those who use BJJ

You need to have a closed guard before anything. Is it the crossing of your feet that hurts?

If anything playing an open guard or butterfly guard will hurt your foot more, depending where the pain is. If it's the soles of your feet they will hurt because you put pressure on him with your feet often; if it's your ankles butterfly guard could hurt a lot because you use the top of your foot/ankle like a hook to control the top guy.

 

Irfsko, just carry a ****in pocket knife all the time. Make sure its single blade, less than 4 inches and dull colored.

 

Open guard is the way to go because you cant move your hips when the guard is closed. Obviously keep it closed until you break a guys posture. When I have a guys posture down my feet are always in his hips and im moving around alot but I like to keep up a fast pace roll. Start ****ing around with different things and see what works for you.

 

you dont really have many options with your guard closed. its mainly a pure defence/regrouping position.
If you want to get offensive you need to open your feet up.
just make sure you keep your hips and ass moving.

 

Good point just laying flat on your back with an open guard usually is a good way to get passed.

 

I get the same problem with really big guys as I have shirt legs too. Sometimes it's easier to cross your feet lower down their torso; make sure to do it by sitting up more though, don't slide down and get flat on your back.

If you can, try to play the sitting up style of guard where you ride up with them as they posture, then put the butterflies in to keep them from passing. It's hard if they just pressure you down and stay heavy.

Even if you can't cross your feet, you can still get a pretty tight control just with the legs and getting the feet close and digging your heels in.

Play around with the butterflies and underhooks, maybe even focus really hard on half guards, but closed guard is just to essential to not have.

Work on hip flexibility, try all the variations of a more upright sitting guard (Mir used it for a while against lesnar) play with butterflies (Joslin did well in a losing effort against an extremly "heavy" and tight Koscheck, always keep an underhook or two if you play sitting up.

Just don't give up on the basic position though.

 

This isn't exactly true; obviously I see your point, you need to open the guard to actually go for the sub or sweep (outside of some guys kimura), but the closed guard is where it is all going to start.

Roger Gracie runs the most simple, basic, plain closed guard; he also has the most dangerous guard because nobody passes it and he wins more matches than comperable guys in BJJ by submission.

 

yeah beebs roger is the bomb

also marcello is superb at the situp butterfly defence you suggested..
probably cause its one of those positions where short legs are actually an advantage. bj penn is great with it too.

 

Open guard, closed guard, butterfly guard, rubber guard - i suggest learning them all. If your foot hurts then you've got a problem.

 

I just did some sort of soft tissue damage to my left ankle, possibly ligament damage; will have to cross my feet left over right, which is the opposite of how I normally do it.

 

Lots of excellent repsonses here. I'm not sure if the title topic applies to me as I haven't studied jiujitsu since 2004 - but I'll throw my two cents in regardless.

It really depends on your body type as to which guard types will work best for you. Use the open guard to maneuver and get your opponent off of you and use the closed guard to attack. Butterfly guard works best at keeping larger opponents off of you and reversing them. If headbutts are involved - then closed guard is safest. Just remember "position before submission" and everything else will fall into place.

 

That sucks, Beeb. Hope it gets better. Invest in an ankle brace, plenty of tape and tons of ice over the next month.