Half-guard when Opponent Faces Legs

Good stuff. I have nothing of substance to add to this conversation, I am just a half guard freeloader. Keep it coming!
 
Anaheim, right? Cool. As soon as my knee is healed up, I need to get cross training again with some other guys. Just been helping my coach with the CSULB club lately. Need to get my movement back.
 
Sherdog_Mutt said:
Your #2 and my #3 are identical. I used to use it a lot but then guys got wise to it and started ducking their heads down.
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Yeah, it's an opportunity sweep, relying on him to make a mistake and then pouncing. True, it doesn't take long before they start ducking, but I find that when they get busy defending another sweep attempt (or get too involved in breaking my lockdown) it does pop up occassionally.

My #1 sweep is almost like the upa escape. In fact, the mechanics are practically the same. The guy's not crossfacing you and you're not crossfacing him. Essentially, what you do is you're stretching out his legs (it brings his left leg closer to you) and then you just do an upa escape once you've trapped that left leg. Play around with it a bit and let me know if you have any other questions.
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Oh, you mentioned crossface in your description, which was really throwing me. Does it work equally well when they are low vs high (i.e. neck pressure vs being more across your waist)? When you open up the lockdown what prevents him from immediately stepping to mount (the most skilled guys really pounce on that)?
 
TheHighlander said:
Oh, you mentioned crossface in your description, which was really throwing me. Does it work equally well when they are low vs high (i.e. neck pressure vs being more across your waist)? When you open up the lockdown what prevents him from immediately stepping to mount (the most skilled guys really pounce on that)?
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Oh I see your confusion. I was just mentioning how I also like to use sweep #1 whenever I lose the underhook battle and he's crossfacing me with everything he's got. It works great in those situations too. I've had success working the sweep from both "low" and "high" positions.

The major thing that prevents them from stepping straight to mount is the fact that you're bridging at the exact moment that you release the leg. If they are fast enough to react to your sweep by stepping over to mount. The momentum from your bridging motion is enough to roll you both over. As such, you wind up in his full-guard as opposed to his half-guard.
 
I like how Marcelo's gi is sporting the Tinguinha BJJ patch!

In any event, I'll talk to Marcelo the next time I see him regarding this sweep.
 
Sherdog_Mutt said:
Codemonkey: I used to get this sweep on occasion as well. As I've progressed, I haven't been able to nail it at all against higher level guys. I sometimes try rocking onto my right shoulder but mainly to setup something else rather than going for this specific sweep.
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another option that i get sometimes, is i get a butterfly hook and kick them up and normally they post to resist and i can turtle and then pull guard
 
ShanghaiBJJ said:
Well, if you are opening your legs to post before you roll him, it is essentially the same as technique #1, described by TS.

BTW, did you manage to train in Beijing?
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not quite the same as technique #1 by the TS, he uses the legs to pull the guys legs closer to you so you can trap the far leg and upa over your shoulder (but more to the side)

the option i sometimes get involves the knee pushing into the ribs a bit, like z-guard and using the underhook and you like ball up and roll over your shoulder and shoot your hips up once you get halfway over, where as the TS's option is more of a bridging, not rolling motion.

Yes i got some training in Beijing, the Prof. was in HK so didn't get to meet him but a black belt named Jeff took the class, he was cool as hell and I learnt some cool tech's
 
codemonkey76 said:
another option that i get sometimes, is i get a butterfly hook and kick them up and normally they post to resist and i can turtle and then pull guard
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Exactly. Getting that foot back in the "pocket" so to speak is great. Generally, the worst case scenario is getting back to butterfly guard.
 
There are some sweet lapel wraps that Michael Jen shows to help you in this position. Again, though, something I've never been able to make part of my game because nobody is willing to sit there with me and drill lapel wrap escapes from this specific half guard position.

Sad ... why do people love to roll so much, and hate to drill?
 
Oh i forgot to mention if in any of these situations i have to open my half guard, and i have a hand free, i will reach behind my butt and grab the pant leg, so that the opponent can't pull their leg out, then i can be careless with my legs and they still can't pull out.
 
Zankou said:
There are some sweet lapel wraps that Michael Jen shows to help you in this position. Again, though, something I've never been able to make part of my game because nobody is willing to sit there with me and drill lapel wrap escapes from this specific half guard position.

Sad ... why do people love to roll so much, and hate to drill?
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There is this guy at my gym who is there every single day and he is always there early, and has no problem letting me try stuff out on him... he doesn't even ask for me to help him out either, i just get to work on my stuff, it's awesome.
 
