Using the Deep Half Guard to Get Out of the Two Worst Positions

By Fanatics Authors, October 01, 2017

The deep half guard has been around for decades. Many of the top tier competitors have utilized this guard in some of the most prestigious grappling events. Some of the famous deep half guard players include Bernardo Faria, and Jeff Glover. Both of them have been able to utilize the deep half guard for years with much success.

The deephalf guard has been proven to be effective time and time again, even in MMA. Ryan Hall has said publicly “Deep Half Works For MMA.” One of the best attribute of developing a strong deep half guard is being able to find the position from escapes. You can use the deep half guard to get out of the two worst positions in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and grappling. We are talking about escaping back control with the deep half and escaping the mount with the deep half.

Escaping Back Mount with Deep Half

When someone gets your back it is the worst place to be. The thing is if someone is good enough to get to your back, they are probably a skilled grappler. Getting out of back mount can be next to impossible, it can be risky, and it can be extremely tiring. One of the best ways to escape the back mount is by looking for the deep half guard. The deep half guard can be one of the best ways to get out of back mount.

Why is this? When someone has a traditional back mount, they have both hooks in. The common method to escaping the back mount is to bridge your hips high and get your shoulders to the ground. Many times with this method, your opponent may follow you into quarter guard keeping one of your shoulders off the mat and then pulling you back into back mount. They may also follow you into mount.

In both of these sequences there is a moment where you can capitalize on your opponent’s movement and get the deep half. IF the force you into quarter guard, they will have to follow you back up and bring the knee that is not in quarter guard near your head, at this time, you can take your arm and underhook that leg, therefore, putting you in the deep half guard. If they follow you into mount, you have to get a quarter guards and do the same thing, take your arm and underhook the leg that is not quarter-guarded. Check out this video below on a way to escape the back mount with deep half.

Escaping the Mount with Deep Half

Being mounted can also be one of the worst positions in BJJ, MMA or any form of grappling. Lucky for you, you can escape the mount with the deep half using a method that is very similar to traditional escapes. Many people are familiar with the elbow knee escape to half guard from the mount position. Many times when attempting to do this position, you can be caught in a ¾ mount or you can have your back taken.

If either of these things occurs, you can rely on the deep half guard to get you out. All you have to do is underhook your opponent’s leg that is not in the quarter guard. Check out the video below showing you how to escape the mount to deep half. Also if you want to learn a sweep from the deep half check out our article “The Simplest Sweep From Deep Half.”