The half guard position has been going through a renaissance lately primarily through the popularity and prevalence of half guard being used by world class practitioners like Bernardo Faria and Tom DeBlass amongst others. A solid bottom half guard can make a smaller player strong and a big player stronger with the utilization of arm frames, the knee shield and proper body angling on one’s side.
But what if someone caught in my bottom half guard, back steps out, sitting back and attempting to control my upper body or head while looking down towards my feet? How much trouble am I in, or am I in trouble at all. Of course every position can present an element of danger, but what the opponent who has backstepped in an attempt to pass my bottom half guard has achieved is catching themselves in my Reverse Half Guard. By maintaining control on the same thigh that I had trapped in the bottom half guard, I can utilize a lockdown style position to keep them caught.
Once I have my opponent caught in this position, keeping control on that thigh, I can initiate sweeps or positional escapes and work to escape my own hips and take the back in some cases, if the opponent reacts the way I need them to.
One of the most accomplished Canadian BJJ players, Jake Mackenzie, also a long time instructor in Brazil has developed a high level and multi-faceted half guard game and Reverse Half Guard is one of the specialties he utilizes.
Here he guides you to the details for an effective half guard:
For more on the high level half guard game from one of the most successful Canadian BJJ competitors in history, Jake Mackenzie, you will want to check out his “High Precision Half Guard and Reverse Half Guard” instructional here!
