As with many of my articles I put up for you all to read, I know there are some super pissed off colored/black belts already talking shit about this position. Before your makeup runs, let me explain.

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Once again, we go back to the simple question, “What is the purpose of a white belt?” Survive! Does this mean survive a IBJJF tournament, or survive an altercation? You already know where I stand:

Survive an altercation.

So if you accept that, tell me where guard passing fits in this?

Do I need to pass someone’s guard to punch the shit out of them?

No.

In fact, have you ever paid attention to MMA fights and noticed most people don’t try to pass guards despite how easy the bottom person (typically) makes it?

Think about half guard. If I am in top of half guard, I have one of your hips controlled and all of gravity to falcon-punch the shit out of your face. If you are on bottom, you will want me to attempt to pass so you can free your hip and work to a better position.

Think about closed guard. How often these days do you see someone in closed guard try to pass and not just punch the shit out of the guard players face?

Ive said it many times: Guard is the best of the worst positions you can be in. It is not a good place to be overall.

So if we accept that guard passing is not a requirement for surviving violence, why do we spend so many reps teaching white belts to pass guard?

Now if you are on the other side of the fence about white belts purpose just being about tournaments and all that shit, then you go do you. Have fun. I have nothing I can say to change your mind other than I hope your student doesn’t get his ass beat in an altercation while you worried only about teaching what local IBJJF tournaments rules would allow….

Note: All this isn’t to say that white belts cannot learn to guard pass. Instead I am saying the emphasis of their progression and training should not be tied to it. Guard passing is still a fundamental skill in Jiu-Jitsu, but I would place it in Green Belt (the other fundamental belt in my system) as a training priority rather than white belt.

My Recommendation:

Include guard passing in your fundamentals classes, but do not tie it as a necessary skill for a white belt to progress.

Include self-defense Jiu-Jitsu training at fundamental level to expose students to where the line is between techniques for the street and techniques for the sport, as well as what works for both.

Mathematical Jiu-Jitsu emphasizes guard passing as a fundamental skill to the sport, but not to self defense. It is taught at all levels, but proficiency is not required for white belts to progress on to their next belt.