In submission grappling you have two main choices for open guard: hooks inside (e.g. the butterfly guard) or legs outside (e.g. the de la Riva guard). Which should you employ?

The right style of guard depends on the exact situation. In this video Rob Biernacki takes you through the transitions from inside hooks to legs outside and back, as well as breaking down the tactical and strategic reasons you might prefer one position over the other.

Check out Rob’s No Gi de la Riva Formula at https://www.,grapplearts.com/DLR for more on the leg outside type of guard, and Rob’s Modern Leglock Formula at https://www,grapplearts.com/leglocks for more a deep dive into the hooks inside style of guard.