There’s no doubt that the half guard is one of the most versatile positions in BJJ. Developed in the 1990’s by Roberto “Gordo” Correa, legend has it that Gordo developed the move as a means to prevent his sparring partners from passing his guard while rehabilitating a leg injury. The half went from being a last block to getting your guard passed, to being utilized and developed as a offensive position in and of itself.
Nowadays, the use of half guard and its many variations is more popular than ever in the BJJ world.
The half guard is a smart choice of the guard to play if you are slower, older and or just don’t want to catch up with the youngsters all the time. But this guard is far off the “old-man’s” guard, that was mentioned just as a choice. Multiple world-champion Bernardo Faria has won numerous world tournaments with half-guard tactics while he was in his 20s. When putting your opponent in the bottom half guard, you should be able to control the situation and drastically slow down the game to your advantage.
If your half guard is on the weak side of your grappling game, you need to see some ideas presented in this video.
Adem Redzovic breaks down everything you need to know in order to have a perfect half guard game. He is a 3rd degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and the co-owner of Team Redzovic in Chicago, one of the biggest BJJ Academies in the USA.
The following video gives you 29 minutes of half guard ideas, thoughts, concepts and basic techniques recently recorded at Gracie Allegiance HQ in San Diego.
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- Inside Control Vs Outside Control 0:33
- Benefits Of The Inside Control 1:30
- Three Lines Of Defense 2:02
- Half Guard Entry 2:53
- The Ranges Od Guard 3:51
- Managing The Distance 4:29
- Guard Reset 5:51
- Getting The Underhook 7:20
- Defending The Underhook 10:16
- The Importance Of The Underhook 12:24
- Dealing With Pressure 15:27
- Head Positioning 17:39
- Knee Shield Guard 19:47
- Quarter Guard & Coyote Control 21:44
- Understanding The Quarter Guard 23:32
- Sit Up Guard 25:56
- Action/Reaction From The Half Guard 26:29
- The Passion Of Being A Half Guard Player 27:51
