How To Make Your Half Guard High Precision
If you have ever seen Jake Mackenzie grappler, then you know just how precise his half guard is. Pardon my language, but Jake’s half guard isn’t just high precision, it’s fucking phenomenal to watch and an inspiration to me and many others. Guys like Bernardo Faria, Tom DeBlass, and Jake Mackenzie have revolutionized the way we play Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. You see, the half guard was never really taught before these guys came around and took a bad position to get stuck in and started innovating on it. If you did not know, the half guard was once considered a really weak position to get stuck in. But nowadays the half guard is taught typically within your first week as a white belt! As you can imagine, it has come a long way.
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
Jake is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu of Fight Sports. Jake is known for his mastery of half guard, deep half guard, and reverse half guard. Jake is also regarded as one of the top North American grapplers of his generation. Seriously, his list of titles is impressive. Some of his notable titles are 4x Brazilian National Teams Champion, 2x Brazilian National No Gi Champion, 2x São Paulo International Open Champion, World Masters Champion and more.
If you did not know, Jake Mackenzie has a great instructional series on half guard, called “High Precision Half Guard and Reverse Half Guard,” available exclusively on BJJFanatics.com! You can find tons of tips and tricks for improving your half guard, so check it out if you are looking for some great instructions from a master of the sport!
#1: Countering The Underhook by Jake Mackenzie
One of the most common problems we all face in half guard is how to counter the under hook. One of the first things the guy on top will do is look to set his under hook. Part of being a good half guard player is about knowing what to do when this happens. So check out the video below and then we will break down Jake Mackenzie’s technique for countering the under hook.
As you already know, this is a very common attack from top half guard. When playing half guard bottom, the under hook should be your primary concern. Keep an eye out for the under hook so that you can do a better job countering it when it happens. As soon as your opponent goes for the under hook you want to prevent his head from getting all the way to the mats. If he gets his head to the floor, there is going to be a lot of pressure and body weight on top of you. Right away you should be looking to bridge and extend your arm out. Now pull your elbow back and try to scoot your hips underneath. Secure your under hook, and come up to your knees.
#2: Butt Drag To Double Leg by Jake Mackenzie
This is a great technique for an opponent who is stalling on top and not sure which direction to take. Watch the video below of Jake Mackenzie demonstrating his butt drag to double leg technique and then we will break it down. Check it out now!
If you are playing bottom half guard and you happen to catch your opponent floating in limbo, you have the perfect opportunity to go for a double leg. To do it, feed your opposite arm through your training partner’s far leg. Usually what will happen here is that you will get blocked from going all the way through. So instead follow your opponent upwards by posting on your hand to readjust your leg. This will force your opponent into a wide stance, which is ideal for hitting a double leg. As soon as your training partner’s legs are open you want to switch your setup, using hooks similar to butterfly guard. To finish the technique simply grab the far leg and pressure forward with your head on the outside of your opponent’s body. You can end this one in side control.
#3: Reverse Half Guard By Jake Mackenzie
The final technique we will look at today is reverse half guard. The reverse half guard happens when your opponent back steps out of your guard in order to sit back and control your upper body. You can exploit this back step and situate yourself into reverse half guard. Let’s see how Jake Mackenzie does it. Check out the video below and then we will break it down!
When your opponent back steps, you want to lift your hip up in order to put pressure on the knee. This will make your training partner feel very uncomfortable. Now you should switch your hooks. Typically your opponent will predict you are going to go for a hook sweep, but he or she is very wrong. Instead, slide your leg into your training partner’s leg. He will be completely stuck. When you get on top you can hit a leg drag which will allow you to sweep your training partner. This is a great way to make something good out of a bad position.
These are great techniques, and will work for everyone, no matter what your skill level is! Jake is the best at half guard, and you can be too with techniques like this. So give this one a try the next time you are on the mats! And if you are looking for more great half guard techniques like these then be sure to check out Jake Mackenzie’s instructional series “High Precision Half Guard and Reverse Half Guard” available exclusively on BJJFanatics.com!
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.
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