If you’re caught in closed guard, you need to get out. Do not stay in there longer than you have to. It is a very deceiving place to be. You think you are safe but if you mess up in there it could mean a tap. Always be alert on what your opponent is trying to do and be one step ahead. There are numerous submissions that can be executed from the closed guard. If you happen to be on the receiving end one such submission is the high percentage triangle choke from closed guard where the opponent manages to swing one of his legs past your arm to lock down on your neck with his legs, trapping your neck and your other remaining hand still inside the guard for a killer choke that would put you to sleep if you do not tap out in time.
Once the choke is on it is extremely difficult to get out and the clock is ticking before you pass out. Do not get to that point. The best defence is actually to continuously attempt to pass the guard so that your opponent is more focused on retaining the guard rather than attempting to submit you. If you get lazy and give him time to think that’s when they are more likely to succeed at tapping you out.
Rule number one for defending a triangle is to never put one hand outside the guard. That is exactly what he wants. When attempting to pass the guard always either put both hands in or both hands out. This is the most important detail and if you manage to remember this, you are 90% there to defending the triangle choke already.
If somehow you slipped up and one arm is outside the guard, you have a few moments to salvage the situation by quickly forcing your hand back into the guard. Even if you get your hand in 1/8 of the way in you have a fighting chance of recovering. As soon as you get your hand in don’t just start pushing, sit back as much as you can while you push. This will increase your leverage and give you more wiggle room to push your arm in all the way through until you completely nullify the attack. Do not stop pushing until both arms are either completely in the guard or outside of the guard.
If you are caught in a triangle and the opponent hasn’t started locked it in fully, meaning you still can actually breathe and are in no danger of passing out yet. Bring your head up and look towards the ceiling as hard as you can. This will relieve some pressure on your neck and may even give you some wiggle room to force your hand back in to nullify the attack.
Posturing Up In Triangle Choke: http://aesopian.com/60/johnnys-triangle-escapes/
As a last ditch attempt to recover, if all else fails, you can turn into the triangle choke. If you’re left arm is inside the guard turn left and vice versa for the right arm. This nullifies the attack but the problem with this is it gives the opponent your back which may be worse and gives him the omoplata submission on a silver platter. Whatever it is, it buys you a few more seconds and your opponent may slip up allowing you to actually escape but you should not count on it.
Turning into a choke: http://aesopian.com/60/johnnys-triangle-escapes/
As a beginner, most grapplers do not have a plan B or C if their submission is failing and what you tend to see is people trying desperately to finish a submission even if their chances are slim. In this way the fight becomes very 1 dimensional and you can just focus on nullifying the attack however as you get better you realize that your opponent will have an answer to all the defences listed above and you will then have to respond accordingly. Good luck surviving your next triangle choke encounter in the guard!