Articles in the half guard Category
Here are the 2 techniques to open the closed guard from class this week. The first one, the “Lunge” does not require the player inside the closed guard to stand up. the second on, the “Sleeve ‘n Stand”, does.
“The Lunge”:
Grab the gi above belt and hold. you don’t need to apply pressure. (Keep your elbow on the inside of your opponents leg to avoid an oma plata.)
With your other hand, grab your opponents waist above their hip, and place your elbow inside their thigh. (This hand will be opening the guard and checking their hip.)
Nest, put your knee, on the gi grip side, next to their tailbone.
Open the guard by kicking the other leg back, like a “lunge”, posting on your toes on that leg, and then rotating your heel down as you twist your hips and push with the tailbone knee to pop the guard open.
“The Sleeve ‘n Stand”:
Start this pass by securing the lapels grip, but this time turn your palm so that your knuckle face your opponent and your palm is down. You will be using this hand to keep them down, should they try to pop up as you stand.
With your free hand, grab one of their sleeves by rolling your fingers under the outside of their sleeve and turning your palm up as you close your fist.
Pull this sleeve grip up to your hip, keeping your elbow inside their thigh.
Stand by rocking laterally and planting your sleeve-grip side foot and then stepping up with the other one. (Always step with the sleeve-grip side foot first to avoid the sweep.)
Once you are standing, release the lapels and grab the inside of their knee with that hand.
To open the guard, lean away from the knee as you straighten that arm. Once the arm is locked, lean down on that knee to pop the guard open.
*You must maintain posture or neither of these will work.
half guard, judo, Kettle Bells, Main, Mount, Oma Plata, passing, Side Control, videos »
*There is no real reason this should be called the Dancer Sweep, except for introducing some diversity into our naming conventions. (That, and the fact that it may very vaguely resemble an 80′s era Yo MTV Raps move. The move where a person grabs their own ankle while standing and kicks their hip forward with that leg.)
This move is a sweep from half guard. It is performed when you are on bottom and your opponents starts walking their trapped leg up to do a knee through pass.
1. When their foot is close enough for you to grab with your top hand, grab it.
2. now move your top leg up above their knee on their trapped leg and lock a figure four with your legs.
3. post on your bottom elbow as you bridge your hips up, pushing their knee back as you hold the ankle for the sweep. This will force your opponent to sit back or they will hurt their ankle (be mindful of their ankle.)
4. Finish on top in their half guard, or push their top knee out and escape yoru leg for side control.
half guard, sweep »
Thanks, Walker. This is a cool pass and it is always nice to learn things that work both Gi and NoGi.
This is a lower body pass, involving controlling your opponents legs, tripod-ing, freeing your trapped leg, and ending in side control.
Start From Half-Guard Top, your right leg is trapped in Half-Guard :
1 – Dive your head down, end posting on it with your left ear on your opponents left hip, and putting heavy pressure on your opponents solar plexus. (be heavy to prevent choke attempts)
2 – lock your wrists around your opponents legs. Try to be between their hips and knees, but closer to their knees.
3 – squeeze your arms together to weaken their leg clamp on your trapped leg.
4 – kick your trapped leg back and move to side control.
5 – Back-turn, scoot your back up their body and prepare to mount
Option starting from closed guard:
A – grab opponents armpits. lunge knees forward, like you’re doing squats. Repeat this until their guard opens.
B – Push their right knee down with your left hand, while you pin their left hip with heavy pressure from your right hand.
C – pass into half guard, go to 1 above and start.
Gi, half guard, nogi, passing, Side Control »
In general in BJJ, if is very good to be aware of they direction your hips are pointing in relationship to you opponent. These half guard passes are no different. We’ll go over 4 variations.
But first one critical point: As Saulo Ribeiro says “The problem is not the pass, it’s how you start the pass.” It’s easy to think of half guard as a transitional position that you’re in while you’re on your way into a better one. However you think of half guard, you have to remember that even though you may be excited about geting closer to a dominant position, you still have to be smart and cannot afford to rush things. Back to Saulo’s wisdom…You have to remember to start you pass properly. This means flattening your opponent. Your opponent should be flat on their back before you start your pass.
Start in Half Guard. You are on top trying to pass. Your right leg is in their half guard.
1. – Flatten your opponent. Under hook them with your top (left) arm and grab their collar behind their neck as you circle your hips towards them. (you’re stepping into them on your knees)
2 – Once they are flat, “back turn”. Flop onto your outside hip and face their legs with your chest. Move your left arm grip down to their belt or the waist of their pants. With your other arm, apply pressure with your forearm to their top knee. From here, there are 3 options:
#1 – BACKTURN to MOUNT
IF they do not have an under hook with their top arm THEN
3 – Scoot your butt up towards their armpit on your near side and creep your elbow up on the far side as you try to elevate their arm and fold it over their face. As you go, grab their gi with your hand so that they cannot push your elbow down. When your armpit is just below their chin, reach around with that arm and grab the back of their collar, trapping their arm against their face. This is very uncomfortable for your opponent.
4. drop your trapped leg knee on the other side of their hips as you sit up to mount.
5. With your free ankle, press down on the top of their thighs to free your trapped ankle.
6. you now have the mount. Why not finish with a head and arm?
#2 – BACKTURN to SIDE CONTROL
IF they get and under hook THEN (You were going for #3 above but somehow their arm escaped and they got an under hook with their top arm)
4. Quickly under hook their under hook with your top arm and reach behind their neck and grab their collar.
5. Over hook their bottom arm with your other arm, judo side control style. as you post out with your free leg and turn your hips to face their head.
6. slide your trapped knee forward towards you posting foot. * If you need to free it, use your free foot to apply pressure to their legs where they are crossed. This will open up their half guard and free your legs.
7. End up in side control.
#3 – BACKTURN to NORTH SOUTH
IF they have an under hook way back at step 2, when you have reached back to grab their belt THEN (Remain back turned for the entire pass)
3. Try to keep their under hook trapped against their body as you scoot your butt up towards their armpit.
4. free your knee of the trapped leg by walking your foot up towards their butt. And pressing down on their bottom knee.
5. When your knee is free, pop the knee of your free leg in between your trapped leg and their hips.
6. pop the trapped leg out and circle to north south or establish side control.
#3 – SWITCH SIDES to SIDE CONTROL
IF they have a deep under hook way back at step 2 THEN
3. Over hook their top arm and grab the back of their jacket in the middle of their back.
4.Rotate your trapped leg so that it is parallel top their spine.
5.Post out with your free leg as you pop-up and sit onto of their top leg just above the knee.
6. Kick your free leg over, while you keep your head close to their chest pinning them down on their back as you switch sides.
7. Once you have cleared to their other side, grab their top knee with your free hand and scoot your butt up and frre your leg.
8. End in side control on their opposite side.
Key points:
Must flatten opponent before you start your half-guard pass.
Separating your opponents elbow from their side greatly weakens their ability to defend. (In the above examples, you do this by scooting your butt up towards their armpit and by creeping your own elbow up underneath theirs)
Sometimes it helps to start a pass with your end position in mind as your goal. “Okay I am starting this pass (#1) and I am going to end up mounted. Oh crap. They just got an under hook. Now I am going to change my plan and end up in side control. #2.”
