If you’re wondering about the best jiu-jtsu half guard sweeps in Gi and No-Gi grappling, so today you’ll learn a great list of half guard sweeps. Moreover, sweeps have been among the basic techniques taught in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. So, every player should know several sweeps from various positions including the half guard, side control, mount, closed guard, rubber guard, butterfly guard, etc.
What makes sweeps so wanted in jiu-jitsu? Sweep moves help the fighter escape from an unwanted bottom position toward a better position. Therefore, you will find more opportunities to submit your opponent, or at least you will score points. In addition, the most important thing is that you’ll diversify your game with a lot of variations, transitions, and awesome combinations from almost every position.
During this article, you’ll discover a list of the best BJJ half guard sweeps for Gi and also for No Gi grappling. Stay tuned!
But before diving in, let’s learn sweeps and half guard basics and fundamentals.
BJJ Half Guard Fundamentals
What is Half Guard In BJJ?
The BJJ half guard is among the essential BJJ martial art positions, where the person in the bottom puts one among his legs between the top person’s legs. Moreover, the bottom fighter should use his other leg as a knee shield near the opponent’s chest to prevent the top player from smashing him.
What Can You Do From Half Guard In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
Source: The Grappling Academy
The bottom half guard is of the basic positions in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It offers its players several good things, such as:
- Submissions like the kimura lock, triangle choke, armlock, chokes, etc
- Sweeps like the kimura sweeps, underhook sweep, etc.
- Sweet transitions to the back take, deep half guard, half-butterfly guard, Z guard, side control, X guard, etc.
However, the top half guard also offers its player several awesome things
- Submissions like the kimura lock, darce choke, Americana, leg lock, heel hook, arm-triangle choke, baseball choke, etc.
- Moves and transitions to the back, guard passing, north-south position, knee shield, mount position, etc.
How To Play The Bottom Half Guard Position?
Source: Bernardo Faria BJJ Fanatics
To play bottom half guard, you need to master its fundamentals and basics, with a deep understanding of the details of every move from this position.
Therefore, you must manage several key elements such as distance, frames, and timing to execute properly your BJJ moves, submissions, and transitions.
Here are some awesome tips to build a tough jiu jitsu half-guard game:
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Be the first to size dominant grips
Grips are very important if you wish to build a tough half-guard game. Therefore, the person who takes first the dominant grips will certainly impose his game to win the points or hunt awesome submissions/transitions.
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Manage your distance within your opponent
Managing distance is one of the basic principles in BJJ martial arts. Therefore, in the half guard position, you should use a solid knee shield and frames to control the distance. Thus, you’ll prevent the opponent from smashing you or taking the cross face.
However, it’ll be difficult to play the half guard if you couldn’t achieve these things.
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Timing is important to succeed
Good timing in Brazilian jiu jitsu is making the right moves at the right time. It’s very important to properly process the techniques while transiting to another position, escaping a miserable position, executing a half-guard sweep, etc.
Sweep Fundamentals in Jiu Jitsu Gi No-Gi
Sweeps are among the most effective Gi and No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu techniques that help the bottom fighter reverse the game. Thus, these beautiful BJJ moves will help you escape unwanted or miserable positions.
Therefore, BJJ sweeps are very useful in high-level competition and even in self-defense situations. There are several cool sweeps like the pendulum sweep, scissor sweep, etc.
Otherwise, some sweeps are effectively processed from the half guard others from the closed guard, or rubber guard, etc.
Cool!
So, how does sweep work in BJJ? The sweep technique works by putting the opponent in an unbalanced position, then swings him. Doing such a thing gives a practitioner two sweet points during a tournament.
List Of Half Guard Sweeps You Should Know
Now, let’s discover some awesome BJJ sweeps from half guard that every fighter should know.
Jiu Jitsu Half Guard Kimura Sweep
The kimura lock is among the top BJJ grappling attacks achievable from several positions, including the half guard. Therefore, the kimura sweep is also one of the best sweeps, mostly executed from the closed guard and from the half guard. It works a lot when the opponent tries to defend the kimura submission.
Throughout the next video, you’ll learn how to do the half guard kimura sweep?
