Andreh Anderson has trained with many famous grapplers and is a skilled brown belt under Rey Diego. Recently he posted detailed photos and explanations of two of his favorite techniques. I immediately asked permission to post these techniques on my site and he kindly agreed. The two techniques in question can be seen at Half Guard Sweeping Series and Passing the Guard Wallid Ismael Style.
I found the half guard series to be especially interesting, since it mirrors what I’ve been working on recently. In my sparring I’ve been concentrating on the half guard, and have come to recognize that success in the half guard relies on linking two motions:
- FIRST: lead by coming onto your knees, either taking his back or doing a modified single leg or double leg takedown
- SECONDLY, dive underneath him and roll him over top of you.
*Blatant self promotion alert* This strategy is one of many attack sequences taught in my half guard instructional DVD, also available as atwo DVD set on guard sweeps.
The beauty of these two motions is that they complement each other: if you can’t come onto your knees you can often dive underneath him, and if you can’t get underneath him then you can often get onto your knees.
Of course there are many variations on how to a) get to your knees, and b) roll under him. You’ve got to learn the grip and hook placements that make this game effective and efficient.
All I want you to get today is the concept that the two-pronged half guard attack is a great starting point for developing an aggressive half guard game.
In closing I should remind you that these super-cool half guard attack sequences are built on a foundation of basic half guard skills. These include being able to block the most common half guard passes, and being able to put your opponent back into the closed guard if your half guard isn’t working.
I guess that what I’m saying is to have fun, just don’t totally ignore the basics!!!