How To Make Your Half Guard Impossible To Pass In BJJ
Half Guard Is A Great Position To Be In, But If You Struggle To Retain Your Guard Then You Might Just Need To Make These Simple Tweaks...
Half guard is one of the most commonly used guards in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. You see many modern competitive athletes using half guard on the mats as one of their most powerful positions. World champions like Lucas Leite, Bernardo Faria, and Tom DeBlass have influenced a generation of world class athletes on the power of having an effective half guard in their game. So what makes half guard the top choice for many BJJ guys nowadays? There are many reasons. It is a very versatile position. With many different options available for sweeping, passing, or even submitting your opponent. But many people, especially beginners struggle when it comes to retaining their guard. Let’s admit it; it is not always easy to keep a strong guard against someone who is much bigger or stronger. However, with some good techniques you can greatly improve your ability to retain half guard, making it possible to pass.
Tom Deblass is full of tips on how to dominate opponents from the half guard with sweeps and submissions.
Let’s check out a video from Tom DeBlass where he demonstrates how he makes his half guard impossible to pass. If you did not know, Tom has never had his guard passed during his professional career as a grappler. As one of the most sought after grappling athletes and instructors in America, Tom DeBlass is a specialist when it comes to half guard. Tom has been using half guard successfully in competition for well over a decade. In this time he has faced some of the toughest jiu jitsu competition in the world, and that is not even to mention his fights in the UFC and Bellator as well. It is safe to say this guy knows his stuff. Watch the video below and then we will break down the technique. Check it out now!
The most common way to get passed from half guard is to have your leg pinned to the mat, making it easy to slide a knee across and pass into side control. Tom DeBlass points out that while many people focus on their top leg he instead prefers to focus on his bottom leg. As soon as his training partner starts controlling that bottom leg, Tom will invert, get his free leg up and over his opponent’s head. Now he controls his opponent’s arm, breaking down his posture. From this position you will notice there are a lot of available options, especially the omoplata and arm bar. By getting your leg up onto your opponent’s shoulder and controlling their arm you make it difficult to pass.
Another option is to completely roll through instead of remain in an inverted position for attacking. Tom DeBlass demonstrates this by gripping the gi, and getting back to his inverted guard. From here DeBlass will either attack the leg, first grabbing it with his hands and then trapping it with his legs. Or he rolls all the way through, completely escaping his legs, allowing himself an opportunity to do a technical stand up, or re-establish his half guard. That is some amazing guard retention!
There is just so much to learn from Tom DeBlass when it comes to your half guard! Making your guard impossible to pass isn’t actually that hard, as we saw in the previous video. But what else can we do to make our half guard more effective in the first place? Well fortunately, Tom has many, many details about the half guard that can completely change your game. Check out the video below in which Tom DeBlass shares with us a game changing tip for half guard while on vacation in Costa Rica!
A common mistake that many half guard players make it to try and push their opponent away. For good half guard retention you want to keep your under hook. The under hook is vital to having a good guard game. Pushing away your opponent does not allow you to go for attacks. What you should do instead is keep your elbow to the inside of your body. In this position you can remove your knee shield, allowing your opponent to pressure forward, giving you an opportunity to get an under hook as he comes forward. It is impossible for your opponent to do a whizzer from here, allowing you an opportunity to enter deep half.
This brings me to the next vital point when it comes to making your guard impossible to pass: deep half. Deep half guard is a position that does not get enough attention. Usually that is because people perceive deep half as a “little guy” position, but you will notice Tom is not the smallest guy. In the video below, we will see Tom DeBlass demonstrate an easy deep half guard entry. How you enter deep half is very important, which we will see. Check out the video below and then we will break down the technique!
Of course, Tom is thinking about his under hook, but if his opponent is keeping his leg away making it hard to control, Tom uses his legs to secure better connection. First he takes his top leg and crosses it over his training partners foot, connecting with his ankle and pulling the opponent’s leg back and out. Now DeBlass can attack the closer leg, by climbing up it like you would a rope.
From here DeBlass locks his hands using an S grip. He is on his side before pulling his partner up, still controlling his leg. Once he bumps his training partner he switches his hips to the opposite direction, crossing his legs to get into deep half guard. Now Tom DeBlass defends his arm by tucking it underneath his opponent’s leg until he is ready to start attacking.
As you can probably tell, Tom DeBlass has some amazing insight when it comes to half guard. If you liked these techniques be sure to give them a try the next time you are on the mats, especially if you are struggling against a good guard passer. And if you would like to learn more about half guard from Tom DeBlass then check out his amazing instructional series “Half Domination” available exclusively on BJJFanatics.com! In this series Tom shares all his half guard secrets that make him one of the best grapplers in the world.
If you're looking for the keys to defeating your opponents with half guard look no further. Tom DeBlass’ “Half Domination” 4 DVD Set Will Simplify & Slow Down The Game To Show You An Easy Set Of Grips & Moves That Will Hold Even The Most Explosive Young Beasts In Check.
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