Lachlan Giles Is A Half Guard Monster!

By Fanatics Authors, January 30, 2019

The most important thing to know for passing through the half guard (Lachlan Giles)

Who is Lachlan Giles? He is a Jiu Jitsu black belt under John Simon and arguable one of the top Australian grapplers of his generation. Giles earned his distinguished reputation in prestigious tournaments such as IBJJF World No-Gi Championship, Pan Pacific Championship, Boa Super 8 and Eddie Bravo Invitational.

Lachlan Giles is an ADCC Veteran, Pan Pacific Champion and coach to one of the fastest rising starts, Craig Jones!

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Giles hails from Melbourne, Australia. At a young age he was influenced by martial arts movies. He was introduced to Jiu Jitsu at the age of 15 when he saw Royce Gracie’s legendary performance at UFC 1. Lachlan began his training in Jiu Jitsu under Tyrone Crosse. It was under Tyrone’s tutelage that he progressed to purple belt. His club changed coaches and Lachlan progressed to black belt under John Simon. It is worth noting that Giles was also heavily influenced by Thiago Stefanutti. Thiago also awarded Giles the first degree on his black belt.

Lachlan has many exceptional achievements as a grappler. He is the ADCC Asia & Oceania Trials Champion in 2015 and 2017. He is the IBJJF Pan Pacific Champion and Pan Pacific No-GI Champion in 2016 and 2017. He won the UAEJJF Continental Pro Champion in 2018. Giles also took second place at the Boa Super 8 1st Edition and 2^nd Edition in 2015. Lachlan took 3^rd place at Eddie Bravo Invitational 5. He claimed second place at the 2018 UAEJJF Grand Slam Abu Dhabi and 3^rd place at the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship in 2017.

In this video Lachlan Giles explores some key details in passing the half guard. He starts the video by stating that control of the bottom leg is of paramount importance. In half guard, often times our focus is primarily on the top leg. However, as Giles states, it is also important to maintain control of the bottom leg. One way that he does this is to cup the bottom leg with his hand. It is an important detail that he notes to key our elbow tight. Sloppy hand placement may lead to a Kimura from our opponent. Another approach to controlling the bottom leg is to have our outside leg pinched against our opponent’s bottom leg. He notes that switching our hips so our knee is against our opponent’s hips works much better than simply pinching the leg. Giles also explains that our toes should be active and on the mats. In the video Giles now address hand placement. He states that controlling the near side arm at the elbow is one great option. He states another option is the near side under hook. Lachlan discusses several other important details when passing half guard in the video. Did you catch them all?

This video is a wonderful example of Lachlan Giles’s ability to communicate technique to even novice grapplers. Like all of Giles’ instructional videos, there is a lot of detail. I know that I often gain new insights every time I re-watch one of his videos. Certainly, they have a powerful impact on anyone who makes a careful study of them. Giles’ education, the success of his students and the popularity that he has achieved are testaments to his exceptional abilities as an instructor. Certainly the Jiu Jitsu community is lucky to have him.

Come and learn one of the world’s most important guards from one of the world’s best instructors, Lachlan Giles. The head coach of Australia’s Absolute MMA, is back to show one of his best positions, the offensive half guard. He explores the techniques that he uses to win tons of tournaments at the world black belt level. Get it now from BJJ Fanatics!

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