← Position Roadmap

Open Guard

Bottom player controls distance with legs and grips without locking closed guard, including DLR, RDLR, spider, lasso, and single-leg X.

Where does this position usually go next?

Roadmap: Volume 2
Roles: Top + Bottom
Formats: Gi and No-Gi

Understand the position

Top

Stands or kneels in front of Bottom's legs and tries to get around them.

Bottom

Is seated or on their back using feet, legs, and grips without locking the legs, to control distance and attack.

Quick Read

Understand this position in 10 seconds.

Favors Top

22%

Top establishes the stronger next position or finishes the exchange.

Favors Bottom

56%

Bottom establishes the stronger next position or finishes the exchange.

Neutral

22%

Neither role establishes a clearly superior next position. The exchange can still move forward.

Largest group: Favors Bottom (56%). Most common individual transition: Bottom sweeps / wrestles up (23%).

What does "favors" mean?

It is not a player's chance of winning the match. It describes which player benefits from the estimated next outcome of this position.

The distribution

Overall Outcome

Favors Top 22%

Favors Bottom 56%

Neutral 22%

One-step map

Where It Goes Next

Sort by

These are possible next events, not guaranteed paths to another named position. Open a transition below for a plain-language explanation.

Every outcome

Transition Breakdown

Favors Top

14%

Favors Top · Overall estimate

Gi12%

No-Gi16%

8%

Favors Top · Overall estimate

Gi5%

No-Gi10%

Favors Bottom

23%

Favors Bottom · Overall estimate

Gi28%

No-Gi18%

18%

Favors Bottom · Overall estimate

Gi20%

No-Gi15%

6%

Favors Bottom · Overall estimate

Gi3%

No-Gi10%

5%

Favors Bottom · Overall estimate

Gi5%

No-Gi5%

4%

Favors Bottom · Overall estimate

Gi4%

No-Gi5%

Neutral

15%

Neutral · Overall estimate

Gi15%

No-Gi15%

7%

Neutral · Overall estimate

Gi8%

No-Gi6%

Compare the formats

Gi vs No-Gi

Gi12%No-Gi16%

Gi5%No-Gi10%

Gi28%No-Gi18%

Gi20%No-Gi15%

Gi3%No-Gi10%

Gi5%No-Gi5%

Gi4%No-Gi5%

Gi15%No-Gi15%

Gi8%No-Gi6%

Gi

The roadmap estimates more bottom sweeps and guard switches in the Gi, with fewer leg entries.

No-Gi

It estimates more completed passes, back exposure, and leg entries in No-Gi.

In practice

What This Means on the Mat

For Top

Connect to the hips or legs and complete the pass; expect guard changes along the way.

For Bottom

Keep distance, off-balance, sweep or wrestle up, attack, or take the back.

Methodology

How to Read These Numbers

These percentages are coaching estimates informed by published research, not measured probabilities from a single dataset.

EstimatedThe Simplex Motus Position Transition Roadmap, Volume 2 supplies the baseline, Gi, and No-Gi values. The overall split groups the baseline outcomes by which role they favor. Published studies provide context for the estimates, not direct measurements of these exact exit percentages.

Gi means grappling with a uniform jacket and pants; No-Gi means grappling without that uniform. “Overall” is the roadmap's baseline estimate, not an average calculated from the two formats.

Limitations

The cited studies provide context, but do not report these exact position-exit rates. Without raw counts or a reproducible calculation for the displayed percentages, these estimates should not be treated as measured frequencies or predictions for a particular match.

Research trail

Evidence & Sources

The original roadmap, Volume 2 (PDF) provides the displayed baseline, Gi, and No-Gi values and assigns the references below to Open Guard. Public studies do not track every specific position exit shown here. Where direct measurements are unavailable, the roadmap uses evidence-constrained coaching estimates. No sample size, raw counts, or reproducible calculation for these exact percentages is provided in the document. Treat them as a directional training guide, not observed rates or a prediction for a match.

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Open Guard

Explore Related Positions

Related positions are useful positions to explore next and are not necessarily direct transitions shown in the roadmap.

Volume 1

Closed Guard Bottom player has both legs locked around the top player's torso, limiting posture and mobility.Side Control Top player pins across the chest from the side with the legs cleared.Half Guard Bottom player traps one of the top player's legs. It sits between guard and a completed pass.Knee on Belly Top player controls from the side with a knee or shin across the torso while staying mobile.Mount Top player sits astride the torso. Mount scores 4 points under IBJJF rules.Turtle Bottom player is on knees and elbows or hands with the back facing the top player.Back Control Top player controls from behind with chest-to-back connection and hooks or equivalent control.

Volume 2

Butterfly Guard Bottom player is seated with inside hooks under the top player's thighs, usually with upper-body connection.North-South Top player pins from above the head, chest to chest, facing the bottom player's legs. It is part of the side-control family.Standing / Neutral Both athletes are on their feet. There is no top or bottom yet, so the roles are Scorer, Defender, and Neutral.Front Headlock Controller holds the head, often with an arm, while the defender is bent over or turtled. It sits between standing, turtle, and the back.Leg Entanglement / Ashi Garami The legs are connected in a control system such as ashi garami, outside ashi, saddle/411, or 50-50. Top and bottom labels do not apply.