Technique: Leo Vieira    Article: Kevin Howell    Photos: Dave Contreras

The following technique section originally appeared in Vol. 5 of the Budovideos magazine (now called Martial Generation Magazine). Below, multiple time BJJ World champion, and ADCC champion, Leo Vieira demonstrates some of his favorite half-guard techniques. The half-guard is a great position to attack your transitions.  The reasoning is simple - oftentimes when passing the half-guard, your opponent will go for a single leg takedown or simply try to bridge you over on to your back.  The trick here is to go for your pass, but to be ready for his proper escape with a transition of your own.  As with all of the techniques that I teach, I always show a few options based on an intelligent opponent’s defense.  When you are small like me, your best option is to have a deep bag of tricks!

Technique 1:  Half Guard Pass
This pass is a great go-to option when you are passing the half-guard.  As with all passes, this one is all about controlling the hips.  Use your arms and legs in conjunction to “split” your opponent – you cannot let him relock the half-guard!  Beyond this, total body control is important, and I am talking about your body not his!  Use your entire body to pass as your arms lock his body in position, your hips keeps you in base, and your free leg pries yourself free.

1-1. I begin inside of Chris Franco’s half-guard.  Chris positions himself on his side and this tells me that he is likely to play an active half-guard game.

1-2. As Chris opens his left knee and shoots his left arm inside for an under-hook, I circle my right arm to the inside of his left leg.  I keep a firm base and do not allow Chris to take control of my left leg by controlling his right wrist.

1-3. Pushing off the mat with my toes, I drive Chris onto his back while switching to an over the shoulder grip with my left arm.  As I do this, I block Chris from recovering a closed half-guard by pulling my right arm and leg away from each other.

1-4. Shooting my left knee to the inside, I switch my base while maintaining the previous control.  My left hip is planted to the mat and my left knee is wedging in front of Chris’s right thigh.

1-5. In one continuous motion, I use my wedged knee and right arm grip to create enough space to scissor my right leg free.  At the same time, I use my grip on Chris’s leg to wheel him onto his back.  It is very important that as I complete this, I drastically scissor my leg back – if I do not create a large base, my opponent will likely try to bump me over to my back.

1-6. Once Chris is on his back, I square my hips to him as I block his escape by driving my right knee into his lower right hip.  I stay on my toes so that I can drive my weight onto him or escape quickly if necessary.

1-7. I establish my position by swimming my left arm in front of Chris’s face while my right arm slides under his left arm.  I lock my hands behind Chris and I drive my left shoulder forward in the classic cross-face position.  This angles his head away from me and further prevents his escape toward me.

Technique 2:  Half Guard Pass with Far Side Transition
This is a must have transition from the half-guard pass when your opponent has a lot of fight in him and keeps fighting to get to his knees for the single-leg takedown.  To be successful, you have to be aware of his body language and tenacity to come to his knees.  Pay attention to the way I bring my knees underneath myself and I control the neck and head to get your opponent to his back.  Keep the pressure on him and stay one step ahead.
2-1. Once again, I am passing Chris Franco’s half guard with the previous guard pass.  I have already escaped my right foot, but I have not opened my right leg far enough from my left.  Chris senses this and tries to push himself up to his knees.

2-2. As Chris grabs for my exposed right leg for the single leg reversal, I pull my left leg through until I have reached a sprawled position.  I maintain my control over Chris’s left leg as I drive off the mat with my toes to keep pressure on him.

2-3. Releasing the grip on Chris’s left leg, I pull my right elbow toward my hip, trapping my partner’s exposed left arm.  I continue to keep downward pressure on his head and shoulder to prevent him from escaping to a more comfortable position.

2-4. Without stopping, I circle my right arm underneath Chris’s neck while keeping his left arm trapped.  Using my arm, I pull his chin to his body.  This action will force Chris to stay in this position as his body follows the path of his head.

2-5. Chris’s left side is completely unprotected now and I begin transitioning to his left side.  As a rule of thumb, I always try to pass toward the exposed back.

2-6. I drop my weight and transition to a cross-face control on Chris to establish the position.

Technique 3:  Half Guard Pass with Mount Transition
Sometimes when your opponent defends the half-guard pass by turning into you, you are a little late to use the previous escape.  No need to fear!  Instead, open up his elbow and transition back to the top.  If this is a tournament match and you are ahead on points, you could also go for the omoplata instead.

3-1. Once again, I have escaped my right leg using the first half-guard pass in the series.

3-2. To diffuse the strength of my pass, Chris Franco manages to lock his legs together and straighten his legs.  This weakens the control my right arm had over his left leg.

3-3. With his legs free, Chris drives into me for the reversal.  As he does this, I pull up on his left arm at the elbow as I maintain my position with my left hip on the mat.

3-4. Chris has just fallen into my trap.  By pulling up on his arm, I have opened up his side for a quick transition.  Because I am still on my left hip, I easily step my right leg over his body, trapping his right arm in the process.

