Category: Half Guard Passes
Passing Half Guard
Half guard is essentially a neutral position. Sweeps, Passes and Submissions are available to both top and bottom position. So if you find yourself caught in somebody’s half guard it’s no time to relax. You’ll want to pin them on their back; don’t let them stay up on their elbow. Once you’ve flattened them out you’ll need to stop them burrowing underneath you ideally with a underhook. From here you can start to pass.
Escape the Lockdown
How to Escape The Lockdown Without Damaging Your ACL.
Three excellent techniques for safely escaping from the lockdown and passing half guard.
D’arce Choke From Half Guard Top Position
How to do the Tightest D’arce Choke
Edwin Najmi teaches us how to move from top position in half guard to lock up a terrifyingly tight D’arce Choke. The big tip here is, once your in position, clench your elbows together to tighten up your D’arce. This one tip will save you a huge amount of useless squeezing and get you a tap much quicker, leaving you fresh and ready to roll again. There’s nothing worse than burning out your arms getting a tap in your first roll. And then losing the next three while you’re recovering. Learn where to apply your effort to get the greatest effect, with the least energy expended.
Half Guard Pass to Triangle from Marcelo Garcia
See How Marcelo Garcia Passes Half Guard & Attacks With a Triangle
Widely considered to be one of the best to ever do it. Marcelo Garcia takes us through the half guard pass to triangle choke combo that helped him win the ADCC World Championship in 2011.
Before Marcelo even starts to pass he first tights up the most suffocating top position you’ll ever see from half guard. It’s usually a 50/50 position, but the way Marcelo does it, he’s definitely in the dominant position. He explains you’ll have to walk your way up the body and work hard to get that position. Then you can begin to pass.
How Marcelo Garcia passes half guard.
Starting from the dominant half guard described above. First bring your shin up onto their hooking leg. Then Marcelo uses his whole body to push. Keeping the head trapped, he stands up on the shin. Before violently straightening his body without releasing the gable grip around the head and arm an inch.
This breaks the half guard and you should get through to mount.
Transition from half guard pass into a triangle from mount.
If you’re opponent gets their arm inside your knee at this point squeeze in tight with your knees and arms, stay low, and consolidate the mount. Keeping your hips low and your gable grip tight inch your hips towards their head. Stay as low as possible. Once your knees are up to the shoulder pull then up as you come up to lunge position with one knee on the ground and the other bent 90 degrees with you foot at their head. Take that foot under the back of their neck. Then roll forward towards side of the choking wrap the knee around the ankle and you have a triangle from mount.
Half Guard Pass to Kimura
Turn Defence into Attack
Why settle for simply passing half guard when you can grab a sneaky kimura as well? Tom breaks it down in an easy to understand video.
How to use a Kimura to pass half guard.
Start by bring your free leg in close to his cutting out his space to move. And changing the angle, getting your spines out of alignment. Now when you opponent sits up reaching for the underhook wrap your close arm over his trapping the upper arm, them use your hip to drive his shoulders to the mat.
Once he’s on his back use your other hand to grab the wrist. Don’t be tempted to go for the Kimura from here. Be patient. Keep holding his wrist, and use your other hand over the top to secure the grip.
If he opens his legs to bridge at this point then move to side control. If not, keep you grip on the wrist with both hands. Try and use your elbow to push his leg down and free your knee. As soon as the knee is free, point your toes and drive the knee straight up to the ceiling. Thus freeing your leg and moving to half guard. Because you have the arm your body will be on it’s side across your opponents. And your top leg should be bent at 90 degrees (engine up). This prevents them from rolling you over and gives you the base you need to push off. Violently drive their elbow to the floor, and take your prefered Kimura grip. Tom favours a jar grip, but most will use a more traditional fingers over the wrist Kimura grip (with no thumb). Step your north leg (the one closest to their head) out past their head, and push off it to slowly effect the Kimura.
How to Do The Perfect Jiu Jitsu Half Guard Pass
Half Guard Pass Variations
John Danaher explains how to pass a strong half guard in incredible detail with several variations.
- 7:25 Crossface pass to 3/4 mount when underhooked
- 10:05 3/4 mount crossface pass
- 12:15 Crossface pass to 3/4 mount repeat
- 14:25 Back up to failed 3/4 mount pass
- 19:05 Crossface lateral movement importance
Joe Rogan Half Guard Pass To Back
Use The Lockdown & Take the Back While Passing Half Guard
We’ve all been stuck trying to pass a strong half guard, struggling to free that leg. How about don’t? Joe Rogan shows off his favorite half guard pass. Instead of struggling to free the leg, Joe uses the lock down to, then rolls to take the back take of MMA legend Bas Rutten.
5 Half Guard Passes
Tripod Passes From Half Guard
Gustavo Gasperin shows us 5 great tripod passes from Half Guard.