Source: LI MMA
Coyote Half Guard Sweep
The coyote half-guard sweep stands among the best sweeps in jiu jitsu Gi No-Gi. It can be performed from the coyote half-guard position.
What is a coyote half guard? The coyote half guard may be quite a variation of the traditional half guard in BJJ martial arts developed by Lucas Leite Jiu Jitsu.
Why Coyote Half Guard? The Coyote Half Guard will assist you to defeat bigger opponents in normal sparring and even in the top jiu-jitsu tournaments.
How to perform the Coyote Half Guard Sweep? Lucas Leite’s Coyote Half Guard position demands to manage properly the opponent’s hands and legs. These factors will help create distance, control your opponent, and determine how successfully you’ll execute Coyote Half Guard techniques, including sweeps, submissions, and variations.
Here are some awesome steps to execute the coyote half-guard sweep.
Source: Bernardo Faria BJJ Fanatics
If You’re to Learn more about the coyote half guard, here is an awesome Brazilian jiu jitsu article: Coyote Half Guard BJJ Explained Step By Step
Jiu Jitsu Half Guard Scissor Sweep
The scissor sweep is among the first BJJ sweeps taught in BJJ Gi No-Gi Grappling. It’s an awesome technique performed from the closed guard, half guard, etc.
The cool thing about the scissor sweep is that white belts and advanced fighters used it a lot due to its effectiveness.
That’s awesome!
So, what are the key elements to do a successful scissor sweep in BJJ and MMA? The scissor sweep demands that you simply manage your opponent’s weight and posture properly. Therefore, you ought to install solid grips within your opponent and use your legs correctly.
Here is the full setup for the scissor sweep from the half guard, have fun!
Source: Alberto Serrano BJJ
Half Guard Reverse Sweep
The reverse half-guard sweep is one of the top techniques from the bottom half-guard position. Therefore, it will help you to develop a tough BJJ half guard game with more combinations and transitions.
Masahiro Iwasaki teaches you, in the next video, how to set up the half guard reverse sweep?
Source: Bernardo Faria BJJ Fanatics
Jiu Jitsu Half Guard Underhook Sweep
The Underhook half guard sweep is one of the best techniques from the bottom half-guard position that you should know to develop a tough half guard game.
Throughout the next video, you’ll learn how to do the half guard underhook sweep?
Source: Brandon Quick
Deep Half Guard Waiter Sweep
The half guard waiter sweep is among the best half guard sweeps BJJ. It is an effective move that will help you to diversify your game with more combinations and transitions.
Throughout the next video, you’ll learn how to do the half guard waiter sweep?
Source: The Grappling Academy
Jiu Jitsu Half Guard Butterfly Hook Sweep
The butterfly hook sweep from the half guard position is among the best techniques that you should know to develop a tough BJJ half guard game.
Throughout the next video, you’ll learn how to do the Jiu Jitsu Half Guard Butterfly Hook Sweep?
Source: MMA Leech
Half Guard Knee Shield Sweep
The knee shield sweep from the half guard is one of the best BJJ sweeps from the half-guard position. Therefore, it will help you to develop a tough BJJ half guard game with more combinations and transitions.
Throughout the next video, Thomas Lisboa (BJJ black belt and many times gi and no-gi champion) teaches you how to use the action-reaction principle to perform the half guard knee shield sweep?
Source: Stephan Kesting
Half Guard Lockdown Sweep
Lockdown sweep from half guard position is an awesome sweep that will help you develop a tough BJJ half guard game.
Throughout the next video, you’ll learn how to do the jiu jitsu half guard lockdown sweep?
Source: Evo BJJ
Conclusion
Sweeps are among the best techniques that you can perform with high effectiveness from the half guard BJJ Gi and No-Gi.
You have a large list of sweeps that you can do from the half guard in jiu-jitu martial arts including the underhook sweep, the kimura sweep, the reverse half guard sweep, the knee shield sweep, etc. So, do not hesitate to try them in your next BJJ grappling training session, they will help you to build a tough half guard game.
We hope this article has helped you develop awesome sweep combinations from the BJJ half guard position.
So tell us, what’s your favorite jiu-jitsu half guard sweep?
