Deep Half Guard Pass

Pass

The Deep Half Guard Pass is used when your opponent has entered deep half guard, controlling one of your legs with their body positioned underneath you. The goal is to free your trapped leg, flatten your opponent, and establish a dominant position such as side control or mount.

Quick Reference

Key principles

  • · Control the crossface or underhook early to limit your opponent's ability to sweep or take the back.
  • · Drive your hips low and heavy to flatten the bottom player and kill their hip mobility.
  • · Use a sprawling motion to create backward pressure on the trapped leg, making extraction possible.
  • · Anticipate the opponent's waiter sweep or back-take attempt by keeping your weight forward and head position low.
  • · Maintain a wide base with your free leg to prevent being off-balanced during the pass.

Execution

  1. 1 Establish a strong crossface with your far arm while using your near arm to control their top arm or underhook, preventing them from securing your leg deeply.
  2. 2 Drop your hips heavy onto your opponent's chest and face, sprawling back to begin flattening them and reducing their leverage on your trapped leg.
  3. 3 Use your free leg to backstep or kickstand wide for base, then work a windshield-wiper or knee-slide motion to extract your trapped leg from between their legs.
  4. 4 As your leg clears, immediately drive your knee across their hip or belly to solidify the pass and prevent guard re-establishment.
  5. 5 Settle into side control with strong crossface pressure and an underhook, blocking their hip with your knee.

Common mistakes

  • × Staying upright instead of dropping weight forward, which gives the bottom player space to execute sweeps or transition to the back.
  • × Trying to yank the trapped leg out forcefully without first flattening the opponent, which often results in losing balance and getting swept.
  • × Neglecting the crossface or head control, allowing the bottom player to create an angle and recover to a stronger half guard or initiate a Homer Simpson sweep.

Do it from

Positions and situations where the Deep Half Guard Pass shows up.

Deep Half Guard Top

Where it lands

The position you end up in.

Side Control Top

Use it against

The Deep Half Guard Pass is an answer to these.

Deep Half Guard Bottom