The Guard: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Details and Techniques
Reference Sports Instruction Martial Arts Self-Defense Combat Sports Fitness & Training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian jiu-jitsu fans hunting for a technique-rich, coach-approved guard manual keep the used copies of “The Guard: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Details and Techniques” (2009) moving fast. Co-authored by respected black-belt competitors Ed Beneville and Joe Moreira, this 200-page paperback is built like a private seminar: every photo sequence is shot from two angles, key grips are circled in red, and common mistakes are shown side-by-side with the correct form. Instead of a random collection of moves, the book teaches a complete guard system—closed, spider, butterfly, half-guard recoveries, sweeps that chain into submissions, and submission counters that put you back on top—so you can install a game plan, not just a trick.
What makes this copy worth grabbing is the longevity of the information. Unlike tournament-specific DVDs that age out when rule-sets change, the fundamentals here (posture breaking, angle creation, hip mobility drills) are evergreen, and the layout is perfect for quick mat-side reference. Pages lie flat when opened, spiral-style, so you can glance down mid-roll and confirm grip placement. Owners repeatedly praise the “detail zoom” boxes that show micro-adjustments—hip angle, toe position, sleeve slack—that turn a near-sweep into a slam. Whether you’re a blue belt building your first guard retention checklist or a purple looking to add the X-guard transitions that Moreira used to win the Pan-Ams, the step-by-step logic keeps you from drowning in endless YouTube variations.
Collectors also value the 2009 first printing for its oversized, high-contrast photos; later reprints shrank the image size and muted the color. This particular copy shows only honest training-room wear—cover scuffs and a 2 cm edge tear, pages clean with no highlighting or dog-ears—so you get the original photo quality without collector-tier pricing. With demand for solid BJJ reference material rising and out-of-print copies disappearing, securing a clean, binding-tight example now means you’ll have a trusted guard encyclopedia on your shelf long before the next belt promotion.
Refer to our eBay listing for a full condition report and many more high-quality pictures of this item.
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