Dominate The Deep Half Guard With Tom DeBlass

By Fanatics Authors, November 13, 2019

Over the course of the last several years, the half guard has risen to power as one of the most effective and efficient guards in BJJ. It’s well known for its ability to produce reversals, transitions, and foster an innumerable amount of attacking sequences. The half guard allows us to build incredible structure underneath a guard passer. Bringing the elements of good positioning, the knee shield, and the use of frames, you can build an almost impenetrable fortress from which to launch all of your favorite techniques from.

Since its inception the half guard has continued to evolve to create off shoots from the position as well. One of these extensions of the half guard is the deep half guard. I remember experiencing the deep half guard for the very first time. I could liken it to feeling like a baby deer on roller skates. If you’re dealing with a proficient guard player, the deep half guard can be incredibly problematic. With someone so far underneath us, the opportunities where off balancing is concerned are many. The position itself brings about plenty of danger for the passer and if we remain active here, a sweep, or favorable transition is pretty close to imminent.

We can’t really talk about BJJ and the half guard without also bringing up one of the most important half guard players in the game, Tom DeBlass. DeBlass has been implementing the half guard for years with incredible success. No one has ever really fully cracked the code to DeBlass’s incredibly well-rounded half guard game. Its not hard to find video of passers relentlessly trying to break through the stronghold that DeBlass has worked so hard to build to no avail.

The deep half guard happens to be another one of DeBlass’s specialties. Often transitioning to the deep half guard to get the job done, this is another position that appears effortless to DeBlass, as he comfortably settles in and begins to work. In his new instructional, Deep Half Guard Domination, (available now) we’re getting a firsthand look at the multiple time ADCC trials winner’s deep half game. This is an exciting prospect, as DeBlass’s first half guard instructional, Half Domination, is one of the bestselling half guard instructional of our time. This is for good reason. DeBlass’s instruction is clear and concise, and the best part? Anyone can learn from him. DeBlass trims the fat, leaving us with the most important broad-spectrum details, helping us to become more successful in our half guard endeavors.

So, here’s a great place to start. In this video, DeBlass addresses a very common issue when attempting to transition to the deep half guard. Acquiring that far leg. This is one of those details of getting to deep half that can be very problematic. Often times when we reach to get underneath that leg, we’re met with a heavy cross face. Here, DeBlass provides us with a great entry in to the position and helps us to avoid some common pitfalls. We also get a little bonus sweep at the close of the video. Check this out!

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Beginning in a traditional half guard with a knee shield in place, DeBlass starts by using his left foot to dig inside of his partners right calf. He then uses a pulling motion to separate and pull the leg out from under his partner, putting pressure on the knee and putting the passer out of position. DeBlass is patient here. He knows that his partner will try to keep that far leg from him, so instead of trying to go get it, he makes his partner give it to him. By keeping his focus on the close leg and locking an s-style grip around his partner’s thigh, DeBlass can now begin to pull his partner up above his belly button, making it nearly impossible for the passer to keep DeBlass from acquiring that far leg. With a slight shift of his hips int the opposite direction, DeBlass has now established the deep half guard. Once he arrives, DeBlass reminds us to initially hide our top arm under our partner’s leg to keep it safe from attacks, until we’re ready to begin using the position. This just intelligent guard work. DeBlass is working smarter not harder here and this kind of approach always pays off.

DeBlass leaves us with a little bonus technique here as well, with a great variation of the waiter sweep. DeBlass begins to bring his knees toward his chest, reaching under his legs to find his partners shin. He then lifts his legs high and removes his lower back from the floor, while under hooking his partner’s lower leg. With a kick of the legs, providing some forward momentum, DeBlass easily reverses his partner and can begin to go to work.

DeBlass is a seasoned vet and his techniques are all battle tested at the highest levels. It’s a joy to learn from this icon of the sport and this newest release is not one to be missed! I have no doubt this instructional will add considerable value to your deep half guard game and take your knowledge of the position to the next level!

Deep Half Guard Domination Tom DeBlass

Tom DeBlass continues to innovate by bringing his "A" game to the masses. With Deep Half Guard Domination you will learn everything from Deep Half entries, to Deep Half Inversion Back TAKES! Check out Deep Half Guard Domination by Tom DeBlass.

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