Forging The Guard: Wrestle Ups – In-Depth Review

Use clean open-guard triggers to stand and score with ease.

Forging the Guard: Wrestle Ups Cover Art

The Bottom Line

You will learn the core off-balance hierarchy and when to rise to your feet. Bodoni shows ankle pick, double, and single finishes that connect to common grips. The result is a safer, lower-effort way to get on top without scrambles.

⚡️ Quick facts

Best for: Guard players

Skip if: You hate standing

Tech focus: Wrestle Ups, Ankle Pick, Double Leg, Single Leg, Hip Heist, Sumi Gaeshi

Biggest takeaway: Timing over force

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What You'll Learn

A modern take on wrestle-ups that favors timing over hustle. It links seated guard off-balances to ankle picks, doubles, and singles, then develops follow-ups from shin-on-shin, butterfly, RDLR, X, and ashi.
If you struggle to get on top cleanly, this gives you simple, repeatable triggers.

Primary Techniques You'll Drill

Wrestle Ups
Ankle Pick
Double Leg
Single Leg
Hip Heist
Sumi Gaeshi Setups
Shin On Shin
Butterfly To Stand
X Guard
Ashi Garami Entries

Format & Level

Instructional style: System Based, Conceptual
Skill level: All Levels
Format: No-Gi
Runtime: 7 hours and 17 minutes
Volumes: 8
Released: 2025

Should You Buy It?

Wait for daily deal. I like the head height versus hip height dilemma to decide when to rise and finish.

Why Giancarlo Bodoni?

Bodoni integrates wrestling mechanics with seated guard control. As a two-time ADCC champion he favors low-risk, high-percentage get-ups that lead directly to top pins. The course mirrors how elite no-gi sweeps often finish as takedowns.