Tiago Coelho tries sweeping Tanquinho from half-guard (Photo by Gustavo Aragão).
In Jiu-Jitsu, when the opponent manages to get your guard open, he then seeks to advance to half-guard, where only one of his legs is trapped between yours–just one leg from side-control. So what do you do if he locks your head down and starts pressuring his way to the pass?
First, you have to keep calm. Next, you can do what Professor Marcelo Vilhena does. To alleviate the pressure and get in a sweepable position, you have to get your head up by the opponent’s bellybutton and raise your hip to create a rocking motion with the outside leg and leverage with the inside one.
“It’s important that you hang on to the inside leg so the opponent doesn’t get it out and pass your guard when you turn your hip,” says the black belt, direct from Romulo Barral’s California academy.
Did that work for your game? Let us know in the comments field below.
