So you want to master the Half Guard, that’s excellent because it’s a dominant position that allows you many options, such as finishing the fight by going for a submission, from both the top and bottom!
This article will review the Half Guard and explain its basics. This will be the first part of this article: it’s going to be entirely about its basics and how to start getting your first wins using it.
But that’s not all. This post will also give many examples of proper uses of Half Guard in real fights and competitions. You’ll be able to start implementing the basics I present and see how they play out in the real world and in BJJ.
So this is what this article will cover—in short. What it’ll also do is cover many novice mistakes grapplers make when first learning the Half Guard. You want to become aware of these mistakes and start paying attention to them.
Because eventually, the more you know, the more capable of a grappler you’ll be.
So without further ado, let’s dive in!
Half Guard Basics
The first part of this article will review the basics of the Half Guard. These are things you must know to call yourself a competent user of this dominant position. And as you might know, being a competent user of the Half Guard will translate into more wins, which then translate into more motivation to learn more and remain dedicated.
So this is why I’ve decided to list this section as the first one. You want to implement the basics I’ll present to ensure you understand how this works.
But there’s one more thing you need to know, which I want to emphasize. Getting your first wins with the Half Guard—will be crazy motivating.
The more wins you’ll get, the more eager you’ll be to continue training and learning—so you can get more wins under your belt. Indeed, a rewarding cycle.
Have the opponent’s leg between your legs
The first basic, also the most obvious one, is to have one of the opponent’s legs between your legs. This is the basics of the basics of the Half Guard, no matter which variation you learn.
All the Half Guard variations out there start and end with this rule. One of the opponent’s legs will be between your legs. So like the Closed Guard, but half!
If you want to learn about the Closed Guard and what it is—follow this link. Learning it before the Half Guard is wiser, as it’s the foundation for all the Guard positions.
Remember, when you hear the word Half Guard, think about having one leg between your two legs.
Squeeze your thighs
Now that one of the opponent’s legs is between your legs—you want to gain more control by squeezing your thighs inward. This does two things: (1) gets you more control while limiting the opponent’s maneuverability, and (2) forces you to be more technical.
Indeed, when you squeeze your thighs inward, what you are doing is forcing yourself to maneuver the opponent using your technical abilities. If you release this inward pressure, you won’t be forced to stick with this dominant position and allow your opponent space to escape.
This reminds me of something I heard once about the Full Mount position. Many BJJ coaches teach their students to squeeze their knees in when they’re in Mount. This works on the same principle, it limits the opponent’s maneuverability.
If you want to read about the Full Mount position and how to use it effectively and properly, follow this link.
So squeeze your thighs to ensure more pressure and control.
The opponent wants you flat on your back
The opponent’s aim is to get an underhook and a cross-face. Always remember that this is what the opponent wants when you’re in your traditional Half Guard.
Now that you know the opponent’s aim, you can counter his offensive moves. For instance, once you’re in your Half Guard, you want to counter the opponent’s tries to get an underhook and a cross-face.
Alright, so how do you prevent that? The best way to prevent the underhook—is to keep your elbow tight to your body. Slide your arm across your belly and tighten it to your body. You’ll see how the opponent is incapable of underhooking your arm and gaining control.
But what about the cross-face? The most suitable way you can go about it is by blocking the opponent’s arm with your hand. You’re essentially framing yourself, but without touching the mat.
So, to recap, to avoid being flat on your back—you want to (1) use your hand to block the opponent’s arm, and (2) send your elbow toward your hips and tighten it to your body, preventing a future underhook.
Get an underhook
Now that we know what the opponent wants, let’s see what you want to get.
One of the things you want to get is an underhook on the opponent’s back. Essentially, you want to wrap your arm under the opponent’s arm and grab his back. What this does is allows you more control, which you want to accept.
Remember, BJJ is all about control. The more you have, the more likely you’re to win the fight by going for a submission, for instance. But if you don’t have enough control, you won’t be able to maneuver the opponent and get the tap.
So getting an underhook is something you want to strive for.
The best place you can be in is on your side
As the title suggests, you want to be on your side, and not flat on your back. You probably understand why this is the case. The primary goal with this goal is not to give the opponent and unnecessary advantages and control.
When you’re on your back and in Half Guard—you’re less likely to succeed in getting more control. However, when you’re on your side with an underhook, you’ll be much more likely to be in a suitable position to execute a submission (which we’ll review later) and finish the fight.
So be on your side and not flat on your back.
Check out the video below to understand the power of the Half Guard!
How to Finish From Half Guard
This section of the article will be about how to finish from the Half Guard position. We’ll examine 4 submissions and explain how you can start using them in your BJJ game.
It’s one thing to gain control by using this position and another thing to submit the opponent. These are two separated parts you must train to become a sound user of the Half Guard.
It’s critical to learn, understand, and practice these submissions. So without further ado, let’s dive into the 1st one!
#1 – Kneebar From Bottom Half Guard
The first submission we’ll cover is the Kneebar. If you’re unfamiliar with it, it’s time to learn it. However, do know that you won’t be able to use it in competitions if you’re under the brown belt. So, if you’re a white, blue, or purple belt—you won’t be able to use it in competitions.
However, I still believe that familiarizing yourself with the Kneebar (and other leg locks) is critical to your BJJ game. You should strive to keep learning as much as possible because knowledge is power and control!
