Greatest Half Guard Thread Ever

[BJJ Beginner]

Originally Posted by Zankou

I also just got the Robson 2 set, and I must agree -- goddamn! Finally somebody put out a unified, top-notch set on a lot of the advanced modern half guard concepts and positions that are talked about in this thread. Instead of having to slowly work things out for ourselves, Robson delivers mind blowing details on everything from what he calls "93 guard" to deep half guard to z guard.

Quite true. If his no-gi set is as good as his gi sets, and if Jeff Glover's upcoming set is as good as I'm hoping it'll be...

[nrs02004]

Originally Posted by esila

I may be off here, but are you attempting to transition directly to deep half guard with no hooks in? You are saying that you "can't get your other knee inside his leg". Are you saying that you don't have two legs around one leg before you transitioned into the deep half? I'm interpreting that you are attempting to transition from something like under side-control directly to deep half. Be sure to create space and recover at least long distance half or z - guard before attempting to transition deep underneath them.

I would first ensure that I have at most my bottom leg hook in. Once you attempt to shrimp deep and underhook the far leg (traffic copping, shin across chest included), you have to work on your hip / leg movement. Learn the pendulum motions and how to swing your legs / hips to shift your opponent's base over and back, side to side. Again, try not to "chill" and give your opponent a chance to recover - keep active and don't let them settle! Hope this helps!

I think I didn't do a good job of explaining what I meant I have half guard, I hook his free leg at the knee with my paw arm. Then I rock under him. Now however, if I try to prop myself up on an elbow and stand up (thus hopefully sweeping him), he bases on his non-crossface side arm and the leg my legs are hooked around. So what I like to do is take my inside leg (if i have his right leg trapped, then my right leg) and stick it under his leg with my shin against the inside of his knee, with my knee pointing the same direction his chest is, so that I can scissor his leg cutting his base and sweeping him. However I have a lot of trouble getting my knee in there.

Moura has a short section on doing this in his second dvd (that I saw after posting my question). He says just grab the pant leg and lift it with your hand. Or feed the sleeve of the hand he bases on to your hooking hand. These seem like pretty good solutions, and i'm going to give them a shot on the mat tomorrow.

Anyhow, thanks for responding, I'll let you know how it goes! I plan on spending a while in this thread, as I feel like more and more often I end up in half guard... :0)

[esila]

Originally Posted by nrs02004

I think I didn't do a good job of explaining what I meant I have half guard, I hook his free leg at the knee with my paw arm. Then I rock under him. Now however, if I try to prop myself up on an elbow and stand up (thus hopefully sweeping him), he bases on his non-crossface side arm and the leg my legs are hooked around. So what I like to do is take my inside leg (if i have his right leg trapped, then my right leg) and stick it under his leg with my shin against the inside of his knee, with my knee pointing the same direction his chest is, so that I can scissor his leg cutting his base and sweeping him. However I have a lot of trouble getting my knee in there.

Moura has a short section on doing this in his second dvd (that I saw after posting my question). He says just grab the pant leg and lift it with your hand. Or feed the sleeve of the hand he bases on to your hooking hand. These seem like pretty good solutions, and i'm going to give them a shot on the mat tomorrow.

Anyhow, thanks for responding, I'll let you know how it goes! I plan on spending a while in this thread, as I feel like more and more often I end up in half guard... :0)

No problem, great to hear your attention to detail with everything - as you can tell this thread has a lot of it I see what you're saying about now, and what I would recommend is that if he really is that content on sitting back with his base, then you should get more of a swinging pendulum motion, and rock hard to the left, and try to really bring his near knee up on your shoulder / chest so that he has to "superman" his base out forward. This should take enough weight off the legs so you can start maneuvering your legs into the proper position. You have an additional option from here - get the leg that was "shin across his chest" inside the knee and use your former bottom hook as a pendulum - x-guard lifting single takedown. This is actually much easier to explain through a visual:

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nlY0TA7bZng&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nlY0TA7bZng&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Check out 3:30 - Glover will use a series of up down / side to side bridging motions to get his base off balance, and the x-guard sweep will come at the end for a truly beautiful sweep.

Hope this helps!

[esila]

This is mainly a question to codemonkey and zankou (and anyone else who owns the RM 93 Guard set):

From 93 guard, what else have you been using to react to when your opponent hooks through your top leg from the outside-in? Moura shows the rolling triangle / omoplata from there, and god knows I love to play inverted guard whenever I'd like, however I would like to maintain 93 guard and stay offensive from there without giving up position.

