A complete review of Lachlan Giles and Ariel Tabak’s 16-volume guard retention system covering every passing style: around, under, through the legs, and close range.
Last updated: March 2026
Guard Retention Anthology Bundle
The most comprehensive guard retention resource in BJJ. Two ADCC-level coaches break down retention against every passing style across 16 volumes.
- ⏰ 13+ hours total
- 📚 16 volumes, 500+ chapters
- 🎯 Lachlan Giles & Ariel Tabak
- 🥋 Gi and No-Gi
- 💰 ~$197 bundle (saves ~$57)
Product Details
| Full Title | Guard Retention Anthology Bundle by Lachlan Giles & Ariel Tabak |
| Instructors | Lachlan Giles & Ariel Tabak |
| Part 1 | The Guard Retention Anthology: Around and Under (8 volumes, ~7 hours) |
| Part 2 | The Guard Retention Anthology: Through the Legs and Close Range (8 volumes, ~6 hours) |
| Total Runtime | 13+ hours across 16 volumes, 500+ chapters |
| Format | Gi and No-Gi |
| Release Date | September 2020 (Part 1), Late 2020 (Part 2) |
| Bundle Price | ~$197 (individual parts ~$127 each, bundle saves ~$57) |
| Where to Buy | BJJ Fanatics |
About the Instructors
Lachlan Giles
ADCC 2019 absolute bronze medalist and head coach at Absolute MMA St Kilda, Melbourne. Lachlan holds a PhD in Physiotherapy specializing in knee injuries and rehabilitation. He earned his black belt under John Simon and is the original coach of Craig Jones. Known as “The Giant Slayer” after submitting three larger opponents at ADCC 2019, Lachlan brings an analytical, systems-based approach to teaching. He also runs Submeta, his online instructional platform.
Ariel Tabak
South African-Australian featherweight and world-renowned guard retention specialist. Ariel holds his black belt under Cicero Costa (received through the Gui Neves / Braus Team lineage) and currently trains at Absolute MMA Melbourne under Lachlan Giles. His competition record includes IBJJF Pan-Pacific champion and ADCC Oceania & Asia medalist. As a featherweight, Ariel developed his retention system dealing with bigger, heavier passers daily, giving him a unique perspective on keeping guard against size and pressure.
Lachlan and Ariel train together daily at Absolute MMA Melbourne. Throughout the instructional, they alternate teaching duties: Ariel demonstrates techniques while Lachlan adds commentary, and vice versa. This dual-instructor format creates a richer learning experience than a single-expert setup, with two distinct body types and competitive backgrounds approaching the same retention problems.
What the Guard Retention Anthology Covers
The Guard Retention Anthology is built around a simple organizing principle: every guard pass falls into one of four categories. Passes go around your legs (toreando, leg drag, bullfighter). Passes go under your legs (double under, over-under, stack pass). Passes go through your legs (knee cut, headquarters). Or passes use close-range pressure (smash pass, half guard passes).
Part 1 (“Around and Under”) addresses long-range and medium-range passing. Part 2 (“Through the Legs and Close Range”) addresses the passes that happen when your opponent has already entered your guard. Together they create a complete retention system that lets you respond to any pass with structured decision trees, not just random scrambles.
Unlike most retention instructionals that just teach escape techniques, this anthology starts with prevention. You learn how to structure your guard so passes are harder to initiate, then progress to early-stage retention, late-stage recovery, and finally counter-attacks from retention positions. Every volume builds on the previous one.
Part 1: Around and Under – Volume-by-Volume Breakdown
Part 1 runs approximately 7 hours across 8 volumes. It covers the two main long-range passing categories: passes that go around your legs and passes that go under your legs.
Volume 1: Introduction & General Concepts
Guard retention fundamentals, the layers of guard structure, positioning principles for seated vs lying postures. Covers leg positioning, shin angles, arm frame placement, and off-balance recovery techniques.
Volume 2: Key Movements & Flexibility
The movement foundation for the entire system. Teaches the gangorra, high pummel, invert, near-side invert, leg dab, and elbow movement. Includes dedicated flexibility sections for hip external rotation, hip flexion, hamstring flexibility, hip abduction, knee flexion, and spinal mobility. This volume is unusual for BJJ instructionals – most skip the mobility work entirely.
