{"id":"half-guard-bottom","name":"Half Guard","type":"position","subtype":null,"perspective":"bottom","aliases":["bottom half guard","chest to chest half guard","deep half guard","flat back bottom half guard","flat half guard","guard"],"evidence":{"videos":122,"channels":33,"gi":51,"nogi":33},"url":"https://bjjprofessor.app/explorer/half-guard-bottom","chapter":{"title":"Half Guard","role":"Playing bottom","summary":"Everything here starts with getting on your side and winning the underhook — flat on your back with their crossface set, none of the rest of this list exists.","thesis":[{"text":"Half guard is one trapped leg and a whole fight over what happens above it. Coaches keep saying the same thing about the bottom: the main game runs through the underhook — win it and you have sweeps, back takes, and wrestle-ups; lose it and you're just holding a leg while they pass.","clip":{"video_id":"8l0NuUZFJ0s","t":0,"channel":"Wim Deputter BJJ","title":"Play Octopus Half Guard to avoid common problems!","quote":"the main game you want to play in half guard usually involves getting an underhook","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l0NuUZFJ0s&t=0s"}},{"text":"The bottom position really has two modes with opposite jobs: the underhook closes distance and takes you into their base, the knee shield makes distance and keeps them off you. Knowing which mode you're in matters more than any individual technique.","clip":{"video_id":"9rUlw7ZwM08","t":56,"channel":"Gordon Ryan","title":"How I Dominate Half Guard - Gordon Ryan (ft. The Serpent)","quote":"underhook is made to close distance and start moving into the pocket","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rUlw7ZwM08&t=56s"}},{"text":"For the top player the position is a pinning problem before it's a passing problem. A half guard player on their side is dangerous; the same player with their shoulders flat is mostly just waiting. Everything the top player does — crossface, underhook, hip pressure — serves that one goal first.","clip":{"video_id":"0nzFxAl88F8","t":465,"channel":"Chewjitsu","title":"3 Guard Passing & Top Pressure Tactics for Older Grapplers in BJJ","quote":"if we fight our way through the half guard with his shoulders flat, his ability to be effective from his guard is very, very limited","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nzFxAl88F8&t=465s"}}],"options":[{"name":"Hip escape, then win the underhook","what":"Escape your hips out first, get on your side, and only then pummel your arm under theirs. The underhook is a product of the hip movement — reaching for it while flat just feeds them your arm.","when":"The moment you land in half guard, before their crossface settles — and again every time they whizzer it back out. This is the fight the whole position is named after.","clip":{"video_id":"Rhzz7J8Kopg","t":58,"channel":"Tristar Gym","title":"BJJ Attack - Underhook From Half Guard - Game Changing Details - Coach Zahabi","quote":"I escape my hips and I'm putting my under hook in. I have to escape my hips first","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rhzz7J8Kopg&t=58s"}},{"name":"Take the back off the underhook","what":"With the underhook won, pull them forward so their weight loads onto their hands, slide your body underneath, and climb toward back control.","when":"Their hands hit the mat. Two posted hands means their legs are light and there's nothing guarding the space behind them.","clip":{"video_id":"_Kj7wINDrtY","t":296,"channel":"Black Dragon BJJ","title":"Adam Wardzinski`s Butterfly Guard System - Half Butterfly - Half Guard - Back Take (week 10)","quote":"the first thing is the back take. If Declan has two hands in the mat, I'm taking the back","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Kj7wINDrtY&t=296s"}},{"name":"Knee lever, or butterfly hook","what":"If their free knee is on the mat, put your foot on the outside of it and lever it away to dump them over. If they lift that knee, the lever dies — but a butterfly hook slots straight into the space it leaves.","when":"Watch their free knee. On the floor: knee lever. Off the floor: butterfly hook. It's one decision with two answers, and they can't hide the knee in both places.","clip":{"video_id":"cy4nLEQysyc","t":85,"channel":"Gordon Ryan","title":"Gordon