Sherdog_Mutt said:
Oh I see your confusion. I was just mentioning how I also like to use sweep #1 whenever I lose the underhook battle and he's crossfacing me with everything he's got. It works great in those situations too. I've had success working the sweep from both "low" and "high" positions.

The major thing that prevents them from stepping straight to mount is the fact that you're bridging at the exact moment that you release the leg. If they are fast enough to react to your sweep by stepping over to mount. The momentum from your bridging motion is enough to roll you both over. As such, you wind up in his full-guard as opposed to his half-guard.
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Let me see if I have the leg trapping straight. Use lockdown to bring his left leg into range. Release lockdown (leave left leg wrapped around his left, this is where I see the mount coming), lay right leg over his left leg, unwrap your left leg and bridge?
 
TheHighlander said:
Let me see if I have the leg trapping straight. Use lockdown to bring his left leg into range. Release lockdown (leave left leg wrapped around his left, this is where I see the mount coming), lay right leg over his left leg, unwrap your left leg and bridge?
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Basically, although I play this game without the Eddie Bravo lockdown. There may be some confusion here based upon our choice of words. But you got the basic idea. I also post the left leg when I bridge for support. I understand your concern about him pulling his leg out and going to mount but if done right this is one quick sweep and he wont have the time to change his body angle (to help him pull leg out) and to actually pull the leg out before you're already on your way to top position. Try it out and let me know how it goes!
 
Zankou said:
There are some sweet lapel wraps that Michael Jen shows to help you in this position. Again, though, something I've never been able to make part of my game because nobody is willing to sit there with me and drill lapel wrap escapes from this specific half guard position.

Sad ... why do people love to roll so much, and hate to drill?
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I don't know. I love to drill. Especially now that my knee is messed up. Been doing a lot more...and I think it's really improving my game. If any of you guys ever want to come down to Long Beach and drill....I'm always down!
 
Sherdog_Mutt said:
Basically, although I play this game without the Eddie Bravo lockdown. There may be some confusion here based upon our choice of words. But you got the basic idea. I also post the left leg when I bridge for support. I understand your concern about him pulling his leg out and going to mount but if done right this is one quick sweep and he wont have the time to change his body angle (to help him pull leg out) and to actually pull the leg out before you're already on your way to top position. Try it out and let me know how it goes!
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Think I got it...time between loosening at the start and bridging needs to be minimized
 
Sherdog_Mutt said:
1) Modified Upa Sweep- This is also a great sweep option for whenever you lose the underhook battle and are cross faced by the guy (the harder the crossface the better cause he can't post that arm). This high percentage sweep usually starts with the half-guard player possesing a weak underhook (weak in the sense that the guy has turned his back to you so you can't try taking his back and the arm is in danger of getting kimura'd). I start by switching my half-guard. My left leg keeps his right leg trapped and starts stretching out his base (pulling his right leg to his right). This brings his left leg within easy reach of my right leg. I step over his left leg with my right and trapping it (just like traditional upa escape). I then post my left leg (releasing his trapped leg) and simultaneously bridging hard over my right shoulder. This is the highest percentage option I have found. It works great the majority of the time. At worst, I wind up on my knees in position to finish a double leg or single leg.

2) Rolling over sweep- This used to be a low percentage sweep for me. However, my teammate Shoyoroll modified some of its details and it's now a high percentage option for me. Shove the top guy's left arm down and to the left with your left arm. Grab the pants of his untrapped leg at the knee with your right arm and force it in the same direction as the left arm. While keeping your grips, when you start encountering resistance from him, roll over your left shoulder (important to go in this direction). His own momentum from resisting you will cause him to go over for an easy sweep. If you're wondering what to do if he doesn't push back against your pushing, simply release half-guard and take his back.
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Drilled these with a brown belt...I wasn't very successful. We're both about the same weight, although I'm taller.

For #1, he posted with his right arm (assuming I have his right leg trapped and attempting to bridge to my right). Thats assuming I could even get to the upa point. I told him to mildly resist and his left leg was based out really wide so I simply couldn't even trap it with my right foot.

#2 - I guess I'm not picturing the mechanics very well, but how does faking a sweep to the left allow you to roll him over your left shoulder, which is roughly the same side you're faking to? When I was playing with a bit, it seems that the top guy's center of gravity moves up a bit as he pulls back to the right to resist, but my partner's base was either too good or I wasn't doing it correctly, or most likely, both.
 
I show a couple ways of dealing with the reverse scarf passes in the later part of this video:

2. Pass prevention

You can watch the 5 other videos that go with this on that page or in the half guard sticky megathread.
 
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