BJJ, or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, is a grappling sport that encourages fights on many different levels. If you want to fight like in Judo, you can stand up and grapple or lie on the floor and grapple. This second method is called “playing guard.” The deep half guard is an important type of guard we’ll discuss today.
Understanding the Guard
The guard is defensive, requiring you to protect your opponent with your body. Like a stronghold, your defense should be sturdy enough to lessen the impact of any offensive maneuver performed against you. After that, you can switch to using your offensive maneuvers. In BJJ, there are numerous guard varieties. It is up to the practitioner to select the guard that best fits their grappling style.
Developing a guard game that is easily converted to both gi and no-gi situations is always smart. This will save you time from establishing two entirely different styles. In all grappling rulesets, the half guard, especially the deep half guard form, is a secure position.
What is the Deep Half Guard?
In the deep guard, your body is close to your opponent’s center of gravity, making it look like a half guard. You don’t use your hook to hold your opponent down while you stop their upper body from moving. Instead, you move into the space below them to throw off their balance. It’s a unique way to guard, with a lot of promise for sweeping.
When you play guards like the deep half, you should be active. This is a fundamental idea for beginners to understand. Keep your body safe from threats before you go on the offensive. Safety should always come first. Always throw off their balance by moving from side to side and breaking their stance. Lastly, always be aware of what’s going on. Switch to an attacking cycle once you are safe from incoming submissions and passing attempts.
Deep Half Guard Benefits
The deep half is an excellent choice for those who like a more sweeping style of play. You don’t need to be an elite athlete to use the deep half. As you use your framework to take down bigger and stronger opponents, you can use it to manage them successfully.
Even while the deep half guard is effective on its own, we suggest learning other half guard techniques to improve your bottom game, especially the knee shield half guard.
Concepts Behind the Deep Half Guard
Since the primary goal of the deep half is to get under the other player, you must know what could go wrong. If you get into the deep half, you can only do three things: get past the guard, hit the far arm, or attack the neck. Let’s look at the best way to handle each response.
To stop an opponent from getting past your guard by going over your head, you should move from side to side or do something else that throws them off balance. Since the other player’s base isn’t stable, this is also the best time to attack with sweeps.
You can always move your arm to avoid being pinned if your opponent tries to hit your far arm with americanas and kimuras. It’s wise to tuck your far arm under your opponent’s leg because it pretty much stops armlock efforts. If your enemy has a grip on your wrist, you can get rid of it by moving your knee against their arm.
If your enemy is going for your neck, you can hide your head by leaning forward as you turn inward. This ought to be enough to ward off any attempts to submit.
Deep Half Guard Transitions
Once you feel your opponent stand up and turn away, you can move to either X guard or 50/50 guard. This is a good choice because you can still use sweeps and falls to attack. Remember that the guard changes how you can attack, so learn about these places if you want to use them in your bottom game.
Once you have some control, there are many ways to get into the deep half guard. Some of the most common entries come from the De La Riva and lasso guard, and even as a defense against the knee cut pass. The most important thing is that your arm and body should be able to swing under. When you see a free spot, shoot under it, grab the leg, and move your body into the right place.
There are many videos that discuss basic moves like passes, defenses, and strikes from the deep half. We encourage you to watch videos on all of the methods we mention so that you can fully grasp the deep half guard. Even though these positional moves look simple, they are the basics that all good deep half guard players know very well.
Drilling the Deep Half Guard
As with all the moves we discuss, you must practice the deep half guard a lot. It’s easy to see why many beginners prefer to avoid going to the deep half; it can sometimes feel squished. It’s hard to get good at all the places where you have to play under your opponent’s center of gravity at first because they feel different. Practice the moves you see in various videos and add them to your training sessions so that you can get used to them. When adding new moves to your training sessions, do so slowly. This gives you time to master the techniques fully. You’ll be surprised at how well the deep half works over time.
Final Thoughts
The deep half guard is a fantastic move that will undoubtedly improve your bottom player skills. The transitions alone will take your Jiu-Jitsu knowledge to a new level because they show you how to slide beneath a resisting opponent. This is one technique that we recommend grapplers look into.