I need some advice for half guard

Snolla

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I really enjoy half-guard and was wondering if you peeps have any nice fundamental sweeps or subs from half guard? Or even nice quick ways to regain full guard? Half-guard is where I feel the most comfortable after 6 years of grappling. I'm a blue belt probably on the verge of purple in the Grace Barra system.
 
I practice the Lucus Leite style of underhook half guard and find it very effective. It is too much to go over in one thread but Lucus Leite and James Klingerman have both put out good dvds on it. For the times that I can't secure an underhook and get undear my opponent I use the overhook and half butterfly to transition to full butterfly guard. The knee shield is like the home base for half guard where you can safely transition to underhook half guard or back to full guard. If you give more specific problems you are having I can give more specific answers.
 
I practice the Lucus Leite style of underhook half guard and find it very effective. It is too much to go over in one thread but Lucus Leite and James Klingerman have both put out good dvds on it. For the times that I can't secure an underhook and get undear my opponent I use the overhook and half butterfly to transition to full butterfly guard. The knee shield is like the home base for half guard where you can safely transition to underhook half guard or back to full guard. If you give more specific problems you are having I can give more specific answers.

Thank you. I'll look into that system and if I run into any problems when I return to training I'll bump this thread :)
 
I practice the Lucus Leite style of underhook half guard and find it very effective. It is too much to go over in one thread but Lucus Leite and James Klingerman have both put out good dvds on it. For the times that I can't secure an underhook and get undear my opponent I use the overhook and half butterfly to transition to full butterfly guard. The knee shield is like the home base for half guard where you can safely transition to underhook half guard or back to full guard. If you give more specific problems you are having I can give more specific answers.
This is the same way we work our half with a few of Maia’s tweeks. I like to use it to switch between butterfly and x guard.
 
This is a big question- the half guard is the position from which the most sweeps are successfully launched in competition, and it allows easy transitions to other high-percentage sweeping positions like X guard, 1LX, attacking a single leg, butterfly guard, etc

As to re-guarding, it's very simple. Your inability to get back to full guard is determined almost entirely by the top players ability to pin the bottom leg. There are only a handful of ways to pin that leg (most commonly by either sitting on it or posting an arm on it)

You need to a) identify the way they are pinning the bottom leg
and b) remove the thing pinning it, then c) pull your goddam leg out.

For example, someone sitting your your bottom leg. You could
a) use a knee shield to knock them to the back corner, making them sit lighter on your leg
b) insert a butterfly hook, and using the trapped leg to pull them onto the hook, and thus off of your bottom leg. The butterfly hook can then be used to initiate sweeps or just kick them off the trapped leg so you can eject
 
When I wanted to learn half guard, I failed a lot. I learned two different "systems" I couldn't figure out how to apply. This is the first one that worked:



Literally took notes and drilled everything in it, to death.

The most important stuff in the video is the stuff about posture and hand fighting, for both people. If you fight to get your underhook and stay on your side, while blocking their farside arm, and if they can't stop you, they're trying gives you all sorts of sweeps.

Edit: even the old school sweep turned out to be money. When I roll no gi with MMA fighters, even from big gyms, even fit competitors, people always try to kneel on my free arm to pin it. It's like they are doing the first half of the old school sweep for me.
 
Awesome to see how Yazdani finishes from the dogfight. Saw that finish on the Paul Schreiner DVD but it's great to see someone ultra high level actually use it on a game opponent to validate it works.

How does he set it up the second time?
 
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Shelfing the leg is a fairly common method in wrestling of getting the leverage you need to break an opponents strong whizzer and get in position to finish (as it is giving you the back angle).

Straddling the opponents near leg, he keeps his opponent 'thrown by' with the underhook, while shooting his outside leg back and behind, making the space to pull the opponents near leg up into the shelf with his free hand. From there the finish is basically at your discretion.
 
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Hell yeah, I am going to try shelfing. Never used it before.
 
Fighting for undertook is basic fundamental.

For me, personally being up in my elbow/hand and extending my hips (and therefore my frame/shield) into my opponent to create space to get my bottom leg out is the easiest way to reguard. When opponent pushes back into the shield extension it sets up lots of sweeps subs and off balancing by sucking the shield back in (going with his force instead of against) often making a reguard or better available(for me I often go dhg from here)
 
I really enjoy half-guard and was wondering if you peeps have any nice fundamental sweeps or subs from half guard? Or even nice quick ways to regain full guard? Half-guard is where I feel the most comfortable after 6 years of grappling. I'm a blue belt probably on the verge of purple in the Grace Barra system.
John Wayne Sweep.
 
Eat boiled eggs the day before you try this...right before you try a sweep, fart. It'll throw the other guy off and he might barf. There's actually a video of this technique on youtube. You're welcome.
 
I really enjoy half-guard and was wondering if you peeps have any nice fundamental sweeps or subs from half guard? Or even nice quick ways to regain full guard? Half-guard is where I feel the most comfortable after 6 years of grappling. I'm a blue belt probably on the verge of purple in the Grace Barra system.
All you need to know about half guard:

1: Stay on your side.
2: Block the crossface with one hand, and go forearm under the throat with the other.
3: Keep your hips disconnected from your opponent's hips with a knee shield.
4: You don't need to cross your feet. In fact, crossing your feet can anchor yourself to your opponent and make you easier to flatten.
5: Your arm that is blocking the crossface? Once you've established a knee shield, post on to your elbow, then on to your hand, while keeping your other forearm in his throat.

Congratulations, you can now easily recover your trapped leg and return to full guard.
 
All you need to know about half guard:

1: Stay on your side.
2: Block the crossface with one hand, and go forearm under the throat with the other.
3: Keep your hips disconnected from your opponent's hips with a knee shield.
4: You don't need to cross your feet. In fact, crossing your feet can anchor yourself to your opponent and make you easier to flatten.
5: Your arm that is blocking the crossface? Once you've established a knee shield, post on to your elbow, then on to your hand, while keeping your other forearm in his throat.

Congratulations, you can now easily recover your trapped leg and return to full guard.
DOG FIGHT! DOG FIGHT! DOG FIGHT! DOG FIGHT! DOG FIGHT! DOG FIGHT! DOG FIGHT! DOG FIGHT! DOG FIGHT! DOG FIGHT! DOG FIGHT! DOG FIGHT!
 
You've done a great work with this.
I really appreciate that. It's definitely a work in progress, but people tell me that they get ideas and information from this, so let's go with it!
 
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