Private Class No.1...

Today, a private class ahead of my first proper competition and first up were some fundamental tips on guard passing. 

Guard passing fundamentals when defending:
Maintain secure posture, which is elbows inside knees and hands defending your core, and head not too far forward.
Strip opponent's grips and secure your own grips.
Retain base and balance at all times.
Hips follow position of opponent's hips.

Guard passing fundamentals when standing and attacking:

Maintain secure posture, which is elbows inside knees and hands defending your core, and head not too far forward.

Strip opponent's grips and secure your own grips on opponent's legs.

Retain base and balance at all times.
Hips must escape position of opponent's hips to bypass them.
Squat with head at same height as opponent's head.

We then worked on two escapes. 

The first was a standing guard break from being seated in the opponent's full guard: 

i) Secure opponent's arm with two hands and drag it diagonally across his body; foot stands up on the side of the secured arm; other foot stands up and you stand with feet parallel; nearest hand pushes opponent's undefended knee down; at the same time you open your hips on the side of trapped arm to force the knees open but stepping backwards; as the opponent's guard opens, you drop vertically down and slide your knee over the opponent's knee with your foot hooking his leg from the back; the opposite knee is vertical with your elbow connected to the inside of your knee; undertook the head to secure head control on the exposed side and close the space by driving in to to secure the position; place hand on opponent's up knee which is facing up, then press down as you kick your vertical leg back 90 degrees and drop your hips into your opponent; secure the position 

The second was a guard break from being seated in the opponent's full guard: 

i) One hand grabs lapels to pin chest; turn hand to lock in place. Push down; the other hand pushes the hip down to nail that in place; note that elbows should be inside opponent's knees; push into the opponent and edge hips back, then aggressively turn the hips to break the legs open; IMPORTANT: if this fails, don't close the hips and reset; instead, move hands lower down opponent's body, secure the grips, then apply pressure and move back further; posture up with one knee up and the other flat; slide the nearest knee over the opponent's knee and hook the foot at the back of the leg; other knee is vertical and connecting the knee to the elbow; then the same passing motion as before. 

Things to remember: Apply constant pressure to the man on the bottom; connect elbows and knees to form a barrier so the man on the bottom cannot regain his guard.