The deep half guard is a variation on the classic half guard. In this position you will typically have one of your opponent’s legs trapped between your legs (classic half guard) and will also have one arm underneath the leg which allows you to hug the leg.

Once you have this position there are many options to sweep / transition to different guard positions.
Like any good sweep the deep half upsets your opponent’s base and it puts them in an unstable position. In this position they cannot comfortably put their weight down and are more susceptible to being swept.

They are also limited in the amount of attacks available and any transition is tricky as they risk the chance of a scramble or being swept.

It is an excellent position to use when competing against bigger stronger opponents. Many sweeps against larger opponents fail because they require a level of strength that is often not possible for a smaller opponent. However the Deep half guard uses their own weight against them and leaves them vulnerable to a number of different sweeps. It is a relatively high percentage sweep and many of the top BJJ players in the world have some version of it in their locker.

The great thing about Deep Half Guard is that it is set up from half guard. This is one of the easiest positions to get when playing from the bottom. In a scramble or open guard situation, it is often easier to capture one of your opponent’s legs than trying to lock up a closed guard or set up another type of guard.

The other reason it is effective is that once you manage to sweep your opponent from the Deep Half guard you will find yourself in strong top position. If you learn the deep half guard and combine it with a pass such as Over Under you will quickly develop an ability to go from a unfavorable position on bottom (half guard) to a very strong top position (top side control).

The Deep Half Guard sweep can be divided into 3 parts:

1. The Entry:
This is probably the most difficult part of the sweep but if perfected you will find that the other parts of the sweep will fall into place.

As you become more proficient at the technique you will need less and less room to complete this shoot and will soon be hopefully able to make the deep half entry from any half guard position.

2. Securing the position:
Once you have the entry it is time to secure the position. When you shoot in you might find yourself still facing your opponent. In order to secure the position your goal should be to try and ensure that you are directly underneath your opponents center of gravity.

This is done by elevating your opponents trapped leg and scooting yourself further into the space created underneath the leg.

In the final position you should be facing away from your opponent with your ear tight to their thigh and your arm should be securely hugging the leg.

3. The sweep:
Now that you have the position secured it is time to sweep your opponent and gain the top positon.
Once you have secured the Deep Half position, there are many sweep variations that you can do, some of which you will learn here.

Deep half guard counters -

Like any position in BJJ there is always counter options.

With the Deep half guard the 3 most commons counters are as follows:

1. Attack the opponents non hugging arm with a Kimura:
This is definitely on of the most common defenses for the deep half guard. This is done by attacking the arm that is not hugging the trapped leg. Even if the player on bottom completes the sweep you can continue to attack the kimura from bottom.

2. Sit to side and stall and wait for sweeper to move:
This is also quite common and is generally done by experienced players with an understanding of the position. They simply place their weight on the ground without conceding the sweep. It can be very frustrating for both parties and results in a bit of a stalemate unless the sweeper can transition to another position to continue attacking a sweep.

3. Press down on head and pass over to other side:
Press down on the head to pass to the far side before freeing the trapped leg.