The Octopus Guard is a variation of half guard that is a very attacking position. It offers both submissions and sweeps that can help dominate Brazilian Jiu Jitsu matches. Sometimes, it’s also used from the closed guard and has similar mechanics.
This guard was created by Eduardo Telles who is best known for his work on the turtle position. For the purpose of this article, we shall mostly look at the half guard version which is more common. However, we will also broadly go over the closed guard version which has a lot in common.
Table of Contents
How to enter the Octopus Guard
The Octopus Guards’ biggest weakness is probably its entries. In short, it’s a very high percentage guard when you get there but getting there can be difficult. Usually, you will get to the Octopus Guard from two situations.
The first entry is from a failed hip switch. This is when people fail to control your upper body when hip switching during the top half guard position. In other words, they don’t crush your head enough when hip switching, or crush down your arms so you can’t get up. In short, it’s when they cover your hips and not your upper body.
If done sloppily, a failed hip switch will let you post up on your far elbow and grab the back of their back. In the gi, it’s best to grab the belt and crush their body down. In nogi, you can pretend there’s a belt there and imagine you’re trying to crush their face into the floor. The more you break their posture, the better it works.
The issue with this is that it relies on a bad move on your opponent’s behalf. The more proactive way is by starting from the knee shield position. Here, you duck under their far arm and swing your arm over their back. You can do this by dragging their sleeve across their body then sitting up once their arm is out the way. Sometimes, this is open when they defend their underhook on the nearside and then you can reach around their body.
Realistically, these entries are situational and may not always be available. You will need to develop timing and feel to get good at entering the Octopus Guard and make sure you don’t get crossfaced whilst trying to get to the position. As mentioned, the entry is the hard part.
Sweeps from the Octopus Guard
Generally speaking, the Octopus Guard has two sweeps. The first is a sit-up sweep, similar to the one used in closed guard. Here, you should shoot your hips up towards the side of your arm that is posted on the floor. If you try this the other way, the opponent’s base is too strong on the farside so it won’t work.
However, if done to the correct side then you can get a sweep. Usually, this will result in a reversal of the position with you in top half guard. Otherwise, you can sometimes land in the mount position as well.
The other sweep is used when the opponent overly defends the first one and tries to lean into you. If timed correctly, you can do a backwards roll and end up in the same, top position. This sweep is less common but is still a possibility and it’s a good counter to use when someone defends too much.
Submissions from the Octopus Guard
The Octopus Guard has two main submissions. The first is the Kimura which is a good counter when your opponent tries to regain their underhook. Sometimes, people will panic and feel they’re getting swept or their back taken. As a result, they may try to dig in an underhook or crossface you to put you into the regular half guard position. If timed correctly, you can grab their wrist and drop back to a Kimura.
The second main submission is one where you duck low during Octopus Guard and grab their nearside foot. Now, you start reaping it back towards your head. Due to the torque this places on the knee, the opponent will be forced to drop into the sweep. When this is done, you should then land in a very strong position, with your legs entangled in your favor. With the one opponent’s leg trapped, the other should be free to toehold.
There are also two other submissions that can be hit from the Octopus Guard, especially when originating from the closed guard. These are the rear naked choke and the arm in guillotine. Here, you can drop back into a front headlock position with the arm-in to attack the guillotine.
Similarly, you can attack an RNC which is mostly from a side angle. If you manage to get your arm under their neck then there’s a good chance of choking them.
Taking the back from the Octopus Guard
Perhaps the Octopus Guard’s biggest attribute is its back taking possibilities. The way to do this is to drag the opponent down which is best done by grabbing the belt and pushing them forward. At the same time, if you snake your hips out to make space, you can then take the back or come up on top if desired.
This works very well with threatening the sit up sweep. If someone counters by pushing their body forward, then you can snake out and take the back. Although this is easier to do with gi grips, it’s still possible in nogi too.
Octopus Guard variations and nuances
Although your upper body should always remain the same during the Octopus position, there are certain things that you can do with your legs and feet which depends on your preferences. For example, you can keep your legs in the standard half guard position.
Alternatively, you can bring your outside leg in, and kick the far heel of the opponent’s outside leg. This puts torque on their knee similar to the Coyote guard. As you can imagine, this makes sweeping easier as it makes the opponent less stable due to compromising their base.
Another leg position you can use is the 10th Planet lockdown on the far leg. Again, this can be used to add torque and manipulate the opponent, depending on your preferences. Be mindful, this may also flatten your own body out which isn’t always ideal.
Lastly, you can also insert your far foot as a butterfly hook to elevate the opponent. This is especially useful when taking the back or trying to sweep the opponent. If they manage to beat this hook though, it can jeopardise your position.
Octopus Closed Guard
As mentioned earlier, the Octopus Closed Guard has a lot of similarities but is entered from the closed guard instead of half guard. This has certain advantages and disadvantages. Firstly, it should be entered by attempting a sit up sweep. If you can sneak under the opponent’s arm, then you will land in the Octopus Guard, this time with your legs wrapped around the opponent’s torso.
This means it can be harder to sweep the opponent as you can’t get underneath them due to your leg placement. However, you can still take the back and submissions such as guillotines and rear naked chokes are easier due to your positioning. Overall, it’s probably less versatile than the half guard position but is useful for submissions and is good for defense during MMA.
Getting crushed in Octopus Guard
It should be noted that Octopus Guard is a completely different position to getting smashed under a successful hip switch. Because of this, it’s important to understand the differences. Usually, when in Octopus Guard, you’re able to post on your elbow and sit up. However, when smashed your arms should be on the floor and it should feel more uncomfortable as the opponent is higher up your body. There are two things to do here.
The first is to frame on your arms on the back of the opponent. This will stop them from climbing higher up your body and passing. Once this is in place, you can then place your far foot in as a butterfly hook. With this done, you should then elevate the opponent. You won’t sweep them, but you can recover to a guard such as single leg X.
The second option is to go belly down and do a press-up. This is almost like a g-roll and make sure your legs are locked whilst doing it. The idea of the Octopus Guard is to mimic the position of the opponent, so if they go low down on your body, then you should go low to the floor. This may take energy but can result in a sweep.
Conclusion
Overall, the Octopus Guard is very useful for both the gi and nogi, as well as closed and half guard. It also has defense applications for MMA as it can stop you from getting punched. Perhaps its biggest weakness is the actual entries.
Due to the threat of the crossface, it can be difficult to get to. Nonetheless, it’s still worth learning as it pays dividends and many people don’t know how to handle it either.
