Half guard bottom – the alignment issue

• If you want to be stable ontop of an opponent you want to be perpendicular to them
• If you you want an unstable opponent you want them to be lined up with you
  • Bottom Half guard allows you to easily enter this position where your body is inline with the top half guard player

Kuzushi

• You know you are doing a good job when you force the opponent’s hands to the mat
• types of kuzushi
  • inside Kuzushi
    • Helps you remove opponent’s cross face
    • How to:
      • Inside leg goes over the opponent’s leg
        • Do not put it over too close to their ankle or they may escape
      • Outside foot goes near your but
      • Chop with inside arm to opponents knee
      • Outside arm goes upward
      • Their cross facing arm should go to the mat
      • Block out arm with your hand to keep it from returning to the cross face
      • 
  • Outside kuzushi
    • Is done with a knee lever
    • How to
      • Inside hook with foot up to the knee
      • Put outside foot so that your toes cross with your inside foot
      • Tighten your knees
      • Point knees to the side
        • Do not bridge, this allows the opponent to get to mount
      • Opponent will be forced to catch themselves with their outside foot or inside hand
      • 
  • Overhead kuzushi
    • Is done with the scorpion elevator
    • How to
      • Have inside position with both hands
      • Enter the scorpion (aka lockdown) food position
      • Pinch knees together
      • Bump knees forward as you push them overhead
      • 

Half elbow escape series

• Most fundamental series
• Used when opponent has a cross face and underhook
• How to
  • Bring both your hands down the opponent’s body
    • You Can grab their belt
  • Bring inside hand to hip and inside elbow to knee
    • The opponent will likely hide their knee
    • To get your elbow to their knee you may need to open up your guard
  • Start sliding out
    • You will need to point your inside knee and foot downward to remove it
  • Bring inside knee to their hip
  • Pinch your knees and push their hips away from you
  • Break their crossface away from you
  • Get underhook
  • Come up to elbow to gain a favorable half guard position
    • You can also enter many other positions from this escape
  • 

Grip Dominance

• Top player wants
  • Cross face
  • Far side underhook
  • Chest to chest position
• Bottom player wants
  • Far side underhook
  • Arm inside cross face arm
  • Head and shoulders off of mat
• What to do when you lost the grip battle as bottom player
  • Do not fight for upper body grips, but focus on winning the lower body
  • Elbow escape (see above)
  • Knee lever (see outside kuzushi above)
  • Two stage knee lever
    • Used when opponents knee is off the mat
    • How to
      • Pinch around opponent’s thigh with legs
      • Move feet to floor
      • knee lever
      • bring knees back in
      • continue with normal knee lever
      •