Donkey Guard in BJJ

Donkey Guard in BJJ: What It Is, Where It Came From, and Why Most Coaches Won’t Teach It First

If you’ve spent enough time down the BJJ YouTube rabbit hole, you’ve probably stumbled across a position that looks less like Jiu-Jitsu and more like a dare: the donkey guard. It’s one of the strangest, most talked-about positions in the sport — equal parts internet curiosity and genuine grappling technique. Here’s the honest story on where it came from, how it works, and why an academy focused on real skill development, like Gracie Lake Norman in Mooresville, NC, treats it very differently than a basic guard like butterfly or closed guard.

What Is Donkey Guard?

Donkey guard is a novelty position where you turn your back to your opponent, drop to your hands, and kick your legs backward to wrap them around your opponent’s midsection — essentially a closed guard in reverse. The name comes from the resemblance to a donkey kicking backward.

Instead of facing your opponent like almost every other guard in Jiu-Jitsu, you’re baiting them forward by presenting your back — normally the single most dangerous thing you can do in a real grappling exchange — and then using a sudden, committed movement to trap them before they can capitalize on the opening.

Where Donkey Guard Came From

Donkey guard was created by BJJ black belt Jeff Glover, who first showed it publicly at the 2011 ADCC tournament. It was originally built as a way to frustrate and bait opponents who were stalling rather than engaging — essentially, a taunt disguised as a technique. Its foundation borrows from kani basami, a scissor-style takedown from judo that’s banned in nearly every grappling ruleset because of the serious knee and ankle injury risk it carries. Donkey guard was developed partly as a way to capture the surprise and function of that takedown without its most dangerous elements.

Since that first appearance, it’s remained a niche, largely trick-and-novelty position rather than a mainstream technique most academies teach as part of a serious curriculum.

Why Most Traditional Academies Don’t Prioritize It

This is where donkey guard differs sharply from positions like butterfly guard or closed guard, and it’s worth being upfront about it:

It’s frequently illegal or disqualifying in competition. Many tournaments, including major IBJJF events, don’t allow the entry sequence into donkey guard, since it closely resembles the banned kani basami takedown. A technique that can get you disqualified isn’t something a serious competitive program is going to build a curriculum around.

It relies on your opponent making a mistake. Donkey guard only works if your opponent takes the bait and rushes forward when you expose your back. Against a disciplined, well-trained opponent, that bait often just doesn’t get taken — and turning your back without a plan is a bad habit for anyone still building fundamentals.

It teaches the opposite instinct beginners actually need. New students spend months learning to never voluntarily give up their back, because back exposure is one of the most dangerous positions in all of grappling. A trick position built entirely around intentionally doing that isn’t the right lesson for someone still developing core instincts.

It’s a specialist’s tool, not a foundation. Even among practitioners who use it, donkey guard functions more like a surprise weapon layered on top of years of solid fundamentals — not something that replaces them.

What This Says About Choosing the Right Academy

Donkey guard is a genuinely interesting piece of BJJ history, and it’s a fun example of how creative the sport can get at the highest levels. But it’s also a good illustration of something important when you’re picking a place to train: flashy, novelty techniques make for entertaining videos, but they’re not what builds a student who can actually defend themselves or compete effectively.

At Gracie Lake Norman, our approach is built the opposite way — fundamentals first, always. Our program is led under the direction of Ranard Brown, a black belt with 24 years of training and competition experience, ranked among the world’s top competitors in Masters No-Gi by the IBJJF, with over 13 years training directly under Royce Gracie and continued mentorship under Luiz Palhares and Rickson Gracie. That lineage traces directly back to the family that built modern Jiu-Jitsu around proven, real-world fundamentals — not internet-famous trick positions.

Students at Gracie Lake Norman build their game on positions that hold up under pressure, in competition, and in real self-defense situations: closed guard, butterfly guard, mount, side control, and the escapes and submissions that come from them. Once those fundamentals are second nature, some students do go on to explore more advanced or unconventional positions — but only after the basics are truly solid.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is donkey guard legal in competition? It depends on the ruleset. Many organizations, including most IBJJF events, prohibit the entry into donkey guard because of its similarity to the banned kani basami takedown, so it’s important to check the specific tournament rules before ever attempting it.

Should beginners try to learn donkey guard? Generally, no. It’s considered a novelty or specialist technique that most coaches introduce only after a student has a strong foundation in fundamental guards and back-defense instincts.

Is donkey guard actually effective? It can be, particularly against opponents who rush forward predictably, but its creator himself has acknowledged it’s more of a taunting tool than a reliable, everyday position.

What should I focus on instead as a new student? Closed guard, butterfly guard, mount, side control, and basic escapes form the real foundation of a strong BJJ game — the same fundamentals every high-level competitor builds on before ever touching novelty positions.

Build Real Fundamentals, Not Just Internet Tricks

Interesting trivia aside, real progress in Jiu-Jitsu comes from fundamentals taught by coaches who’ve actually tested them — not flashy positions borrowed from highlight reels. See what proper, fundamentals-first coaching looks like with a free 7-day trial at Gracie Lake Norman, Mooresville’s No. 1 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy.

📍 148 Lugnut Lane, Ste. 201, Mooresville, NC 28117 📞 (704) 479-1255 ✉️ gracielakenorman@gmail.com

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