Given a very specific situation, this is a series of counter options based on the progression of a technique. Before you watch it, you should check out the original half guard pass. After that, look at the counters and study them. Do you perceive any issues or vulnerabilities? If you do, highlight them. It’s not going to hurt my ego. Everything can be re-evaluated and improved upon.
Half Guard Sprawl Pass
Half Guard Sprawl Pass Counters
Hip Switch Counter
Details:
Once your opponent weaves their hand between your knees, they have given your their base on one side. All you have to do is prevent them from correcting that by controlling that hand. Without that control, you’ll only be able to off balance them unless their reaction is slow.
With the arm controlled, all you have to do now is generate enough leverage to tilt them towards the side where they have no base. That’s where the hip switch comes into play. The movement is basically a small bridge and hard hip switch from left to right or right to left. Posting on your free elbow will also help with the initial bridge.
From there, it’s just matter of transitioning into your preferred side control position. There’s also an opportunity to do a bicep crusher in the transition, if you actually use that submission.
Scissor Sweep Counter
Details:
The goal this time is to cut off your opponent’s ability to base on the other side. This time, the task is a little harder because you have to control both the far arm and the far knee.
Getting that far knee grip can be difficult sometimes depending how tight your opponent’s gi is. One little trick you can use to adapt for that possibility is to use your top leg to elevate your opponent’s hips. It will increase the amount of slack in their gi which will make the grip easier.
After that, just pull the knee in and pull the arm then it’s a standard scissor motion. One thing is that the focus should be on the top leg first. You want to partially move your opponent’s hip away from you, which will shift their weight off of their trapped leg. With less weight on the leg, it will easier to straighten that leg.
As you sweep, you should try to push their far knee between your legs. That small thing is what makes the mount transition possible.
Timing
Since these counters are broken down by when they’re possible in the progression of a specific technique, it should be easy to get a sense of the timing involved.
Origin
I picked up the half guard hip switch counter from Cyborg’s Guard Instructional. The first time, I saw it, it clicked for me right away. It was just so simple that it almost seemed silly. I’ve been using it for a few years now, and it’s proven itself to be highly effective as well.
For the half guard scissor sweep counter, I think I saw on Caio Terra’s Half Guard Set. I’m not sure. It may have also just been something that I picked up at Crazy 88. I’m leaning toward the first possibility though.
There was a question on Sherdog about what to do when your opponent turns tries to elbow escape mount. In that situation, I have a little simple thing that I do, and I’ve had a lot of success with it. So I tried to explain it there, but I felt that it wouldn’t be easy to understand it with words alone.
The solution was to just put it on video, and I’m going to share it with you as well.
Mount Escape Counter
Details:
Conceptually, the goal is to prevent the escape by halting the movement in process. Once the leg straightens, it has to be bent again in order for the mount escape to progress. The hook you weave through stops that transition in its tracks.
Once you have the leg, now you have to move your leg, on the side he wants to escape to, out of the risk area. You have a variety of options for doing that. You can underhook their arm on that side. You can crossface them. Or you can just drive the knee up like a battering ram. All that matters is the goal, not the method.
After that, just reset into the type of mount that you prefer.
Timing
This mount escape counter has to be done before they actually free their legs. It’s a race. It’s one that favors you though. The movement that is required is far simple than the movement that they will have to do in order to escape the position.
Origin
This was something that I started to see intuitively just from understanding the mount escape and what was required for it to be successful. I took what I learned then I flipped it and looked at it from different perspective in order to come up with the mount escape counter.
I’ll let you in on a little secret. I’m in the process of analyzing the way I teach, and I’m making an effort to improve the process and delivery. So I give you these unedited videos because I like to kill two birds with one stone. I have some good knowledge to share, and I might as well do that while I’m in this process of improvement. All of the techniques I show are ones that I have had for some time, and I’ve tested them against many people.
Triangle Escape Counter
Details:
You should control the head when you triangle. You should control the head when you triangle. You should control the head when you triangle. Oh, did I repeat that enough? Let’s say so, but it can never be reinforced too much.
It’s very important to pull your free elbow back so it doesn’t interfere with your movement.
If you’re having trouble hitting the sweep to mount, you can insist on it by putting both hands on the mat after you belly out then use your hands to walk your hips back towards your opponent. Play with it.
Mount Triangle Finish
Details:
It’s simple. Just keep the lock and rotate towards the hips. Range of motion definitely won’t be a problem.
Timing
Timing is very important with the first part of the technique. When your opponent drives your knee to the ground, there’s only one step left before he generally escapes. So the best time to hit the counter is in the transition to that angle switch. Once you’re in mount though, timing isn’t a factor.
Origin
I guess I could attribute most of this to Ryan Hall. I learned the counter to the angle switch and the whole concept of perpendicular angle from him. What I did with it was an simple application. I combined the counter with the application of a concept to a unique situation.
In fact, the triangle finish from mount was my first “innovation”, I pieced the puzzle together when I was a white belt. Since then, I’ve had lots of success with it.
You look around and you will see many BJJ instructionals put out by renowned Brazilian Jiu-jitsu practitioners. Often, they have high production values and they’re filled with content. Most of the content is even great.
However, there’s generally a focus on quantity over depth and enjoyment.
This has led to hours and hours of content, and it’s actually difficult to absorb it all. You have to work quite hard to reap a significant benefit from the investment, and that’s not even counting the effort that will be required to drill.
No, right now we’re just focusing on the effort required to just sit through those hours upon hours of demonstrations and explanations.
Most of the instructionals follow the same format. There’s a short introduction, then a random set of small sequences is shown. There’s rarely a larger narrative. Instead, it’s just an assortment of marginally connected pieces.
Of course, there are exceptions, but the bulk of the BJJ Instructionals follow that pattern.
