Closed Guard
The closed guard — controlling from your back, the heart of the bottom game.
Survival
Posture and base
Stay tight and grounded so you are not swept while you work.
Escapes
Open the guard safely
Break the legs open with posture and pressure, not with strength alone.
Transitions
Sweep to top
Off-balance the top player and come up on top from your back.
Hip bump — make them sit
Cut the sweep in half: a small hip escape, up on the palm, and put their seat on the mat. Then one foot becomes a belt and the other swings big towards the posted arm.
Submissions
Triangle choke
Trap an arm and the neck between your legs for one of the classic finishes.
Omoplata off the heavy post
When the post is already heavy, leave that arm alone: arm behind the other shoulder, fall towards their knee, kick over, and sit up slowly to finish.
Every cell here is free to read. The working notes behind them come from class, over in Mat Notes.