Half guard (top)

They have trapped your leg. Flatten them, kill the underhook, then free your leg.

PassingFundamental
Lesson video · 1 of 44

Half Guard Passing: Basic Underhook and Crossface

Report a problemAaron Benzrihem bjj · on YouTube
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Essentials

Half guard (top): Half guard: the bottom player's legs trap one of the top player's legs while the top player lies chest to chest
US Army, FM 3-25.150 Combatives (2002), fig. 3-23 · Public domain (US Army work) Source ↗

You’re on top with one leg trapped in their half guard. The battle is the crossface and the underhook: win them and you flatten them, free your leg and pass.

Your goals
  • Crossface and win the underhook
  • Flatten them on their back
  • Free your leg and pass
What they want
  • Get the underhook and come up
  • Recover full guard
Key principles
  • Head position wins
  • Heavy shoulder on their face
Common mistakes
  • Letting them get the underhook
  • Rushing to free the leg first

Techniques to learn

Each one opens its own page and video.

Passes & back takes
Knee slice passPressure pass · FundamentalBody lock passPressure pass · IntermediateSmash passPressure pass · FundamentalLong step passPressure pass · IntermediateBackstep passPressure pass · IntermediateLeg weave passPressure pass · IntermediateFolding passPressure pass · Intermediate
Submissions
Arm triangle (Kata Gatame)Choke · IntermediateD'Arce chokeChoke · IntermediateKimura (Gyaku Ude Garami)Shoulder lock · Fundamental

Where it leads

Other side
Half guard
Moves from here
Side control (Yoko Shiho Gatame)Mount (Tate Shiho Gatame)Knee on bellyDogfightSaddle (Inside Sankaku)
Escapes
Escape the kimuraEscape the arm triangle
In courses
Foundations III: Half guardHalf guard set
Seminars

If this happens…

  1. they start to get the underhookWhizzer or crossface and flatten them again
  2. your leg is stuck deepUse your free foot to push their knee down

Seminars

All seminars →

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

MasterclassTopPassing

Dean Lister's Top Half Guard System

Dean Lister

A full system for passing and controlling half guard from the top

Dean Lister's complete free course on top half guard, filmed in Gold BJJ's studio.

YouTube ↗
ExcerptTopNo-gi

Craig Jones Seminar at Bangtao (Part 1)

Craig Jones

Top half guard pressure: crossface and pinning

Part one of Craig Jones's seminar hosted at Bangtao: top half guard pressure built on the crossface, and finishing the arm triangle from half guard.

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

1. Overview

They have trapped your leg. Flatten them, kill the underhook, then free your leg.

Key controls

  • Crossface or underhook
  • Kill their underhook
  • Chest heavy, hips low

In this position

5 transitions · 0 sweeps · 3 submissions · 3 reactions · 2 troubleshooting fixes · 1 sparring exercise · 4 techniques

Read about itGrapplearts articlesBJJ Heroes

Finish this lesson

0% of this lesson0/44 videos completed · 0/4 techniques practiced
Test yourselfHalf guard (top) lesson quiz5 questions · pass with 4