This month at 10th Planet Van Nuys Coach Alder Hampel has been sharing his deep half guard game. Deep half guard is one of those positions that I have always played around with but have never been able to figure out. In addition to training in class, one of my training partners Tim Coon and I have been playing around with the deep half positions and I think I am starting to get it. Over the next few months I want to keep exploring deep half because I feel like it will be a great addition to my game and there are several ways to take the back from  deep half.

Half Guard to Deep Half Guard

One of the ways this month that we learned to set up deep half is from a knee shield. In the video below deep half guard wizard Jeff Glover shows how you can use the knee shield to create space to swing under your opponent to get deep half. It is a very simple set yet effective set up. I am a big fan of set ups that open up more than one option and this one provides a path to both deep half and the dog fight series you normally see from lockdown. 

As I was playing around with this move I found that using the knee shield to make space was crucial to successfully getting to deep half. In the gif above Glover uses his knee shield to push on the chest to make space. If you do not make space before going for deep half your opponent has an opportunity to crush and pin you. I also like the knee shield because it allows me to keep my opponent from getting a solid base. Again if your opponent has a solid base, they have a good chance of crushing you and preventing you from obtaining deep half guard.

For more on this move please check out the video below. If you want more Jeff Glover deep half guard make sure to check out his dvd on the position.

PS Tim owns an awesome jiu jitsu clothing company called Dodgy Collective. Make sure to check it out and buy a shirt!