Different, Yet Effective Way To Pass The Half Gyard By Jake Mackenzie

Half Guard Pass Using Opposite Under Hook by Jake Mackenzie

Half guard is one of those positions we will never get away from in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It is a tried and true position that is useful for many reasons. The half guard has developed over the years to become a very dynamic position, and is even used by some of the highest level Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitors as the foundation of their grappling game. Nobody understands the half guard better than Jake Mackenzie and 5 time World Champion Bernardo Faria. Jake Mackenzie is a Canadian born Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu. Jake is known for his mastery of half guard, and deep half guard. Jake is regarded as one of the top North American grapplers of his generation. His notable accomplishments include 4x Brazilian National Teams Champion, 2x Brazilian National No Gi Champion, 2x São Paulo International Open Champion, World Masters Champion, São Paulo International No Gi Open Champion, Floripa International Open Champion, Brasilia International Open Champion, Chicago International Open Champion, and 2nd place South American Championship. Today Jake Mackenzie and Bernardo Faria are here to demonstrate Jake’s half guard pass using an opposite under hook. This is a very unique way to pass half guard, one that most BJJ players will not expect.

Jake Mackenzie may be the most knowledgeable half guard specialist in Brazil. Learn The Top Secret Half Guard System From The Canadian Who Infiltrated Brazil’s Toughest School

LEARN MORE

Watch the video below and then we will break down Jake Mackenzie’s half guard pass technique. Check it out now!

Jake Mackenzie starts this demonstration from standard half guard top position. He immediately points out that a lot of people perceive top half guard as a fight for the under hook on your training partner’s top arm. But only few think about attacking the under hook on the bottom arm. Jake sets this up by allowing Bernardo some space to shoot up for the under hook. When Bernardo is connected to Jake, it gives him a quick opportunity to set his own under hook. It is very important you make your training partner come up to his elbow. It gives you a nice pocket of space that you can go into. Now Jake pushes Bernardo’s shoulder down and sets his other under hook. There are going to be different grips that you can do here, or you can even leave your hand on the ground. From here you want to pinch your knees together to start freeing your leg. As Jake frees his leg from Bernardo’s half guard he extends his leg so that his weight is on his knee and pressures down with his head on the mat. It is very important to control your opponent’s arm. If you forget about this arm you open yourself up to getting swept. Jake pressures further forward with his chest as he slides his other leg over Bernardo, ending on the mat. He emphasizes that you want your foot to stay flat and connect to your training partner the entire time you are passing the leg. When you are here you want to wait for your opponent to either hip escape or try to move. As soon as that happens it creates a tiny little opening for you to escape your trapped foot. As soon as Jake clears his foot he either goes to side mount or straight mount.

As you can tell this is a very unique way to pass the half guard. There are some important take aways from this demonstration. First you want to use your opponent’s technique against them. When they shoot for their under hook is the time for you to counter with your first under hook. The next important thing is to remain connected to create the maximum amount of pressure on your opponent as you complete the pass. You also need to remember to control the other arm and to keep your foot connected as tight as possible as you pass your second leg over your training partner. The matter of freeing your trapped leg comes down to timing. It is inevitable that your training partner is going to try and move to a better position. This is when you can finally clear your leg and finish the half guard pass successfully.

If you have been up against some good half guard players then you already know the more trick passes you have in your arsenal the better. Having a unique pass like the one Jake Mackenzie has demonstrated here today will really help give you an advantage. So remember, there is a whole world of technique to explore with the opposite under hook when it comes to passing half guard. It will not be something your opponent instinctively knows how to counter. Remember this the next time you are training half guard. If you pull this one out in a live roll or in a competition you are going to get everyone’s attention. I hope you found this technique useful. I want to give a big thank you Jake Mackensize and Bernardo Faria for demonstrating this technique for us here today.

Everybody feels in trouble when they play half guard with Jake. Now, it’s your turn to make everyone feel this way about your game. When you finish watching this series you’ll leave them thinking you were born on the mat. REMEMBER! Half guard is a safe guard to play. It has no age or body-type restriction. Anyone can play it - literally.

The problem is most people play half guard wrong. Jake is like an encyclopedia when it comes to half guard. He’s all about technique without force and shows you game-changing details.

Learn The System That Will Completely Change Your Half Guard Game.

BUY NOW