93 GUARD

The 93 guard is the closed half-guard variant in which the bottom player traps one of the opponent's arms inside their own legs by locking the trapped arm against the chest with both legs wrapped around the upper torso. The position takes its name from boxer Roy Williams' use of a similar configuration, and was systematized for BJJ by Caio Terra in the late 2000s as part of his lightweight competition game.

The mechanics begin from a knee-shield half guard with the bottom player on their side and an underhook secured. Rather than transitioning to a sweep, the bottom player uses the trapped-leg side hand to control the opponent's near-side wrist and pulls the arm across the body. The bottom-side leg swings up to trap the captured arm against the opponent's own chest, while the other leg wraps around the opponent's upper back to lock the position. The opponent's arm is now isolated and unable to post, frame, or strike.

From 93 guard the primary attacks are the omoplata via the trapped arm, the triangle when the opponent's free arm crosses the centerline, the kimura on the trapped arm, the back take when the opponent attempts to roll away, and various sweeps that exploit the opponent's compromised upper-body control. Caio Terra used the 93 guard extensively in his IBJJF lightweight career, and the position remains a fixture of the modern competitive lightweight game. Defensively the 93 guard is countered by preventing the arm from being captured (keep the elbow tight to the centerline), by stripping the leg lock around the upper back, or by transitioning to a leg drag if the trapped arm can be pulled free.