3-5. My superior positioning allows me to easily step all the way into the mounted position.  I block my partner’s hips with my left foot while pushing his right wrist into his body.

3-6. I push Chris’s left shoulder to the mat, using my control over his arms to facilitate the movement.

Side Control Attack Series
When you get to the side control, your goal is to control and then submit, not to control and just hold.  Of course it is a great recovery position, but once you have done so you might as well pursue the end of the match with a submission.  This series is great combination for overwhelming and submitting your opponents.  I like to use a tight knee on belly from side control to open up my opponent and force his reaction.  Once he reacts, I go for one of the submissions showcased below.

Technique 4: Side Control to Mounted Triangle
Like all of the following techniques, this move is predicated near side arm control.  You must establish this to have a threatening side control!  Remember, if your opponent’s elbow is far from his body, it is weak and susceptible to attack.  Once controlled, dominate his far side arm and you are on your way to a slick mounted triangle submission.

4-1. I begin on top of Chris Franco in the side control position.  I have his left arm completely trapped and I prevent him from escaping it by closing off the space between my right knee and elbow.  This is a great attacking position.

4-2. Without losing control over his left arm, I slide my left knee onto his belly.  While I slide my knee forward, I use my left arm to push his right arm into his body.  This opens up the necessary space for the triangle attack.

4-3. In one fluid motion, I slide my left leg over Chris’s trapped right arm.  I will not release my left hand’s grip until my leg is crossing over his wrist and hand.

4-4. I continue to slide my leg into his neck until I can safely grab my left ankle with my right arm.  My right knee stays forward to prevent him from escaping his left arm.

4-5. I cannot lock my legs from the previous position, so I lean my weight to the left side.  This takes the weight off of my right leg and gives me the angle that I need to lock the triangle choke.  My left arm acts as a base to prevent Chris from pushing me over.

4-6. I keep pressure on Chris’s left elbow as I transition to the dreaded mustache choke.  If Chris does not tap due to laughter, I will have to go for the mounted triangle.

4-7. Chris is a very serious guy, and he survives the mustache submission.  I pull his left arm across his body to set-up the final submission.

4-8. I pull myself to the mounted position and I pull up on Chris’s head for the mounted triangle.  At this point, Chris is feeling incredible pressure on both sides of his carotid arteries as my leg and his arm squeeze his neck.

4-9. My partner does not tap, so I lean my body forward as I close my elbows to my body.  This creates the perfect amount of force to finish the position.

Technique 5:  Side Control to Straight Armlock
A common escape for opponents when facing someone adept at the previous technique is to push the knee while hip escaping away.  However, this can also be a check-mate position as it opens up your elbow, creating just enough space for the straight armlock.

5-1. As I go for the previous technique, Chris Franco blocks my knee to set-up his hip escape.  I react by grabbing his wrist and pushing it into his body.

5-2. When my opponent defended by pushing on the knee, his elbow opened.  I capitalize on this mistake by circling my right arm over Chris’s right shoulder and triceps.

5-3. I secure a figure-four lock by grabbing my left wrist with my right hand.  This completely dominates my partner’s right arm.

5-4. Fearing the kimura or bent arm submission, Chris straightens his right arm to buy himself some time for the escape.  I react by pivoting my arm so that the blade of my right arm is under his right elbow.

5-5. I exert downward pressure on Chris’s right wrist while squeezing with my right arm.  This hyper-extends his arm and forces him to immediately signal his submission.

Technique 6:  Side Control to Back Transition with Trachea Choke
Now that we have established some attacks based on an opponent pushing and turning inwards, you also need some attacks for when the opponent tries to turn away to escape.  This is a great attack that ends in a fast tapping choke.  The secret is not to get too greedy.  Always control your opponent as much as possible before and during your transition.  If you fail to do so, you are likely to provide an opening for his escape.

6-1. With the side control position consolidated, I attempt to open up some attacks by placing my knee on the belly.  This time, Chris Franco defends by turning to his right side.

6-2. Although my partner has exposed his back, I do not try to transition there until I have more control.  I take a figure four grip on Chris’s left arm by grabbing his left arm with my previously cross-facing right hand, and securing the grip with by feeding my left hand to my right wrist.  From here I am in a great position to control and attack the back or submission.

6-3. To create a better angle for the transition, I slide my right knee forward until my knee is under my right elbow.

6-4. I lean to my right to lighten my left leg so that I can easily step it over an in front of Chris.  I lock my left heel in front of his right hip to prevent his elbow escape.

6-5. By falling backward toward my left knee, I am able to create the necessary angle to slide my right leg free.  My figure four grip and left leg controlling the belt line will prevent Chris from turning toward me to escape.

6-6. I pull Chris on top of me and I escape my right leg.  From here, I can easily secure the back position.

6-7. To set up the submission, I want my partner’s head on the same side as my arm.  Using my grip and foot on the hips, I am able to push Chris to the proper side for the attack.

