2 Part Technique - Marcelo believes the best way to break open the Closed Guard is by standing up, putting the weight of his opponent's own body against the crossed ankles. Of course, your success with this method is directly correlated with how well you deal with the most common reaction to this, the Ankle Pull Sweep. When he grabs onto your heels, simply kick one of them free by circling your foot forward through the gap and out as you uppercut his leg open. If he does happen to trip you backward, use a stiff arm to hold him off as you perform a technical stand back to your feet and face his now open guard.