Deep half guard

You dive under their hips and hug one leg, with their weight on top of you. Hard to pass and full of sweeps.

Closed & half guardIntermediate
Lesson video · 1 of 17

Basic Waiter Sweep from Deep Half Guard

Report a problemRevolution BJJ · on YouTube
Your bookmarks

Press Bookmark while a detail you want to rewatch is on screen.

Essentials

Photo neededWe only show photos that have been checked for accuracy. This position doesn’t have one yet.

You slide under them and wrap one of their legs, with your head under their hips and their weight on top of you. It looks bad, but it’s hard to pass and sets up sweeps that take their base out from under them.

Your goals
  • Get all the way under with their leg hugged to your chest
  • Keep your head on the inside
  • Off-balance them forward or backward to sweep
What they want
  • Sprawl their hips back
  • Step over your head or whizzer the far arm
Key principles
  • Deep means deep: your shoulders under their hips
  • Sweep their base, not their upper body
Common mistakes
  • Going half-way under so they can crossface you
  • Leaving your head outside their leg

Techniques to learn

Each one opens its own page and video.

Sweeps
Waiter sweepDeep half guard · IntermediateHomer Simpson sweepDeep half guard · Intermediate
Submissions
Toe holdLeg lock · IntermediateKneebar (Hiza Juji Gatame)Leg lock · Intermediate
Takedowns
Single legWrestling · Fundamental

Where it leads

Moves from here
Side control (Yoko Shiho Gatame)Back controlHalf guardStanding
Escapes
Escape the kneebarEscape the toe hold
In courses
Half guard set
Seminars

If this happens…

  1. they stand tall over youUse the waiter sweep: lift their far leg from underneath
  2. they sprawl their hips backSwitch to the Homer Simpson sweep the other way

Seminars

All seminars →

Longer seminars, classes and masterclasses that teach this. Free on YouTube.

Class recordingBottomGuard

Deep Half Guard Sweeps

Bryan White

Sweeps from deep half guard

Bryan White's Winter Camp 2020 class on sweeping from deep half guard.

YouTube ↗
Advanced detailsTransitions, threats, reactions, troubleshooting and a sparring drill

1. Overview

You dive under their hips and hug one leg, with their weight on top of you. Hard to pass and full of sweeps.

Key controls

  • Both arms hug their leg
  • Head tight to their hip
  • Your legs scissor their trapped leg

In this position

4 transitions · 2 sweeps · 2 submissions · 1 takedowns · 3 reactions · 2 troubleshooting fixes · 1 sparring exercise · 3 techniques

Read about itGrapplearts articlesBJJ Heroes

Finish this lesson

0% of this lesson0/17 videos completed · 0/3 techniques practiced
Test yourselfDeep half guard lesson quiz5 questions · pass with 4