For now I've been trying several things - transition to regular half guard, use my bottom hook to create space, use top foot to push hips away, then pull back in and regain 93 guard. I'll also hold their near wrist (after they snake it through my legs) and pull harder with the collar grip to put knee pressure in their chest (which they don't like), however I'd like to hear your options from there.

[codemonkey76]

Originally Posted by esila

This is mainly a question to codemonkey and zankou (and anyone else who owns the RM 93 Guard set):

From 93 guard, what else have you been using to react to when your opponent hooks through your top leg from the outside-in? Moura shows the rolling triangle / omoplata from there, and god knows I love to play inverted guard whenever I'd like, however I would like to maintain 93 guard and stay offensive from there without giving up position.

For now I've been trying several things - transition to regular half guard, use my bottom hook to create space, use top foot to push hips away, then pull back in and regain 93 guard. I'll also hold their near wrist (after they snake it through my legs) and pull harder with the collar grip to put knee pressure in their chest (which they don't like), however I'd like to hear your options from there.

take the sleeve grip, escape your hips, shoot your bottom leg through so they have passed their guard, and hook their leg and roll them over the top for the sweep. Or pull your bottom leg out and switch to spider.

but i love the rolling triangle/omo combo, and i am working on it heaps.

[Zankou]

Originally Posted by esila

This is mainly a question to codemonkey and zankou (and anyone else who owns the RM 93 Guard set):

From 93 guard, what else have you been using to react to when your opponent hooks through your top leg from the outside-in? Moura shows the rolling triangle / omoplata from there, and god knows I love to play inverted guard whenever I'd like, however I would like to maintain 93 guard and stay offensive from there without giving up position.

For now I've been trying several things - transition to regular half guard, use my bottom hook to create space, use top foot to push hips away, then pull back in and regain 93 guard. I'll also hold their near wrist (after they snake it through my legs) and pull harder with the collar grip to put knee pressure in their chest (which they don't like), however I'd like to hear your options from there.

I just switch to quarter guard. It is not a problem if their arm grips through. Grab the sleeve, and you will have a looping spider control. Here is the quarter:



It only becomes a problem if their arm grips through AND your leg is driven flat. If they do that, you are still okay however. Just remember to keep the collar grip, go to your knees, and sit back to create "eshpace."

I don't really insist too much on any particular "free leg" position. 93 guard, quarter guard, half butterfly, half spider, z guard, doesn't really matter much. Whatever's available is fine. Point is, I never play half guard anymore except from a distance with a separate control by the top leg, or "deep".

[esila]

Thanks for your suggestions thus far zankou and codemonkey. Rolled tonight, and as Zankou mentioned, I pretty much just stuck to quarter guard and maintained good distance.

Also hit the backroll sweep today - and as mentioned earlier in the thread this sweep is pretty much always accompanied by "oohs" and "aahs" by observers around

Another note: threatening the crucifix and pushing your top knee outward towards their elbow is a great way to get that arm moving and setting up a transition to traditonal half guard with underhook on that side.

[esila]

How's this for fusion - rolled last night against one of the upper belts and put it all together:

- Started with 93 guard fencing off his crossface attempts. Transitioned to traditional underhook game and lockdown strategy (looking for old school sweep). Starting to get smashed and flattened out . . .

- Went to Robson's "new game" half guard (where he keeps the shallow leg hooks in). This helped out a LOT in changing my distance back out to 93 guard.

- Swam under, traffic cop, pendulum legs to deep half guard and started to work my leg hooks for the x-guard single sweep. While my opponent was attempting to avoid those hooks, I was able to put his far leg in a lockdown.

- From there, he was already super-manned out - finished with electric chair submission.

Fused Moura, Glover, Marcelo, and Bravo, with Bravo getting the finisher

[marbowers]

Just watched Vince's Lost Techniques of the Half-Guard.

Greatest and most revolutionary thing to happen to half-guard since Gordo.

Get this DVD.

[shoyoroll]

Originally Posted by marbowers

Just watched Vince's Lost Techniques of the Half-Guard.

Greatest and most revolutionary thing to happen to half-guard since Gordo.

Get this DVD.

to kind brotha. Thank you for the support. If you have any questions on an of the techniques shoot me an email at vinceq@shoyoroll.com