The Ultimate Guide to BJJ Half Guard Sweeps – [2021]

BJJ is one of the most interesting and popular sports in the US, and many young people inspire to be BJJ practitioners and have many heroes to look upon that have made their names in the BJJ. Many parents support their children to pursue their careers in the BJJ because they know that it would make them emotionally and mentally strong.

It is a very good skill if you are a bit skinny. After learning the techniques of BJJ, you can easily knock down some big bullies that are trying to tease you, so; this is some reason now people want their children to learn the BJJ whether it is for their profession or their defense.

There are many techniques in the BJJ that are famous, and if you are into BJJ, then you might learn today we are going to learn about the technique called Half Guard, which is a very effective technique, but as a newbie, you might not know what is this so, let’s find out what is the Half Guard sweeps.

Half Guard

Throughout your jiu-jitsu career, the half guard is likely to be your most common position. The majority of players, however, concentrate their efforts on positions that are much harder to achieve, like the back, the mount, or side control. What are the benefits of a half guard? You see, some people don’t want to walk straight into your closed gate!

As early as my judo days in the late 90s, I used to use the half guard. Over time, I’ve witnessed the position evolve from predominantly defensive “last-ditch” play to one offensively sophisticated. We’ve put together a few tricks and tips for starting with the half guard.

Warm-up

You can warm up before this drill by doing some jiu-jitsu instead of, for example, running around in circles or doing pushups or doing a lot of repetitions of basic half-guard back-takes.

My students warm up with this drill when they are in my classes. You will use a movement when you are a white belt until you are a black belt, so it should become second nature to you on both sides, as far as possible.

Both partners are to be conditioned a bit here. Jiu-jitsu’s cardinal sin takes someone’s back, but turning in toward their opponent becomes a sweep rather than a submission. It’s a gold mine.

Concepts behind Half Guard Technique

First, it is important to learn three concepts universally considered fundamental by all students when learning the half guard from the bottom. The rule of exceptions always exists, and half guard can be played in many different ways, but I find this method the most effective. In general, we consider this to be the best method for getting started at the position. These are the three main concepts:

1. The person can crush your will to live on top if they can hug your head. While they may keep you flat, they will also be able to exert tremendous pressure on you without your knowledge, making your job more challenging and uncomfortable.
2. The saying “jiu-jitsu is all about angles” has probably been repeated countless times by now. But is this more evident than from the bottom of half guard? As of now, your attack angle is much broader. Additionally, sitting on your back is like being dead in the water, incapable of moving around at all.
3. It is immediately understood and somewhat relevant in almost all instances, but not against a worthy opponent without the first two points. By adding the underhook control, you can get under and behind your opponent further, which will set you up for valuable back take and sweeps.

This approach is not very common among BJJ players, but I believe this is the easiest way to apply the half guard technique, especially when you are a beginner.

Basic Half Guard Back Take

You will typically know how to make the first move here and the threat of going to the back will soon set up dozens more. Beginning with the correct posture of the cross face getting on your side, and getting your outside undertook, you need to start with the correct posture from above. You’re now ready to move to the back once you’ve mastered all three things.

By pushing their hindquarters, you can off-balance your opponent. Either you will go backward or forward as a result. You will either achieve the same result or provide plenty of opportunities to climb “out the back door” and onto your opponent’s back.

Advanced Back Take

The previous one was the basic back take, and now we will cover the advanced back take. It is not uncommon for your opponent to refuse to allow you to put your second hook into the ground when you come up from the bottom. Getting to your opponent’s back from half guard is nice since you already have a hook in place.

The second technique involves reaching into the “inside space” (the area between those armpits and hips) and using the leverage therein to pull them on top of you rather than coming up from the bottom as in the first. It is the easiest way to go in the matches, even when you have purple, brown, and black belts in the opposition.

Verdict

Half Guard sweep is one of the most exciting and effective techniques in the BJJ to learn very easily and apply to your opponent. This technique can turn the table of the match if you know how to apply it correctly. It does not matter if you don’t know how to apply this technique because we created an ultimate guide for you.

If you follow the guide, you can learn to apply the half guard sweep, which is a very good technique to learn. If you found our article informational, don’t forget to share it with your friends and family members.

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