Volume 3: Around the Legs Retention (Part 1)
Strategic aims for retention against around-the-legs passes. Covers leg pummeling with 4 distinct crossover types, facing-in retention (invert, turtle shell spin, late-stage options), and facing-away retention (framing, ultimate gangorra, standard gangorra).
Volume 4: Specific Around-the-Legs Pass Defense
North-south retention postures, leg dab and slam dunk techniques. Position-specific defenses against bullfighter/toreando variations, one-arm throw defense, cross-grip crazy dog defense, leg drag defense, and leg pin bullfighter defense.
Volume 5: Under the Legs Retention (Part 1)
Types of under-the-legs passes and strategic progression. Three types of battles: arm battles, leg battles, head and torso positioning. Leg pummeling variations (standard, high pummel, hip swing, gangorra). Stack prevention methods including dropping hips, walking on shoulders, and head positioning.
Volume 6: Under the Legs Retention (Part 2)
Angle prevention and recovery. Knee-freeing escapes on entry, vs double unders, elbow push, single under. Late-stage defense including back turning, north-south transition, and chest quarters. Offensive options from retention: triangle, no-arm triangle, butterfly hooks, mini bar, high knee shield.
Volume 7: The Battle for Control (Initial Contact)
Establishing control from feet-on-biceps and no-grip positions. Individual grip types: sleeve, elbow control, forearm, collar, leg position, ankle, half lasso. Posture-specific responses for upright opponents, forward lean, combat base, and kneeling opponents.
Volume 8: Defense to Offense & Application
Transitions from retention to attack: K Guard entries, armpit window, triangle, armbar, invert combinations. Concludes with narrated rolling demonstrations showing the retention concepts applied in live training, plus specific and general rolling protocols.
Part 2: Through the Legs and Close Range – Overview
Part 2 runs approximately 6 hours across 8 volumes. It addresses the passes that happen once your opponent has already entered your guard and is working through or around your legs at close range.
Passes Covered (Retention Against)
- Knee cut / knee slice defense and retention
- Half guard passes – preventing and recovering from half guard passing attempts
- Smash passes – dealing with heavy pressure passing
- Headquarters position – preventing attacks from headquarters
- Cross knee cut defense
- Over-under pass retention from close range
- Close-range pressure passing defense
Teaching Format
Part 2 mirrors the Part 1 structure: general concepts volumes followed by position-specific volumes. Both Ariel and Lachlan alternate teaching, and the set concludes with narrated rolling footage demonstrating concepts against resisting training partners. One consistent emphasis throughout Part 2 is that retention should lead to counter-attacks, not just survival.
What Reviewers Say
“The most in-depth analysis of the subject of guard retention I’ve ever seen in my grappling life.”
Ognen Dzabirski, BJJ World“It will take you a lot of time to go through it, but it is well worth it – you’ll save yourself years of frustration on the mats.”
Ognen Dzabirski, BJJ World“Must-buy; improved my open guard quickly.”
r/bjj community member“Best value I bought; cohesive system, not random moves.”
r/bjj community member“Chapter one alone improved my guard.”
r/bjj community memberCommunity consensus: The Guard Retention Anthology is repeatedly recommended on r/bjj as the best guard retention resource available. Multiple users report noticeable improvements within their first week of drilling the concepts. The most common praise focuses on the systematic organization – this is a cohesive system with clear progressions, not a random collection of techniques.
Strengths and Weaknesses
What’s Great
- Covers retention against every major pass type: around, under, through, close range
- 9/10 BJJ World rating – the highest-rated guard retention instructional available
- Dual-instructor format with Ariel’s featherweight perspective on retaining against bigger passers
- Teaches offensive guard retention: K Guard entries, triangles, and sweeps from retention
- Includes dedicated flexibility and mobility sections (unique among BJJ instructionals)
- Both Gi and No-Gi covered in a single purchase
- Narrated rolling footage proving the concepts work live
- 500+ organized chapters make specific techniques easy to find and re-drill
What’s Weak
- 13+ hours is a massive time commitment. Priit Mihkelson’s Grilled Chicken system teaches effective retention in a fraction of the time if you want simpler and faster results.
- Some movements (inversions, gangorra) require flexibility that less mobile practitioners may lack. Priit’s posture-based approach avoids this entirely.
- Not white-belt friendly. You need foundational guard knowledge to get value from this. Beginners should learn basic open guard first.
- Part 2’s volume-by-volume breakdown isn’t publicly available, so you’re buying that half somewhat blind.
- Wrestling-based guard retention (dealing with takedown-to-pass sequences) gets less attention than guard-pull scenarios.