6-8. Keeping the previous control with my legs, I release my right hand grip and slide my right hand across Chris’s throat until I can grab his left shoulder blade.  My left arm traps his left wrist to prevent his defense and I pressure my shoulder forward while pulling inward with my forearm for a trachea choke.

Technique 7:  Side Control to Back Transition with Armbar
Besides being a great submission, this is a great move for detailing the importance of angle and attack.  Where you fall is important in the attack that you choose and if you want to attack the arm, you better make sure that your body is by his head!

7-1. Once again, I have nearly achieved the back mount position from side control.

7-2. This time, I fall in the direction Chris Franco’s shoulder instead of my knee.  This action forces my right knee higher under his shoulder instead of lower if I were to take the back.

7-3. Maintaining the figure-four lock, I swing my right leg free from under his body and I lock my lower right leg over his right shoulder.  Once here, I begin to pressure Chris toward the mat on his right side by driving his shoulder down with my right leg.

7-4. In one fluid motion, I swing my right arm over his face, and I fall back into the armbar submission.  To prevent his escape, I lock my right leg under his armpit while pinching my knees together.

Bottom Half Guard Arm Trap Series
This is a great position to play from the open half-guard and there are so many possibilities from here.  The following are a couple of great techniques for controlling and ending the fight against someone who is aggressively trying to pass the half-guard.  The secret here is not to just depend on your flexibility, but to use your hips to escape and your arms to set-up the position.  Play with your opponent’s balance as you go between the two moves until you drive him to either outcome.

Technique 8:  Half-Guard to Reverse Triangle Choke
Whenever your opponent tries to pass your half-guard by coming in tight and forward, there is an opportunity to finish with the triangle.  What I love about this submission is that you end up in a very controlling position that is very hard for your opponent to deal with.  In addition, use action and reaction to get your opponent thinking about the sweep, and then slap on the triangle as they fight their way back toward you.  When it comes time to finishing the triangle with the arm trapped, it is often easier to transition to the reverse triangle as it places less pressure on your own ankle and more pressure where it needs to be – on his neck!

8-1. I begin in the open half-guard with Chris Franco attempting to pass the guard.  Chris is actually in a good position with an under-hook on my right arm and pushing down on my blocking left knee to escape the position.  I set up my defense by grabbing his right wrist with my left hand.

8-2. As Chris drives my knee to the inside, I take the opportunity to hip escape further onto my left side.  I do this while maintaining my grip on his right wrist.  This wrist grip also prevents Chris from passing and controlling my head.

8-3. Continuing, I pull my right leg across my partner’s back with the assistance of my right arm.  This will ensure that I can pull leg to the proper position and is based on my limited range of motion while under pressure, and not as much my flexibility.

8-4. To lock the position I hook my foot in front of Chris’s right elbow.  I drive my toes skyward while I continue to hold the wrist to ensure that he cannot pull his arm free.

8-5. Switching my right grip from right leg to the toes of my right foot allows me to create the off-balancing leverage that I will need.

8-6. In one motion, I do four things at once:  I pull my foot to my right side using my toe-grip, place my left foot on the mat for movement, I hip escape from my left hip to a position directly under my opponent’s body, and I push his head downward to set-up the triangle lock.  This makes Chris feel like he is falling to his left.

8-7. With Chris’s right arm trapped, I easily swing my left leg on top of his right shoulder.

8-8. I release my toe grip and lock in a triangle position.

8-9. Chris’s posture is still very low because I have his left arm trapped.  Instead of freeing his left arm to cross it in front of his face, I instead opt to change my triangle to the reverse side.  I pull my right leg across the back of his neck while my left leg pressures down on his right shoulder.

8-10. I lock my right foot under my left knee to get to the position.  To finish the submission, I squeeze my knees together while pulling downward at his crown.

Technique 9:  Half-Guard Sweep to Mount
Not all attacks need to be feints and this is great proof of that.  When going for the previous technique, wait for your opponent’s reaction.  When he tries to push back into you, hip escape more and push him over.  Remember, good leverage will beat bad leverage everyday.

9-1. Once again, I have managed to wrap up Chris Franco’s right arm with my leg across his back.

9-2. This time, as I pull Chris to his left side with my toe-pull and hip escaping action, I push into his chest with my left hand to make sure he goes over.

9-3. Chris falls to his back and my leg across his lower back is creating a lot of discomfort.

9-4. I release my toes and I switch to a neck grip with my left hand.  Using my right elbow, I pull myself upright.  This elbow is important to prevent myself from being rolled back to the guard.

9-5. Immediately, I push my body onto Chris with my right hand while I unhook his right arm with my right foot.  If my opponent tries to bridge me off of him, my hand in the throat will diffuse the power of his bridge as he drives his own head into the mat.

9-6. Whenever I get to a good position, I always like to control the arms.  Therefore, I grab his left wrist with my right hand and I push it into his body using my bodyweight.  Now I am in the perfect position to attack.

9-7. If this is an MMA match, I can start striking.

9-8. Or follow up with the mustache and elbow combination.

Tags: Techniques

Tags: BJJ, Leo Vieira, Technique

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