The turtle guard in Jiu Jitsu has long been an afterthought in training rooms; the position is normally seen as a strategy to stall or only a precursor to succumbing to a back take and eventually, a submission. As a result of this mindset, many grapplers have neglected to study and practice the position to gain a comfortable level of efficiency when forced into what otherwise can be a precarious situation. Contrary to the established norm in the sport, playing turtle guard is not conceding to eventual defeat but rather another layer of strategy that can pave the path to a positional advancement. Learning turtle guard can be the difference between surviving a misjudgement made in the heat of a match versus being instantly submitted from a disadvantageous position. This BLOG will focus on reasons why the turtle guard is a highly effective system that can be used to defend, counter, and attack with precise skill in the midst of a back and forth Jiu Jitsu contest.
Reason #1: The Turtle Guard is an “Insurance Policy” on Taking Chances
At some point your best guard attacks will be broken down and tossed aside by an effective passer. Why not have a tactical strategy to turn an opponent's guard pass into an opportunity to re-guard and maintain your position? One of the biggest benefits of practicing the turtle guard is the numerous ways it can help with guard retention as there are many technical pathways that lead to a re-guard. Instead of striking out when your guard is passed, you may earn another opportunity to re-guard and make quick corrections in the moment to re-attempt a sweep or submission. Supreme confidence in the ability to turtle and re-guard will lead to supreme confidence in taking calculated chances with the guard because if a guard attack fails, you have an “insurance policy” to get back what you may have lost in any failed guard sequence.
Reason #2: A Technical Way to Avoid Side Control Stallers
Who hasn’t been mercilessly squashed in side control by a larger teammate or a grappler who is content on just holding the position and not advancing? This can be a daily occurrence in training, especially in early skill development. It is critically important to learn how to hip-out and re-guard from your back or scramble to a wrestle up but another option is to roll to turtle and look for an opportunity to counter without having to bare someone’s weight directly on the arms and/or chest. Furthermore, if you build habits to move to turtle before being completely pinned with your shoulders to the mat, the amount of side control squish received will be greatly diminished as the positional battle becomes more about mobility versus having to build adequate frames from a chest-to-chest pin. Fortuitously, the side control staller might also assume you are giving them a gift by turning to your back, prove them wrong with a well timed reversal or attack from the turtle guard.
Reason #3: Turtle Negates Passing (IBJJF/ADCC) and Takedown Points (ADCC)
Turtle guard provides technical advantages that will pay off in rolling rounds but also tactical advantages within the primary rule sets of the sport. In IBJJF matches, rolling away and establishing a turtle guard within three seconds from an attempted pass negates three passing points for a single advantage point. In ADCC matches, being taken down and landing in turtle or immediately transitioning to turtle results in no points being awarded which gives an opportunity to be offensive from the position without succumbing to an immediate point differential. The same applies to a guard pass in ADCC, if you are able to roll to turtle without more than 75% of your back touching the mat while fighting a pass attempt, no points are scored. Takedowns and guard passes in a competitive match are disheartening, however, learning to thrive in the turtle position during these decisive times in competitive grappling matches can ease anxiety and create opportunities against skilled resistance.
Reason #4: The Turtle Position is Neglected in Training
Let's be real, the turtle position as a whole has been completely neglected in the modern meta of Jiu Jitsu. A quick google search makes obvious the complete lack of turtle guard highlights or instructionals in the sport. Furthermore, how often does the average Jiu Jitsu school start specific rounds from turtle guard or teach techniques from the position? Not many. It is safe to assume that most grapplers are not dealing with sophisticated turtle guard players regularly in the training room. Use this inherent lack of awareness to build an advanced understanding of offense and defense from the turtle position that will frustrate opponents who will have minimal experience on how to deal with an advanced turtle guard. Turtle is a knowledge based system, similar to any modern leg entanglement or advanced guard play; the more you know the more you can take advantage of an opponent's lack of knowledge.
Reason #5: The Turtle Guard Frustrates Opponents
Visualize the following: a grappler trying to pass an advanced guard for many minutes and as they begin to see side control within their grasp their opponent escapes to turtle and re-rolls back into a guard… Not deterred, the grappler attempts to pass again and is able to turn the opponent to their back and is now looking for hooks but the turtled opponent sits through into a guard; two guard passes are thwarted as frustration grows within the guard passer. Additionally, this hypothetical situation doesn’t account for a complete reversal from the position! Sustained guard passing requires a lot of energy and to have a near complete pass vanish over and over again is an incredibly fatiguing and discouraging experience. In general, frustrated competitors make mistakes as continuous re-guards and reversals from the turtle position are dysregulating to deal with; this change in mentality can alter the momentum in a tightly contested match. When executed at a high level, the turtle guard can be a complete menace to deal with as the position can be used to consistently thwart advancements in position.
Reason #6: Turtle Guard Is A Defensive “Get Out of Jail Free” Card
Grapplers with highly dynamic and effective guards are at times victims of their own success because having an “impassable” guard leads to less training time in defensive positions. If the guard isn’t getting passed, there is no urgency to practice any defense and this will lead to inadequate skill in this area. It shouldn’t be a controversial statement to state that everyone’s guard will get passed at some point and it is not an advisable strategy to have minimal options as soon as your offensive game has been thwarted. It is always disheartening to witness someone who has spent thousands of hours on elaborate guard work be helplessly pinned in side mount or forced to give up the back without any knowledge of how to put the turtle guard to good use. The turtle guard is a “get out of jail free” card because it takes the worry out of being passed or making a mistake because it provides vast opportunities to completely reverse and gain advantageous positions.
Expertise gained by experimenting with turtle guard will quickly result in an unshakeable confidence in defensive abilities that will eventually turn into advanced maneuvers that will create offensive possibilities. As a bonus, turtle techniques work in gi and no-gi with minimal adjustments as there is not an over reliance on gi grips to get the job done. Competition is a difficult pursuit and as much as grapplers train to be in control at all times, this isn’t always the case and a dynamic defensive game will allow grapplers to survive when matches do not go exactly as planned. Personally, turtle guard has saved my own ass more times in competition than I care to admit but without the knowledge of defending the back and reversing when possible, there are some important matches that would have resulted in a loss instead of my hand being raised. Turtle guard is the ultimate “second chance” system in Jiu Jitsu, so give it a go and see your fortunes change when training or competing.
Until next time, stay cool, be kind, and keep rolling.
Benjamin Kool is a content creator and the head instructor/owner of Authentic Jiu Jitsu in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Before founding Authentic Jiu Jitsu Calgary, Ben worked in Alberta as a school teacher and is an alumni of the University of Calgary (B.A. European History, B.Ed. Master of Teaching Program).
Website: www.authenticjiujitsu.com
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