[fighter2621]

I started bjj a week ago and I have been paying attention in class but holy crap everyone's guard is so much better than mine. Really all I know is the elbow in the thigh nerve. That kills me but it doesnt even phase them. Is there anyone who can get me a link or some advice on guard passing because I feel like I am not keeping up at all.

[fireball]

can opener to break the guard. grab them behind the head near the top and pull it towards u. unless they have real long legs their guard should break.

[Aesopian]

God. No. Stop. No thigh nerve crap. No can openers. Learn base and posture. Learn to open the guard through leverage and proper pressure, not pain compliance. Work on keeping your head up, your back straight and your arms safe. If you're having serious problems with passing the guard, I recommend the book Passing the Guard by Ed Beneville. It's on Amazon and Budovideos. But it honestly took me most of a year before I could even consistantly pass guard, so don't worry too much if it seems like it's not coming too fast. It take times, practice and persistance. And it definitely takes more than a week.

[TJS]

posture..and control the hips. From there There are a ton of passes but that's where it begins.

[Waxwingslain]

Originally Posted by Aesopian

God. No. Stop. No thigh nerve crap. No can openers. Learn base and posture. Learn to open the guard through leverage and proper pressure, not pain compliance.

Listen to this man.

I would fucking rape any dumb bitch noob who tried to can opener me after a couple of lessons. And I'm one of the more relaxed people at my club.

[fighter2621]

I understand the concept of "posturing up" as it is called in my school but after that I just feel stuck. I know decisiveness is key to victory but if I havent a clue on what to do then.....

[fireball]

Originally Posted by Waxwingslain

Listen to this man.

I would fucking rape any dumb bitch noob who tried to can opener me after a couple of lessons. And I'm one of the more relaxed people at my club.

is this meaning that the can opener dosen't work or isn't kosher?

[VampireMonk]

are you getting submitted?

because before you posture and begin to pass, you need to be able to
survive some of their attacks, or at least make it hard before you get
subbed. learn how to keep your arms safe, neck safe, first.
how to not just fall down and give them mount. keep your base.

[Aesopian]

You still have much to learn, so don't worry too much about not having every answer -- that's why you're training. But to point you in the right direction, here's one of my favorite ways to open the guard:

http://groundfighter.com/uploads/videos/Saulo%206.WMV

Pay special attention to the point on how you don't need to be a dick with pointy elbows to open guard.

That one's good from knees, which might work well for you while you're still working on getting a good base. But maybe you're better suited for standing passes where gravity does more of the work, in which case here's a nice simple pass to try:

http://bjj.org/techniques/intheguard/guardpass1/

And maybe this:

http://www.grapplearts.com/Margarida-Guard-Pass.htm

Passing the Guard also contains a lot of defenses and counters to submissions from guard, which goes right in line with the great advice about those above. I'd check out that book if I were you.

[fighter2621]

Great stuff man Aesopian just the first technique is better than what I know now. It should help me level the playing field a little. Im a noob at bjj but I do have military grappling experience which incorporates some of the bjj techniques so I have a pretty good idea. I really did feel like a dick digging my elbow into their thigh and I fucking hated it when it was done to me but it didnt seem to effect them so I didnt trip to much. I am very enthused about all the training that I am doing and I hope to compete asap (dont really care about winning right now). Oh and no I dont get submitted to easily (at least I dont think so).