[Aesopian]

Continuing the "Aesopian is more awesome than you'll ever be" trend, I've decided to post a half guard sweep I've had sitting around for a while now. Or maybe it's a half butterfly guard sweep. You decide while I just go with that title anyway:

• Half butterfly guard sweep.

One point I want to bring to your attention is how I've fallen deeply in love with this position.



For the longest time, I kept trying to do the "underhook-and-take-the-back" half guard because that's how it's usually taught, and I've seen a lot of guys do well with it. I've even done pretty well with it. But I got really tired of the fight for the underhook and getting my head crossfaced off when more often than not I found myself on the losing end of the underhook battle.

Eduardo teaches putting the hook in when that happens because it helps you create space and prevent them from passing. So I just went with this and it quickly became a huge part of my game. With the hook in from half guard (what some call "half butterfly guard") I can now unite my three favorite guards: half, butterfly and x-guard. You can get to this position from any of those guard, and you can pass through this position to go from any one of them to the other.

Here's an example. Let's say you're trying this sweep and you get to about here...



...but he somehow makes posture, maybe freeing his trapped arm and trying to stand up. I'll use this moment to put in my other hook for x-guard.

I needn't even really try to sweep to do this either. Let's say I have half guard and the underhook but I'm just so cool that I put the hook in too. Now I can just underhook his far leg and frame against his hip as I scoot my hips under him and I'll get enough room to stick the other hook in.

Oh, and there's another position people like to call "half butterfly guard", but it's a largely retarded position that only works if you're going against someone with bad guard passing. But that's for another thread. Or probably later in this one.

[The Jake]

I am still trying to work my half guard game. I usually try and slip out from the back and either roll or take their back but its usually pretty bloody obvious. Other is to try a sweep, which I really need to work more on...

- J.

[Loaf10]

I like this, i am going to start trying to use it. thanks great thread

[GordoH]

I like this. I don't really like the loss of the underhook but this kind of sweep makes sense to me because you can trap their posting arm.

Wheras this half guard sweep confuses me:

http://www.bjj.org/techniques/thetec...alfGuardSweep/

It only works because the top guy passes his hand to grab the lapel. Not everyone does this in fact usually people use that arm to post.

Cool stuff anyways.

[Aesopian]

I'm not saying you should just give up on getting the underhook from half guard since that's still a great strategy. This is just a great way to counter when you don't get it. And you can play with putting the hook even when you do have the underhook.

[Sherdog_Mutt]

Aesopian, there's another great sweep from that position. Simply reach down with your arm. opposite from the opponent's trapped leg, grab his pant leg around the knee area. Scoot your hips directly underneath him (one of the few times you want your back flat on the mat). Now kick up your hook, yank his pant leg, and sit up at the same time.

I like to alternate the sweep that you showed with the one above.

[NeelyWCU]

i use that sweep...but instead of coming same side, i would sweep right in that case (it looks like your going left?) and take out his post arm (his left arm)...only problem with that is if you dont hook his leg while u put in your hook...and u go to sweep, your basically passing your own guard

but i shall try this

[Zankou]

Awesome. This is the game I want to start playing -- it seems to be evolving rapidly, people are working out the details of the half/quarter/x guard butterfly hybrid. Have you thought about putting together a series on how to play it? Stephen Kesting or someone else would no doubt post it on a website.

When you refer to the lame half butterfly guard, what do you mean?

Also, do you ever go for that overhook where you overhook high and grab the collar, rather than the belt?

All your advice on this way of playing guard is awesome and much appreciated.

[TheHighlander]

I find that I get cross-faced a lot when I try to underhook their leg. Well maybe not a lot, but I tear through the guys that don't crossface so it's hard to pay attention to them.

[Aesopian]

I'm sure there are people more qualified to explain this game than me around. I just do OK with this sweep. Maybe I'll do some more once I feel I've worked out this guard as a whole better. I'm still refining it.

The lame half butterfly guard I'm talking about is when you have one hook in and the other around them like closed guard. That's either a butterfly guard half passed, or a closed guard half passed. You can sometimes do OK stalling for a moment there but it's just a bad position. You're better off returning to full guard or butterfly. In fact, most of my butterfly passes involve putting people in this position since it kills one of their hooks.

I usually only go for a high overhook and grab the collar when I start from butterfly guard. It can be hard to get the grip when someone is crushing from half guard. I think Eddie Bravo does this once or twice in The Twister and calls the sweeps he gets with it "100% Jean-Jacques". JJ teaches a lot of stuff like this, and my instructor (who got his blue and purple under JJ) said he drilled them heavily on putting the hook in since it can really save you from half guard.

If you're interested in learning more of this game, I recommend picking up Gustavo Machado's half guard DVD and any of x-guard and sweeps DVDs on Garcia's sets. Most other half guard instructionals (Gordo, Saulo, Ze Mario, Bob Bass) focus on the underhook game or just don't use the butterfly hook much. Stephan's buttefly and x-guard set is great too, and Tinginha's sitting guard DVD is good from what I hear.