Here’s how to perform this Kneebar from the bottom Half Guard position properly:
- Start in the Half Guard position
- Grip the opponent’s collar
- Push yourself under the opponent
- Overhook the opponent’s leg
- Rotate yourself while pushing the opponent
- Lock the opponent’s leg
- Turn to the side
- Apply pressure
- Wait for the tap
As you can see, it’s not that hard to execute. If you want to master the Kneebar from other variations, follow this link!
#2 – Guillotine From Top Half Guard
The next submission we’ll review is the Guillotine from the top. If you’re unfamiliar with this choke, you’re likely a novice grappler, which is totally fine. We all have more to learn, so we’re all novices in a sense.
Anyways, the Guillotine choke is one of BJJ’s most widespread submissions. You want to get comfortable using the Guillotine when you’re a white belt, as it’s a submission that’ll serve you for your entire BJJ career.
So here’s how to perform the Guillotine Choke from top Half Guard:
- Start in top Half Guard
- Wait for the opponent to frame and underhook you
- Lean forward
- Catch his head and arm with your right arm (clockwise)
- Slide your right foot toward your hips
- Step back with your left leg while turning
- Take your left arm out
- Lock your hands around his neck
- Drive back to the Mount position
- Squeeze your hands
- Wait for the tap
An important detail with this variation is understanding how to catch the opponent’s head and arm with your right arm. You don’t want to just throw your hand somewhere. Instead, with a clockwise motion, hook your biceps around the opponent’s head so he won’t be able to see the ceiling.
That’s the correct way of setting up this submission. However, I can fill an entire book with details on the Guillotine Choke. So if you want to learn more about the efficacious Guillotine Choke, follow this link!
#3 – Triangle Choke From Bottom Half Guard
The next submission we’ll cover is the Triangle Choke from bottom Half Guard. Similar to the Guillotine Choke, it’s also a popular one you want to learn when you’re a white belt. You’ll be able to use it throughout your BJJ career, which is excellent news.
So here’s how to perform the Triangle Choke from the bottom Half Guard position:
- Start in bottom Half Guard
- Frame the opponent’s arm
- Wait for the opponent to underhook
- Overhook the same hand
- Grab his wrist with your right hand
- Pull his wrist in
- Lock a Kimura-grip on the opponent’s wrist
- Kick your left leg up
- Hook the same leg over his back
- Slide your right leg until it comes out
- Wrap the same leg around the opponent’s head
- Lock a Triangle lock (trapping his arm and head)
- Tighten your lock
- Squeeze
- Wait for the tap
It’s not as complicated as the many steps say it is. What it comes down to eventually is muscle memory. You have to practice, practice, and then practice if you wish to build muscle memory.
You want to understand how the Triangle Choke works and start practicing it step-by-step. Take your time and make sure to always come back to this article to re-read this section. I encourage you to bookmark this post to have this as an anchor for your Half Guard learning process.
If you want to learn more about the Triangle Choke, follow this link!
#4 – Kimura From Top Half Guard
Alright. For our last submission, let’s review the Kimura (follow the link to read a comprehensive guide about it), which is one of BJJ’s most basic, effective, simple, and beautiful submissions from top Half Guard.
You’ll be able to learn it quickly and start maximizing your results using it. Imagine going through a vigorous learning process and winning a fight using it. How good would you feel? Hopefully, this got you excited.
- Start in top Half Guard
- Twist your body to the side (cross-body)
- Slide your knee inside the opponent’s legs
- Grab the opponent’s wrist
- Slide your other arm below his isolated arm
- Grab your first wrist
- You now have a Kimura grip
- Place his arm on the mat
- Bring your left knee up
- Pull the opponent
- Shoulder roll to the side
- Hyperextend the opponent’s arm
- Wait for the tap
The finishing maneuver can be quite intimidating. However, you won’t be able to finish this Kimura variation once you have the Kimura lock, as it should be. Instead, you’ll need to shoulder roll to the side so to be below the opponent.
Once that happens, you don’t have your entire body weight disturbing you, making the inevitable tap easier.
Final Words
This has been the Half Guard position. Hopefully, you’ve been able to understand the basics and how to finish from this position.
I have many other articles related to this topic, which I’ll link to at the end of this article.
I want to finish this article with a tip I found to be extremely helpful. Enjoy the process! It’s so easy to get stuck in feeling low when training or learning BJJ. But this is one fun martial art! I enjoy researching and writing these articles, as BJJ is a topic that genuinely interests me.
You can have the same passion and motivation to learn and practice by appreciating how fun BJJ is. So I hope you found this article helpful.
The Half Guard isn’t the most effective type of guard. Follow this link to learn more about BJJ’s best guard positions you must learn (and how to use each one!)
You can also sign up for our Email Newsletter to keep up with our blog posts and gain access to free martial arts/self-improvement courses!
Here are other articles you’d enjoy reading:
BJJ 101: Reverse De La Riva Guard
X-Guard – BJJ 101 (How to Use and Finish)
BJJ 101: Spider Guard (The Proper Way)
BJJ 101: De La Riva Guard (Sweeps & Submissions)
BJJ 101: Butterfly Guard (Lots of Sweeps & Submissions)
Closed Guard 101 – Complete BJJ Guide
Pull Guard BJJ – Everything You Need to Know
13 Best Submissions From Closed & Open Guard (BJJ)
11 Best Half Guard Submissions From Top and Bottom