another attack is never far away. Offcourse the attacks are harder to perform because you also have to keep attention to the punches of your opponent. Then another thing, I personally believe that a lot of the gi chokes can be used on the streets when using your opponents sweater, jacket or even his t-shirt. I'm not sure though that the classical choke from closed guard is usefull on the streets as I think it leaves you open for punches. Offcourse when you bring your opponent real close to perform the choke it is hard to hit you... What do you guys think about 'gi chokes' out on the streets? I also believe that training with the gi is a better way of preparing yourself for the streets than training without the gi. Because in a street situation you'll propably be wearing some sort of clothes and your enemy propably to. Do you guys agree with that? I'm not saying that I know it best, I just wanted some other peoples opinions on this matter.
