MasterclassBottomGuard
Dean Lister's Bottom Half Guard System
Dean Lister
A full bottom half guard system
Dean Lister's complete free course on playing half guard from the bottom, filmed in Gold BJJ's studio.
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Half guard
You trap one of their legs between yours. Get an underhook and come up, or sweep.
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Essentials
You’re on your back trapping one of their legs between yours. It’s where most guards end up when someone is passing, so it’s a must-have survival position, and with the underhook it becomes a strong attacking guard.
Your goals
- Get on your side facing them
- Win the underhook on the far side
- Come up to the dogfight, sweep or take the back
What they want
- Crossface you and win the underhook
- Flatten you and free their trapped leg
Key principles
- The underhook battle decides half guard
- Being flat is losing; being on your side is playing
Common mistakes
- Lying flat with their crossface in
- Holding the leg but not fighting for the underhook
Techniques to learn
Each one opens its own page and video.
Sweeps
Old school sweepHalf guard · Fundamental
Electric chair sweepHalf guard · Intermediate
John Wayne sweep (knee lever)Half guard · Fundamental
Tornado sweepHalf guard · Advanced
Dogfight sweepHalf guard · IntermediateWhere it leads
If this happens…
- they drive a crossface into your jawFrame on their neck, shrimp and pummel for the underhook
- you win the underhookCome up on your elbow to the dogfight, then go for the back or the single leg
Seminars
All seminars →Longer seminars, classes and masterclasses that teach this. Free on YouTube.
Full seminarBottomGuard
Half Guard Seminar
John B. Will
A half guard seminar from the bottom
John B. Will's half guard seminar, published on his own channel.
Full seminarBottomGuard
Half Guard: Full seminar on my favorite position
Wim Deputter
An 80-minute seminar on playing half guard from the bottom
Wim Deputter's full seminar on bottom half guard, his main guard: the details he uses to make it more effective, from entries to attacks.
MasterclassBottomGuard
How to Build the Perfect Half Guard Game
John Danaher
How to build a bottom half guard game
John Danaher's long-form lesson on building a bottom half guard game, published free by Bernardo Faria.
Full seminarBottomGuard
Kurt Osiander's Half Guard Seminar
Kurt Osiander
A half guard seminar from the bottom
Kurt Osiander's half guard seminar, published by Eduardo Fraga BJJ.
MasterclassBottomGuard
Half Guard Masterclass
Adem Redzovic
A half guard masterclass
Adem Redzovic's half guard masterclass on his own channel.
Class recordingBottomGuard
Half guard is the answer
Will Dorman
Bottom half guard: framing, inside space and a sweep to side control
Will Dorman (third-degree black belt) teaches his favorite bottom half guard sweep for gi and no-gi: keep your structure, frame and win the inside space, then come up to side control.
Class recordingBottomGuard
Sweep Theory
Chris Paines
Concept class on why sweeps work, shown mostly from half guard and knee shield
Chris Paines explains how he thinks about sweeps in general, with most examples from half guard and the knee shield. A concept class, not a list of moves.
Advanced detailsTransitions, threats, reactions, troubleshooting and a sparring drill
1. Overview
You trap one of their legs between yours. Get an underhook and come up, or sweep.
Key controls
- Underhook, not a flat back
- Knee shield as a frame
- Get onto your side
In this position
11 transitions · 5 sweeps · 4 submissions · 3 reactions · 2 troubleshooting fixes · 1 sparring exercise · 5 techniques
Read about itGrapplearts articlesBJJ Heroes
Finish this lesson
0% of this lesson0/19 videos completed · 0/5 techniques practiced
Test yourselfHalf guard lesson quiz5 questions · pass with 4