- Jon Thomas’ The Open Guard System covers retention as part of a broader offense-first guard system, which some practitioners prefer.
Who Should Buy / Who Should Skip
Buy the bundle if you…
- Constantly get your guard passed and want a systematic fix
- Are a blue belt or above with basic open guard knowledge
- Want coverage of both Gi and No-Gi retention in one purchase
- Like detailed, systems-based instruction with clear progressions
- Want to learn offensive retention (countering from defense to attack)
- Play open guard and face aggressive passers regularly
- Want the most comprehensive retention resource available at any price
Skip the bundle if you…
- Are a white belt still learning how to play basic guard (learn fundamentals first)
- Want a quick, simple retention system (try Priit Mihkelson’s Grilled Chicken instead – simpler, no flexibility demands)
- Have limited flexibility and can’t invert – the Around and Under sections rely heavily on mobility
- Only need retention against one specific pass type (the bundle is overkill – find a position-specific instructional)
- Prefer offense-first guard instruction that includes retention as secondary (Jon Thomas’ Open Guard System may fit better)
- Already subscribe to Submeta – Lachlan’s platform has shorter, updated retention courses that may be enough
Related Lachlan Giles Instructionals
The Guard Retention Anthology fits into Lachlan’s broader “Anthology” series. Here’s how his other instructionals connect:
FAQ – Guard Retention Anthology Bundle
Is the Guard Retention Anthology good for beginners?
Not for complete beginners. You need basic open guard knowledge to benefit from this instructional. Blue belts and above will get the most value. White belts should learn fundamental guard positions first, then return to this once they understand what guard retention means in live rolling.
Should I buy the bundle or just one part?
The bundle saves you about $57 compared to buying both parts separately. Part 1 (Around and Under) covers long-range passing defense, while Part 2 (Through the Legs) covers close-range passes like knee cuts and smash passes. Most guard passing in live rolling happens at close range, so Part 2 may be the more immediately applicable purchase if you can only buy one. But the bundle gives you the complete system.
How does this compare to Priit Mihkelson’s guard retention system?
Priit’s Grilled Chicken system is simpler and doesn’t require athletic mobility. It focuses on prevention through posture and angle rather than reactive technique. Lachlan and Ariel’s anthology is far more comprehensive, covering 500+ chapters across every pass type, and teaches offensive retention (countering from defense). If you want simple and effective, go Priit. If you want a complete system that covers every situation, go with the Anthology.
Is this Gi or No-Gi?
Both. The Guard Retention Anthology explicitly covers Gi and No-Gi applications throughout. Grip variations for gi vs no-gi are noted where relevant, and the retention principles translate between both formats.
How long is the Guard Retention Anthology?
The complete bundle is 13+ hours across 16 volumes with 500+ chapters. Part 1 (Around and Under) runs approximately 7 hours across 8 volumes. Part 2 (Through the Legs and Close Range) runs approximately 6 hours across 8 volumes.
Is the Guard Retention Anthology worth it?
Yes, if you’re serious about fixing your guard retention. BJJ World gave the bundle 9/10, calling it the most in-depth guard retention analysis they’ve ever seen. Reddit users consistently report rapid improvement after drilling the concepts. At ~$197 for the bundle, you’re paying roughly $15 per hour of instruction covering both Gi and No-Gi. The main question is whether you need this level of depth or if a simpler system like Priit Mihkelson’s would be enough for your needs.
Do I need to be flexible for this instructional?
Some techniques in Part 1 (inversions, gangorra movement) benefit from hip and spinal flexibility. Volume 2 includes dedicated flexibility training sections, which is unusual for BJJ instructionals. However, many of the retention concepts work regardless of mobility level. Part 2’s close-range retention is less flexibility-dependent overall.
Does Lachlan Giles teach this on Submeta too?
Lachlan offers shorter, more focused retention courses on Submeta ($25/month): Open Guard Retention (foundation concepts) and Around the Legs Retention (32 videos, ~2 hours). Lachlan himself says the Submeta courses complement rather than replace the BJJ Fanatics anthology. Submeta courses are regularly updated and more digestible, while the anthology is a comprehensive one-time purchase.
Ready to Fix Your Guard Retention?
Lachlan Giles and Ariel Tabak built the most comprehensive guard retention system in BJJ. 16 volumes, 500+ chapters, covering every pass type in both Gi and No-Gi.
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