Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

The half guard is a useful transitional position used commonly to defend as well as attack. From the half guard position, the hook sweep enables the person on bottom to rotate their opponent onto their back and transition to a dominant across-side top position. BJJ World Champion Zorobabel Moreira demonstrates.

Defend against an opponent intent on striking you by closing the distance. Closing the gap between you and your opponent makes it difficult for them to punch or kick you. BJJ World Champion Zorobabel Moreira teaches how to block a punch from the opponent’s leading hand and attack their legs…

Using the guard to unbalance an opponent can create opportunities to sweep them onto their back. From the scissors sweep position in the open guard, BJJ World Champion Zorobabel Moreira teaches how to use the elevator sweep to obtain the mount position.

An important skill which gives you a great advantage in a fight is the ability to take your opponent down to the ground and land yourself in a good position on top. Osotogari is an outside leg sweep that allows you to throw your opponent to their back while maintaining…

Using the guard to unbalance an opponent can create opportunities to sweep them onto their back. A more seasoned fighter may attempt to block your sweep by posting with an arm or leg. From the scissor sweep position in the open guard, BJJ World Champion Zorobabel Moreira teaches a variation…

Commonly an attacker in top position will lean down and forward. Tomoenage is a technique from guard which utilizes this momentum to flip an opponent over their head and onto their back. BJJ World Champion Zorobabel Moreira teaches how to use tomoenage to sweep and take the mount position.

Commonly an attacker in top position will lean down and forward. Tomoenage is a technique from guard which utilizes this momentum to flip an opponent over their head and onto their back. BJJ World Champion Zorobabel Moreira teaches a tomoenage drill to practice lifting the opponent into the air with…

When passing the guard it is important to methodically control an opponent’s legs and hips to prevent them from regaining full guard. The scissor step technique allows you to maintain control over these key areas as you progress from within your opponent’s guard to a well established side control position.…

As you and your training partners improve at both passing guard and retaining guard, you will increasingly find yourself in the half-guard position. From top position in half guard there are submissions that can be attempted, however the better option is usually to pass the half guard into side control…

Another important skill for passing guard is stacking your opponent. Used well in combination with the scissor step technique, the passing the guard underhook technique allows you to maintain control by stacking your opponent as you progress from inside the guard to a well established side control position. In this…