Half Guard Stalling

metalbeat

White Belt
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Last Night at BJJ I was rolling with a guy I never had before. Everything he did was odd and when he got to my halfguard he clinched on to me for dear life. He basically layed there five minutes. I could not break his grip for a long time, once I did he was very easy to sweep. I was disappointed though with how succectable I was to basically being pinned, and wanted know a way to stop his lame stalling tatic.

btw I train in the gi.
 
It is too easy to get smashed in half guard, that's why a lot of high level guys are switching to a more open type half guard. First, you have to use your shin/foot and arms to keep distance between you and your opponent. IF he does begin to smash you need to quickly get an underhook or quickly transition to another position.

If all else fails just use the lockdown and wait to get passed.
 
We all get flattened in half guard if we're not careful. You have to play actively from the start...underhook, stay on your side, and try to get to either deep or Z guard. You have to attack their posture constantly from half guard or you will get flattened and passed.
 
underhook.
If you have it, you won't get flattened
 
play more Distance half. I stopped playing a strictly tight halfguard game a while back
 
It's an opportunity to find a way out. If this guy held you down for almost 5 minutes but eventually you found a way to sweep....then you need to work on finding that sweep faster next time. Maybe he also showed you that you need to wok on your half guard flow.

You'll also probably work harder to keep full guard or transition into something else with more verve next time you roll with the guy.

Also, maybe try going Diaz brother style next time lol!! Start talking some shit. "you just gonna lay there on top of me like some kind of bitch?"
 
You weren't being active enough. Stretch them out, overhook and bicep-punch, and get the sweep. Or slip out the back door by the underhook, or slip out the back door down through the legs. Bottom half is actually a great transition position. Play it either tight to the opponent almost as if in x-guard, or way stretched out almost as if playing knee shield. The middle-area is his kill zone. Don't be in the kill zone. Also, be ready to go butterfly then guard, or pendulum sweep/technical stand-up, people playing on-top keeping tight tend to forget about those two options. But really, half-guard, overhook, and bicep-punch gets the sweep 9/10 when they are playing hug-you. At the very least if they post, you have the room to get to butterfly. Try working some basic half into butterfly guard drilling, it really helps you realize how little space is needed to slip in.
 
I basically switched from half-guard to butterfly for this reason. Even if you are playing a distance half, a decent guy can keep his weight back, pin your hips, and slowly work his way up.
 
once he starts applying shoulder pressure try and get your outside leg in and hooksweep
 
I think one of the most useful things I use in a situation where you have a guy holding you down in half guard and you've lost the underhook fight is to fight to get your hand under their neck, connect your two hands and make a frame to push them away.
 
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