Passing guard as a route to the back: When you first begin the study of Jiu jitsu you learn to pass the guard into top pins, usually side pins but sometimes directly to mount. As you go against better and better opponents you will soon find that they employ many methods of guard retention that make passing very difficult. It can be a very frustrating thing to run into the many roadblocks that good opponents can create to your favorite passes. Understand however, that many of these methods of guard retention are intended to stop passes into top pins, but in doing so they very often create momentary BACK EXPOSURE. You must have your mind programmed to jump on this new opportunity immediately – it won't be there for long. Every sequences of guard passing versus guard retention is essentially a PROLONGED scramble and as such, the back is one of the best targets. Program your mind to hunt for the back in these scrambles just as much as you do for the side pin and you will double your chances of a score against tough guards
