Deep Half Guard Top is a challenging defensive position where you find yourself on top but with your opponent underneath in deep half guard, meaning they have wedged themselves deep under your hips with their arms around your far leg and their head/shoulders positioned under your near hip. While you are technically on top, this position presents significant sweep dangers and requires careful defensive strategy to maintain position and create passing opportunities.
The position is deceptive because the top player appears to be winning, but deep half guard is actually a highly effective sweeping position for the bottom player. Your opponent’s deep positioning under your hips creates powerful leverage for sweeps, particularly the waiter sweep and old school sweep, which can easily result in mount or back control for them if you don’t defend correctly.
Success from top position requires understanding the sweep mechanics your opponent is attempting, maintaining proper weight distribution to counter these sweeps, and systematically working to extract your trapped leg and establish dominant passing pressure. Patience is essential, as rushing to pass without proper defensive positioning often results in sweeps or back exposure.
Position Definition
- Opponent is positioned deep underneath your hips with their body inverted or perpendicular to yours, their shoulders and head creating a wedge under your near-side hip while they control your far leg with their arms wrapped around the thigh or knee
- Your trapped leg is controlled by opponent’s arms with their shoulder pressure preventing easy extraction, while your free leg maintains base contact with the mat to prevent being swept
- Weight distribution is balanced between both legs to prevent opponent from utilizing leverage to execute sweeps, with your torso maintaining upright or slightly forward posture to avoid being flattened
- Opponent’s head position is underneath or beside your hip creating the fulcrum for potential sweep mechanics, requiring constant monitoring and defensive adjustment to prevent activation of sweep leverage
Prerequisites
- Opponent has successfully entered deep half guard from half guard bottom, lockdown, or open guard recovery
- Opponent has established deep positioning with their shoulders underneath your hips and secured control of your far leg
- You are on top but with compromised base due to opponent’s deep underhook and hip positioning
- Opponent has created the leverage structure necessary for sweep attempts while you maintain some degree of upright posture
Key Offensive Principles
- Weight Distribution Management: Maintain balanced weight to prevent both waiter and old school sweeps
- Trapped Leg Extraction Priority: Systematically work to free your trapped leg as it’s the key to escaping
- Crossface Control: Establish crossface or head control to limit opponent’s ability to execute sweep mechanics
- Posture Maintenance: Keep good posture and avoid being flattened or broken down
- Base Widening: Use free leg to establish wide base that makes you difficult to off-balance
- Grip Fighting: Prevent opponent from establishing sweep grips on belt or pants
- Patience Under Pressure: Recognize this is dangerous position requiring methodical escape
Available Attacks
Crossface Pass → Side Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 35%
- Intermediate: 55%
- Advanced: 70%
Knee Slice Pass → Side Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 30%
- Intermediate: 50%
- Advanced: 65%
Smash Pass → Side Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 25%
- Intermediate: 45%
- Advanced: 60%
Half Guard Pass → Side Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 40%
- Intermediate: 60%
- Advanced: 75%
Underhook Pass → Side Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 30%
- Intermediate: 50%
- Advanced: 65%
Kimura from Half Guard → Kimura Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 20%
- Intermediate: 35%
- Advanced: 50%
Decision Making from This Position
If opponent establishes waiter sweep grip on belt or pants with weight shifted forward:
- Execute Crossface Pass → Side Control (Probability: 60%)
- Execute Shift weight back and widen base → Half Guard (Probability: 30%)
If opponent’s head is deep under hip attempting sweep mechanics:
- Execute Shift weight forward and establish crossface → Half Guard (Probability: 50%)
- Execute Smash Pass → Side Control (Probability: 40%)
If opponent loses deep positioning or grip temporarily:
- Execute Half Guard Pass → Side Control (Probability: 70%)
- Execute Knee Slice Pass → Side Control (Probability: 60%)
If opponent overcommits to underhook or exposes arm:
- Execute Kimura from Half Guard → Kimura Control (Probability: 50%)
Optimal Submission Paths
High-percentage submission path via pass
Deep Half Guard Top → Crossface Pass → Side Control → Kimura from Side Control
Opportunistic submission path
Deep Half Guard Top → Kimura from Half Guard → Kimura Control → Kimura
Systematic pass to mount submission
Deep Half Guard Top → Half Guard Pass → Side Control → Mount → Armbar from Mount
Success Rates and Statistics
| Skill Level | Retention Rate | Advancement Probability | Submission Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 30% | 30% | 20% |
| Intermediate | 50% | 50% | 35% |
| Advanced | 70% | 70% | 50% |
Average Time in Position: 30-90 seconds
Expert Analysis
John Danaher
Deep half guard top represents one of the most deceptive positions in grappling - you appear to be winning because you’re on top, but the reality is quite different. The bottom player has created a sophisticated lever system using your body weight against you, with their shoulders acting as the fulcrum underneath your hips. Understanding the biomechanics of the primary sweeps from deep half is essential for defensive success. The waiter sweep activates when your weight shifts too far forward, allowing them to lift and rotate you over their shoulder. The old school sweep works when your weight is too far back, enabling them to roll you backward over your own base. Your defensive strategy must center on weight distribution that negates both sweep mechanisms simultaneously, which requires balanced positioning with neither too much forward nor backward lean. The systematic escape involves establishing a crossface to disrupt their vision and sweep mechanics, widening your base with the free leg to create stability, and methodically extracting the trapped leg while maintaining proper weight distribution. This is not a position for explosive movements - every sudden motion creates momentum that skilled practitioners will redirect into sweep attempts.
Gordon Ryan
I view deep half top as a temporary defensive position that I need to escape from as quickly as possible, but quickly doesn’t mean frantically. When I end up there, my first priority is preventing the sweep - I widen my base, establish crossface or head control, and make sure my weight distribution doesn’t give them the sweep they want. Then I systematically work to free my leg and pass. The worst thing you can do is rush the pass attempt, because that’s when you get swept or give up your back. If the opponent is really good at deep half, I might even accept spending 30 seconds or a minute methodically escaping rather than risking a sweep by being impatient. The key is recognizing that time isn’t necessarily against you if you’re maintaining good defensive structure - it’s only against you if you’re in bad position getting attacked. Once I establish crossface and proper base, I’m controlling the pace and working my escape on my terms. In competition, I’ve seen so many people get swept from deep half because they panic and try to explode out. Stay calm, maintain your structure, and systematically improve your position step by step.
Eddie Bravo
Deep half guard is one of those positions that looks terrible for the top guy but can actually be passed if you know what you’re doing. In 10th Planet, we teach specific deep half counters and passes that involve understanding the fulcrum principle - you’re basically sitting on a lever, and any weight shift in the wrong direction activates the sweep. The key defensive strategy is getting your crossface or head control to disrupt their vision and mechanics, then methodically extracting your leg using specific sequences. Also, if you’re getting deep halfed a lot, you need to work on your half guard maintenance from top earlier in the sequence, because preventing deep half is easier than escaping it. When teaching deep half defense, I emphasize the calm under fire mentality - this position looks scary and feels unstable, but if you understand the mechanics and maintain proper structure, you can defend it and pass. The bottom player is working hard to sweep you, so let them expend energy while you stay composed and work your systematic escape. Don’t give them the explosive movement they’re hoping to redirect into a sweep.