Under Control Elevating Your Guard Retention By Brian Glick

Guard retention isn't about surviving—it's about controlling the fight before your opponent ever establishes control.

• A comprehensive 5-volume guard retention system covering fundamentals, core competencies, drills, and passing defense


• Brian Glick breaks down why guard retention is difficult and provides systematic solutions for gi and no-gi


• Learn framing skills, seated/supine/turtle positions, and specific retention methods against every major pass


• Includes Volume 5 executive summary for quick reference of the entire system

What Will You Learn?

Guard retention isn't about surviving—it's about controlling the fight before your opponent ever establishes control.

In Under Control: Elevating Your Guard Retention, Brian Glick introduces the conceptual framework behind one of the most effective modern retention systems: The Clamp. Rather than relying on flexibility, speed, or athleticism, Brian teaches a systematic approach that allows grapplers of every size and skill level to neutralize pressure, recover from compromised positions, and immediately transition into offense.

A John Danaher black belt known for simplifying complex ideas, Brian breaks guard retention down into proactive entries, reactive recoveries, positional mechanics, and submission chains that all work together as one complete system. You'll learn how to manage distance, maintain proper hip and hand positioning, recover from mount, side control, and half guard, and shut down common passing sequences like knee cuts, body locks, and pressure passing before they develop.

But retention is only half the story.

Once you've established the Clamp, Brian shows you how to immediately capitalize with triangles, kimuras, armbars, omoplatas, reversals, and sweeping opportunities that naturally emerge from the position. Instead of viewing guard retention as purely defensive, you'll develop a guard that continuously threatens your opponent while making passing increasingly frustrating.

Whether you're a newer practitioner trying to stop getting passed or an experienced grappler looking to build a more efficient, conceptual guard game, Under Control provides a complete roadmap for transforming defense into one of the strongest offensive weapons in your arsenal. With Brian Glick's clear teaching style and systematic approach, you'll spend less time recovering from bad positions—and far more time attacking from dominant ones.

Technique List

Volume 1

• Dedication


• Introduction


• Overview - Why Guard Retention Is Difficult


• Gi vs No Gi Guard Retention


• Your General Guard Retention Goals


• Passer's Goal


• Your Guard Retention Goals


• A Note on Hip Line and J Point


• How to Use This Video

Volume 2: Core Competencies

• Seated Skills


• Supine Skills


• Turtle Position

• Overview


• Long Arm Frames


• Forearm Frames


• Backhand Frames


• Self Frames

Volume 3: Guard Retention Drills

• Seated Drills


• Supine Drill


• Turtle Drill

• Their Goals Your Goals


• Method 1 Lasso


• Method 2 Heisting

• Passing Their Goals Your Goals


• Method 1 Pummeling


• Method 2 Self Framing

• Their Goals Your Goals


• Method 1 Invert the Knee


• Method 2 Pendulum


• Method 3 Late Stage Leg Trap

• Their Goals Your Goals


• Method 1 Pummeling


• Method 2 Inversion


• Method 3 Uki Waza


• Method 4 Self Frame


• Method 5 Cuff Control

Volume 4

• Their Goals Your Goals


• Method 1 Knee Lever


• Method 2 Shoulder Drag Crucifix


• Method 3 Forearm Frame

• Their Goals Your Goals


• Method 1 Pummeling


• Method 2 Inverting the Knee


• Method 3 Elbow Post

• Their Goals Your Goals


• Method 1 Collar Grip / Hip Escape


• Method 2 Heisting Method

• 5 Crisis Rules


• Managing Overwhelm

Volume 5: Executive Summary

• Core Competencies (Seated, Supine, Turtle)


• Framing Skills (Long Arm, Forearm, Backhand, Self Frames)


• Knee Cut, Headquarters Passing, Leg Drag, Toreando


• Over Under Passing, Double Unders Pass, Long Step Pass