What we’re going to do here is compare and contrast. I’m going to highlight a few different formats that I’ve seen. Hopefully, we can find aspects that can be taken from each in order to find a better way to make learning BJJ from video more effective and enjoyable.
A Few Different Formats
Caio Terra’s 111 Half Guard Techniques
Vince Quitugua’s Lost Secrets of the Half Guard
Royler Gracie’s Competition Tested Techniques
These instructionals were chosen because they have significant differences in format. Those differences lie mostly in how technique is taught and reinforced.
Compare and Contrast
111 Half Guard Techniques
This instructional has almost nine hours of content. That’s the main thing that separates it structurally it from most other BJJ Instructionals. I simply can’t think of any other instructional offhand that compares in the sheer amount of content.
Beyond that, it has the basic format. There are sequences shown in specific situations, and the method of teaching is exactly like it would be if you were in a class.
Lost Secrets of the Half Guard
The Lost Secrets is about an hour and half, but the content is highly focused. You can clearly see the larger lesson that is being taught and reinforced.
It starts off with transitions into the positions from multiple situations. Then it has a core lesson that focuses on two techniques and the many adjustments you can used to make it work through resistance. After that, the focus shifts to alternative options for similar situations.
It’s a contained lesson rather than an assortment of parts.
Competition Tested Techniques
There’s roughly about four hours of content on the whole set. Not all of the material focuses on technique, but that’s where it really shines. It gives you different types of stimulus which makes learning from the set an enjoyable process.
Let’s focus just on the instruction method though.
The explanation is split off from the demonstration, and it’s done by voice-over. So you have a situation where Royler is just focusing on demonstrating the technique from multiple angles, as someone else explains what’s going on. It reinforces the lesson by allowing you to see the same technique performed multiple times within a short timeframe. Then it’s further reinforced by seeing a slow motion demonstration and footage of the technique actually being used in competition.
Major Points of Difference
You look at these three examples and you can point out at least one thing each that can be considered a meaningful difference.
Quantity – 111 Half Guard Techniques has a significant quantity of excellent technique.
Depth – Lost Secrets of the Half Guard has a great level of focus on a specific situation.
Enjoyment – Competition Tested Techniques is enjoyable from start to finish because of the instruction style and the bonuses.
Building a Better Mouse Trap
Video has advantages and disadvantages. The first step to figuring out how to improve the process is to realize that.
Alright, so let’s break it down.
Advantages
Repeatable.
Not limited by time.
Content can include anything.
Disadvantages
No interaction and feedback.
It’s a passive form of learning.
Let’s see if we can think of a solution to those disadvantages real quick. We’ll start with the lack of interaction and feedback. Of course, it’s not possible for an instructor to walk around and suggest small things you can correct when you perform the technique as the video plays.
It would be amazing if it was possible though. A shame it isn’t.
One way to work around that problem would be to attempt to predict common issues. Not only the issues that arise from an opponent’s reactions but also the problems that center around poor understanding of the body mechanics required.
Hmm, here’s a quick idea:
What if in addition to the regular instruction there was another video in the set that broke down all the techniques by their core movements? It would be conceptual groupings of techniques based on the movements you have to develop to master them, and it would include drills to help with that endeavor.
Now what about the issue with the passive form of learning? Again, that’s another hard problem to deal with, but what helps is to make it enjoyable by breaking up the pattern. Competition Tested Techniques did that really well by throwing in biography, slow motion, competition footage, and other bonuses. Also Aurelio Gallegos Jr’s section in Secrets of Our Success was great because he included examples of him applying the techniques against resistance.
Different types of stimulus are great because it makes it easier to keep the attention focused. Another good example of this is Jeff Glover’s Deep Half Instructional. He played it really lighthearted, with jokes and obviously ridiculous techniques. It made it fun to watch and you learned some great technique in the process.
Right now, we have an clear advantage over previous generations because of the sheer amount of information that’s available. One fact remains the same though. It’s still the primary task of all instructors to make knowledge easy to digest and utilize.
That’s a question that you should ask yourself if you’re serious about mastering anything
But who wants to look like a fool? We all want to look good. We want to impress. It’s hard to let go of vanity. It’s also hard to let go of habits that you’ve already formed.
There’s a parable highlighted in Mastery that illustrates that point. George Leonard describes a situation where a person has a cup of milk in hand and a quart of milk on the table within reach. In order to attain the greater quantity of milk, the person will have to let go of the cup.
It’s in that transition where you will look like a fool.
You’ve let go of the cup, but you haven’t yet attained the quart. Who knows how much time will pass between those two points. To be great though, you can’t be content with just being good.
Let’s Go Deeper
I’m in that transition right now. There are areas in my skill set where I’m confident, and I have a high degree of success when I force matches into those situations. There are also areas where I’m not confident.
There’s a choice present in situations like that.
You can either hold on to the cup and just focus on what you’re already good at, or you can let go of it and strive to learn new things.
For me, I’m trying to let go of the cup, and I’m going to look like a fool at times in the process. I’m going to get swept, my guard is going to get passed, and I’m going to get submitted.
None of that matters.
All that matters is the commitment to the process.
Gear Shift
So are you able to answer that question yet? Oh, you know the one in the title of the post.
Are you willing to look like a fool?
Oh, still thinking about it? Alright, I’ll give you a little scenario. Imagine for a second that you’re rolling with a lower belt and your instructor is watching you. You can feel his eyes on you, and he’s watching with intense focus.
In that situation, would you be willing to work on something new? Or would you revert to your A game in order to impress?
It depends, right?
Hopefully, this little expansion on a fundamental concept can help you make that decision. Just remember that there’s nothing wrong with looking like a fool sometimes if your goal is mastery.
