One of the most effective half guard passes involves switching the hips, turning your back towards the bottom player. This makes the bottom player’s job extremely difficult because their hips are being locked down and if they control the bottom player’s legs and move their weight back, they will be able to step back, freeing their leg from the half guard and begin completing the pass.
Tom DeBlass and student David Gonzalez demonstrate two different options for dealing with this style of pass. Just as in his best-selling “Half Domination” series available from BJJ Fanatics, DeBlass is able to clearly show a number of options that you can put into practice immediately. His instruction is easy to follow and get you dominating half guard the next time you step on the mats.
Check out the video below and let’s break it down afterwards.
Hip Switch Option 1
In the first option, Tom DeBlass shows an easy path to leg attack entries or even simple reversals of the opponent. Initially, he addresses a very common mistake that gets made. This is when the bottom player tries to fight back to the opposite direction that their hips are comported. This is counter productive to try to turn our torsos away from our hips.
Instead, as DeBlass is fond of reminding his students, the hips must be under the opponent’s hips for any good sweep/reversal to work. In this case, he will frame against the opponent’s back after the hip switch takes place and work to bring in his top leg as a knee shield. This opens up the near side leg of the opponent to being attacked via heel hooks or knee bars. If leg attacks are not on the menu, a classic “taking out the trash” sweep is available from the same position.
Hip Switch Option 2
In the second option, DeBlass will hip away slightly to create the necessary space to slip in a jailbreak style butterfly hook. Once that hook is secured underneath the opponent’s thigh, he will reach across and in front of the opponent’s face and drive to the opposite side while elevating them with the butterfly hook. This reversal will put you in a very good position and have you dominating the pass immediately.
In this short 2 minute video, Tom DeBlass has just saved you months of trial and error dealing with the guard passer who prefers to switch their hips and stay heavy on your body to pass and prevent your recovery. Imagine what you can gain from his 4 volume “Half Domination” series! Take advantage of the nearly two decades of grappling experience distilled for you in all of the best tools from his arsenal. Check it out today!