Ryan's Easy to Learn Dilemma to Improve Your Jiu Jitsu","quote":"see Reese's knee is placed on the floor, just place it on the outside of his knee","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy4nLEQysyc&t=85s"}},{"name":"Knee shield when you need distance","what":"Slide your top knee across their torso so the shin frames their chest or hip. You trade attacking connection for breathing room and a wall against the knee cut.","when":"They're winning the pressure fight and the underhook isn't there — the shield buys you the space to rebuild. It's a big enough game that it gets its own chapter.","clip":{"video_id":"547x4bIW1XU","t":439,"channel":"Jiu-Jitsu Breakdowns","title":"Gordon Ryan Breaks Andre Galvao's 8 Year ADCC Reign","quote":"up until now Andre has been very disciplined about keeping that knee shield in between them","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=547x4bIW1XU&t=439s"}},{"name":"Dive under to deep half","what":"Come off your side facing them, swing your legs around their trapped leg, and pull yourself deep underneath their hips so their base is stacked on top of you.","when":"They kill your underhook or lift their hips to pressure in — their weight leaving the mat is your invitation underneath. Deep half gets its own chapter too.","clip":{"video_id":"eFZ4bV1p9Mw","t":339,"channel":"Shawn A BJJ","title":"How William Wilson Fixed Deep Half Guard","quote":"transition into deep half, you come off your side facing them, bringing your legs around so you're deep underneath them","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFZ4bV1p9Mw&t=339s"}}],"more_options":[{"name":"Kimura on the top arm","when":"Their top arm hangs loose or posts while they fight your underhook — the figure four is sitting on it.","clip":{"video_id":"xzgYG-Mt-Yo","t":309,"channel":"Stephan Kesting (Grapplearts)","title":"Gripping Secrets to FINALLY Make the Kimura Work for You","quote":"in half guard I want to attack Michael's top arm with kimura grip","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzgYG-Mt-Yo&t=309s"}},{"name":"Forklift sweep against the whizzer","when":"They whizzer your underhook hard — put both arms through the same hole, load them up, and lift.","clip":{"video_id":"gvEBQsv8LSU","t":27,"channel":"BJJ Fanatics","title":"Forklift Sweep Jiu Jitsu Move by Chad Lyman","quote":"I've got an under hook and he's whizzering. Put both arms through same hole like a forklift, load him and he's so light the sweep is effortless","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvEBQsv8LSU&t=27s"}},{"name":"Octopus guard when they're too strong","when":"You can't out-pummel them for the underhook — go under the armpit instead of through it.","clip":{"video_id":"BiKsBWl85_c","t":253,"channel":"Inverted Gear","title":"Build A Better Half Guard with Black Belt Alec Baudling","quote":"if he's really powerful, what I've been playing around with more is just going under, getting into the octopus guard","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiKsBWl85_c&t=253s"}},{"name":"Half butterfly when the shield won't fit","when":"You're being crushed and there's no room to insert a knee shield — the hook needs less space.","clip":{"video_id":"o7SycSrNp1A","t":5,"channel":"BJJ Fanatics","title":"MASTER Guard Retention: SNEAKY WAY To Half Butterfly by Adele Fornarino","quote":"sometimes when our partner is crushing us and we can't get a knee shield, a half butterfly may be our only option","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7SycSrNp1A&t=5s"}}],"failure_modes":[{"symptom":"I keep ending up flat on my back getting smashed.","cause":"You lost the crossface war. A flattened bottom half guard with their underhook and crossface in is, in a commentator's words, ideal for passing — your legs are holding a position your shoulders already conceded.","fix":"Fight the crossface before it lands and keep the bottom shoulder off the mat. Once the arm is past your face, you're not playing half guard anymore — you're waiting.","clip":{"video_id":"5kvT1q1-4sU","t":82,"channel":"DomoBJJ","title":"Jiu Jitsu White Belt Match Breakdown | Hamza ADCC","quote":"Hamza has his opponent in flattened out bottom half guard, which is ideal for passing because he has the underhook and a strong cross