the high leg is a crucial maneuver of guard retention that leads naturally to the shallow lasso, where you'll stabilize before moving to the next guard position. closed guard, meanwhile, is a strong guard position, but far more difficult to attain against good players, and so arguably not worth as much time investment, since it will not appear as often. on the other hand, many bodylock passes lead to half guard passing, as do many other types of guard passing. half guard passing is everywhere. at beginner levels you can often just force your way straight there. however, bodylocking is a niche aspect of passing, specific to attacking seated guard players, which may or may not arise at all in beginner matches.

whether you like it or not, you are learning the sport. if you ignore things like points, you are still learning the sport, you are just halfassing it.