Deep Half Guard Sweep

Sweep

The Deep Half Guard Sweep is performed from underneath your opponent while controlling one of their legs between yours, using leverage and underhooking the trapped leg to off-balance and elevate them. It is used when you have successfully entered deep half guard and need to reverse your opponent to come up on top, typically finishing in top half guard or side control.

Quick Reference

Key principles

  • · Stay on your side with your back facing the mat as little as possible to maintain mobility and prevent being flattened.
  • · Control the trapped leg tightly by hugging it close to your chest with a deep underhook around the thigh, denying your opponent base.
  • · Use your bottom hook and hip movement to load their weight onto you before elevating, not muscular lifting.
  • · Time the sweep when your opponent's weight shifts forward over you, making the elevation effortless.
  • · If they post or whizzer hard to resist, transition to back takes or Homer Simpson sweep variations to chain attacks.

Execution

  1. 1 From deep half guard bottom, secure a deep underhook around your opponent's trapped thigh, clasping your hands or gripping your own wrist, keeping their leg pinched tightly between your knees.
  2. 2 Scoot your hips underneath your opponent as deeply as possible so their weight is loaded over your torso, positioning your body perpendicular beneath them.
  3. 3 Use your bottom leg as a hook behind their trapped knee and bridge your hips upward while simultaneously turning into them, elevating their base off the mat.
  4. 4 As they topple to the side, follow through by coming up on top, clearing your head from underneath and securing top position in half guard or side control.
  5. 5 Immediately establish chest pressure and crossface to consolidate the top position before they can re-guard.

Common mistakes

  • × Lying flat on your back instead of staying on your side, which kills hip mobility and lets your opponent flatten and crossface you into a smash pass.
  • × Not scooting deep enough underneath the opponent, resulting in insufficient leverage where you end up trying to muscle the sweep instead of using body positioning.
  • × Releasing knee pressure on the trapped leg during the sweep attempt, allowing the opponent to free their leg and pass to side control.

Do it from

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

Deep Half Guard Bottom

Where it lands

The position you end up in.

Half Guard Top