Deep Half Guard from Guard Passing

Deep Half Guard from Guard Passing is a control used to hold and set up the next attack built around a handful of repeatable controls. On top with one leg captured between the bottom player's legs and the bottom player burrowed under the hips in deep half guard with their head on the far side. Another common starting shape: the bottom player has just entered deep half guard with their head sliding under the top player's hips. The ideas that hold it together are underhook supremacy, preventing the come-up, and deep half defense.

The deep half guard chain is a sequence of small controls, not one athletic burst. Diving the near hand under the bottom player's exposed armpit to take a tight underhook before they can hide the arm. Pressuring the underhooked shoulder downward to flatten the bottom player and prevent them from coming up to the knees. Driving forward weight slightly to make any sweep entry feel uphill, eliminating their momentum. Using the underhook as a steering wheel: if they try to come up, ride the shoulder down and threaten back exposure. Recognise the underhook reach around the hip as the entry signal. Note when the bottom player tries to bridge and roll, often using a lapel grip in the gi. Note when the head is being driven behind the hips toward a back take exit. Defend the hip-control battle to deny the head sliding under fully. Same trapped-leg geometry but now with a deep underhook secured on the bottom player's exposed arm, killing their ability to come up and sweep.

Later in the deep half guard, deep-half offence centres on getting the top player's hips up onto the head and then choosing a roll or back exit, one framework with three branches, picked by what the partner gives, and blocking the opposing underhook is more reliable than racing for your own tend to decide whether the position stays on track. Watch for these mistakes: Sitting back and basing instead of attacking the underhook, which lets the bottom player frame and elevate. Taking a shallow underhook on the wrist or sleeve that the opponent can pull free. Trying to underhook the partner instead of just blocking their underhook, which loses the race. Letting the trapped knee point upward so the bottom player can roll under. The high-percentage version of deep half guard from guard passing is the one you can still chain when the opponent frames or pummel-wins a grip.