Getting the fundamentals right - half guard

There are three points that you need to bear in mind when playing half guard. Without these you'll find it difficult to work into any sweeps or submissions and run a big risk of getting flattened onto your back and having your opponent pass.

1. Posture
This one is a no-brainer. Look at any aspect of combat athletics and posture will sit at the core of success. In standup and clinch you will see the same slightly hunched curve to the back. On the ground the same posture comes into play, especially when you are playing against guard.

Q. How does this equate to half-guard?

A.Your posture in half guard is almost totally reliant on the angle you make between your chest and the floor. If your top shoulder is above or behind your bottom shoulder you can be turned onto your back as easily as you could be pushed back if you were stood up straight or leaning back on your feet.

If you keep your top shoulder in front of your bottom one, so your chest is slightly pointing into the floor, you are very difficult to push over. If an opponent pushes against you their energy will feed down into the floor. In effect the will be pushing against the ground with you as a medium for their force rather than an object for it.

2. Defend your face
Your bottom arm's primary role in half guard is to defend your face - the only time it can give up this role is if you have scooted so far under your opponent they can't cross face you.

The cross face will destroy your half guard if you let your opponent work it. If they apply pressure across your face with a hand, arm, crook of elbow or shoulder to turn your head towards your back you will get rolled flat.

The safest way to defend your face from this position is to keep your arm in an 's' shape with your elbow kept low and your hand hooked over their arm. As they move their arm keep the hook in contact, let it go and they'll nail you everytime.

If they really try to force the move plant the back of your hand onto your forehead, this way even if they use all their strength they won't be able to get forc going in directly to your head.

It is vital when you're doing this that you keep hooked over the most active bit of their arm, there is little point controlling the crook of the elbow or bicep of they are using a hand to 'finesse' your head around.

3. Fight for the 'top' arm control
This is the key to making half guard an attacking game. If you have good posture and keep your head safe you can use this last point to set up whatever your preferred attacking game is.

There are two strategies for top arm control here, each allowing a different set of options.

a. Underhook.
First thing to remember with this position is that the underhook should go across the back, so you are putting your arm around your opponent. If you go for a more standard underhook you will struggle to dig it deep enough because of the space between your bodies (it is impossible to hip in from half guard because your opponent is on their knees).

This allows you to use the underhook to shuck yourself down their body to set up sweeps or to pop their arm over your head to give a clear route to the back.

If you scoot down low under their hips, get your head as tight into their leg and hips as you can, this keeps you asfe from the cross face and gives you both arms free to set up sweeps like the old school.

b. Overhook.
Lock this in tighter than a tight thing. The over hook will hold your shoulders above theirs, this can make some sweeps difficult to set up but gives you a huge head start if your game is to use the over hook as to whizzer them down into the mat and scramble your way out to top control.

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