In a conversation on Episode 26 of GalvaoCast, Lachlan Giles outlined his philosophy on guard selection and specialization in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, offering a clear explanation of how his competitive approach developed over time.
Reflecting on his long path through different systems, Giles said:
“I’ve played a lot of different styles, which I think actually, I mean, it took me like 17 years of training to get that ADCC medal.”
Despite that timeline, he offered direct advice for newer competitors:
“I think the fastest way to get good quick is actually to almost forget about most things and just narrow down on a particular style.”
He explained that focused repetition accelerates progress:
“I think in like five years you could train really hard and just say, I’m just going to do this type of guard, this general style of passing and this type of finish. You could probably get yourself to a very high level quick.”
Giles acknowledged that his own development followed a different path, driven more by curiosity than efficiency:
“I suppose I’ve maybe, out of boredom, often done something and then kind of got a bit bored. I used to be underhook half guard, then shin to shin and single leg X and spider guard. There’s been all sorts of things.”
For Giles, the real obstacle for most practitioners is optionality:
“One of the biggest problems in jiu jitsu is there’s too many different things you can choose. How many guards can you name? Like 30 different guards. I think a lot of people try to learn the 30 different guards and they’re not good at any of them.”
His recommendation is to commit to a narrow, connected system:
“It’s probably better to go, okay, I’m going to have a half guard system and I’ll just be the half guard guy for now. Then I’ll have a style of passing I like and a way to finish the match.”
That focus, he explained, creates linearity through your jiu jitsu.
He stressed that techniques should connect into a coherent structure rather than exist in isolation:
“If you have a good strategy in jiu jitsu, it should be unavoidable. You don’t want to be good at this move over here and another move over there, but they don’t connect.”
When expanding beyond an initial specialty, Giles advised choosing complementary positions:
“Ideally, you could work on something that complements that instead of something totally different.”
When competition approaches, that focus tightens even further:
“When I’m getting ready for competition, I kind of narrow it down. You’re either going to have to deal with my K guard, my choi bar or a direct 50 50 entry.”
With dozens of guards available, depth matters more than range. Commit to a small set of connected positions and build mastery rather than chasing everything at once.
