Do you find yourself stuck in top Half Guard a lot? As in, your training partners get a rather tight “grip” on you and you can’t seem to free yourself, no matter what you try to do?
Getting out of this position sure is tough. But here’s a little secret: often times in BJJ, to get out of a position, you’ll need to threaten your opponent with something first… So that they divert their attention to the threat, and off of keeping you under control.
Nick “Chewy” Albin demonstrates one such attack that will help you get out of Half Guard. And yes, you’ve guessed it – it’s the Kimura.
ATTACK THE KIMURA AND GET UNSTUCK FROM TOP HALF GUARD
To attack your training partner/opponent with a Kimura from top Half Guard, you’ll first need to bring your far-side knee next to their knee, and then switch your hips into that direction. From there, you’ll slide your arm underneath their arm and initiate the Kimura attack.
Chewy emphasizes that you need to make this attack credible. Really go for the submission and try to tap them out. What that will do is that it’ll make them focused on defending; not on keeping you in Half Guard.
So, the moment you notice that their legs have loosened up a bit, you need to straighten your own leg and swiftly pull it out (so you don’t get caught again). Establish Side Control and keep on going with your offense – because you still have that Kimura grip in place!
Watch the video below for more details:
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