15/10/2014
From www.FFAcoach.com - Share if you agree! NEVER PULL GUARD IN TRAINING!
Pulling guard does have its application in actual fighting and self defense. Although, in a street fight or competition, personally, I would only use guard pulling as a last resort - I am not about to debate this. There is definitely an argument to be made for pulling guard - I respect that.
What I do not respect is pulling guard in training. It does not take skill to pull guard. In other words, you're not going to become a better "guard puller" by pulling guard in training. Yes, it does take a certain awareness to pull guard best - but pulling guard everyday for years isn't going to create any gains. Whatever awareness needed for pulling guard can be developed in a month of situational live drilling.
This is the same argument I make with boxing. When practicing striking drills back and forth, I tell my guys to never "shell up" or "turtle up" with their forearms. That takes no skill and comes instinctually. Get a guy in the supermarket and start swinging wildly at him - he will cover up with his forearms and hope for the best... this is instinct... doing this during drilling sessions makes no gains. Instead, use parries, blocks, slips, etc. In a real fight, when you get overwhelmed, you'll shell up - you don't need extra training for that.
With regards to grappling, never pull guard in training... that is ALWAYS there for you in a real fight... WORK YOUR TAKEDOWN AND TAKEDOWN DEFENSE!
There are three reasons why grapplers pull guard... one, because they lack takedown skills... two, they are tired... and three, they are injured and want to avoid the wrestling game. The third reason is a legit reason and I not only respect that - I would recommend it. If you are injured, there is no need to further your injuries.
However, reasons one and two SUCK SUCK SUCK!!!! :) If you lack takedown skills - pulling guard will only further weaken your ability to pick up takedowns. When you pull guard in training, it now trains your mind to have that potential exit... so when the going gets tough during a takedown scramble, you will pull guard.
However, if you NEVER train guard pulling, then that is one exit strategy less that your subconscious will have during a big scramble.
It is like the story of when Cortez invaded the ancient Aztecs... when he arrived on the shores, he knew he was heavily outnumbered, so he ordered his men to burn the boats... now the only way out was through victory - and they won! His men fought harder because they knew there was no retreat... the had to fight or die.
Same goes with pulling guard in training... if you pull guard in training, then in a real fight when you "want" to defend the takedown, when the going gets tough, you will retreat to your boats... which is pulling guard. However, if you eliminate guard pulling from your list of responses, then your takedown defense will be better because you will fight to the bitter end.
The second reason people pull guard is because they are tired... WRONG! That is not the REAL reason. Yes, they are tired... so why don't they let their training opponent shoot in on them and get taken down? Because their ego... they don't want to "give up" a takedown... so instead they opt to pull guard... thinking that somehow this is more honorable. It is quite the opposite! It is the cowards way out!
Don't feel bad if you do such things, it is a temptation that I feel at times as well! The other day I was working five rounds of five minutes with my top guys in the gym. They train twice a day - I hadn't trained regularly in months. I was dead exhausted after the first five minute match - it was almost all wrestling scrambles.
Going into my second match, I felt a temptation to just pull guard... and at that moment, I caught myself being a coward, and told myself, "No, I will fight to the bitter end - there is no honor in pulling guard!" The only reason I wanted to pull guard was really to avoid "giving up" a takedown... and I realized it is more manly to get taken down by an inferior wrestler than to pull guard.
As a result, I made it all five rounds without getting taken down. I "burned my boats" and it made a real difference. You got to do the same thing. As legendary NFL Super Bowl Champion Coach Vince Lombardi once said, "Fatigue makes cowards of men..."
Now if I was in a REAL fight and I was up against a three time NCAA Champion Wrestler - I might pull guard. There is no need to waste my energy if it is truly inevitable that I will be taken down anyways... besides, if the wrestler's ground game is weak, I'll want to be fresher and dryer when we hit the mat for my submissions. However, I wouldn't be training pulling guard for that match!
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