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Excellent Arm Drag from Half Guard with Jake Mackenzie
Using the arm drag to maximize your half guard
When searching for options from the bottom half guard, the under hook is always an obvious go to. The options available once the under hook is achieved are endless. We can choose to hunt for the reversal, or look for a quick back take if our partner decides not to whizzer.
What about the arm drag? Once we’ve achieved the under hook, and our partner whizzers, there are times where the whizzer feels too strong to continue to try and get up and work for our reversals. Maybe our opponent has a size advantage and the pressure coming back at us is feeling a little overwhelming. In this case the arm drag may be a great option. It allows us to use our partners pressure to bait them into the arm drag.
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Check out this video from Jake Mackenzie. He’s got a nice method for the implementing the arm drag when our opponent decides to use the whizzer in top half guard. Have a look!
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Mackenzie collects the under hook in traditional fashion, kicking his leg through the space and replacing it with the under hook. From here his approach changes. He swivels his left arm in and secures the wrist of his partners arm that’s providing the whizzer. As he falls back down to his side his right hand secures the back of his partners tricep in traditional arm drag fashion. He creates a small amount of distance with his knee shield to facilitate the completion of the arm drag. Mackenzie then completes a nice back take with the use of some well-placed grips.
This is a great option to consider when were fighting for that under hook. It gives us the ability to retreat back down to our side without giving up any ground. Excellent stuff! Get to work!
For more High Precision Half Guard from Jake Mackenzie get his series here from BJJ Fanatics! You'll pick up all the secrets he's honed during his years training in Brazil to become one of the greatest Canadian black belts in history. You won't be disappointed.
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