face","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kvT1q1-4sU&t=82s"}},{"symptom":"Every time I shoot the underhook, they shut it down.","cause":"Good opponents rotate the near shoulder forward, which closes the path to the hip before your arm ever arrives — you're losing the race, not the technique.","fix":"Stop re-running the same pummel and change address: go under to octopus guard, or switch to the knee shield and play the distance game instead.","clip":{"video_id":"8l0NuUZFJ0s","t":88,"channel":"Wim Deputter BJJ","title":"Play Octopus Half Guard to avoid common problems!","quote":"the best defense is rotate your right shoulder forward cuz this denies me the hip","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l0NuUZFJ0s&t=88s"}},{"symptom":"I can hold half guard all round, but I never sweep anyone.","cause":"You're attacking a based, settled opponent. Every sweep in this chapter needs their weight in motion first, and a static half guard gives them no reason to move.","fix":"Off-balance before you attack: pull them forward, lever the knee, threaten the back — make them post, then take whatever the post exposes.","clip":{"video_id":"ncyYLX1TESA","t":430,"channel":"Jordan Teaches Jiujitsu","title":"How To NOT Get Smashed...","quote":"off-balance them to give them a reason to let go or create space for you","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncyYLX1TESA&t=430s"}},{"symptom":"I get guillotined every time I come up on the underhook.","cause":"You're rising head-first. Coming up bent forward with the underhook leaves your neck hanging in front of them, and leaning over the head is exactly the counter they're waiting on.","fix":"Keep your head glued tight to their body on the underhook side as you climb, and posture up as part of the movement instead of after it.","clip":{"video_id":"2wAJVUZALzs","t":0,"channel":"BJJ Fanatics","title":"How GORDON RYAN Evades Guillotines from Underhooks","quote":"your partner now can lean forward and just come up and over the head and now you're in guillotine positions","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wAJVUZALzs&t=0s"}},{"symptom":"They pin my arms and I feel completely dead down there.","cause":"Your upper body is stuck — but the position runs on hips, and a pinned pair of arms doesn't pin your hips.","fix":"Move what still works: hip escape, hip in, hip back out. The lower body restarts the fight your arms lost.","clip":{"video_id":"Mhcf6_zDhx4","t":155,"channel":"Kurt Osiander Move of the Week","title":"Kurt Osiander Move of the Week - Half-Guard Gift Wrap Escape","quote":"if your hips are still alive, you're still alive — I'm using my lower body since my upper body is kind of stuck","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhcf6_zDhx4&t=155s"}}],"other_roles":[{"role":"Playing top","node_id":"half-guard-top","url":"https://bjjprofessor.app/explorer/half-guard-top"}]},"clips":[{"video_id":"-ixP7xQua6s","t":40,"channel":"Black Dragon BJJ","title":"Adam Wardzinski`s Butterfly Guard System - Half Butterfly - Half Guard - Roll Over Sweep (week 10)","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ixP7xQua6s&t=40s"},{"video_id":"15qDj9fFPIw","t":28,"channel":"Adam Wardzinski","title":"Octopus Guard x Butterfly Mini System","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15qDj9fFPIw&t=28s"},{"video_id":"1JIKnVGfRnA","t":434,"channel":"Atos Jiu-Jitsu HQ","title":"Back Take From Quarter Guard - Andre Galvao","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JIKnVGfRnA&t=434s"},{"video_id":"2gtr7Jm0NsI","t":0,"channel":"BJJ Fanatics","title":"Simple Takedown from Near Leg by Jorge Valladares","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gtr7Jm0NsI&t=0s"},{"video_id":"2m4gyFdSNIo","t":33,"channel":"BJJ Globetrotters in Action","title":"Summer Camp 2025: The Good, the Bad and the Boring. Effective Half Guard Passing with Bernd Röske","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m4gyFdSNIo&t=33s"},{"video_id":"3u6cBJDEH9o","t":142,"channel":"Bernardo Faria BJJ Fanatics","title":"Why Your Kimura FAILS Against Strong Guys (Stop Doing This)","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u6cBJDEH9o&t=142s"}],"athletes":["andy","dennis kang","craig-jones","kurt osiander","maggie-lero","areli-lever","rolando","richie"]}