Leg Weave Bottom Position represents a challenging defensive scenario in half guard where the top player has threaded their leg through your guard structure, establishing a powerful passing position. This position occurs when the passer has successfully weaved their knee-side leg between your legs while maintaining upper body control, creating significant pressure and limiting your mobility. The bottom player faces immediate threats of guard passes to side control, mount, or back control if defensive frames and hip movement are not properly established. While disadvantageous, this position offers specific defensive pathways and counter-attacks that can recover guard or create scrambles when executed with proper timing and technique. Understanding the mechanics of maintaining frames, creating angles, and preventing the complete pass is essential for survival and eventual escape from this high-pressure position. Success requires constant movement, precise framing against the opponent’s pressure points, and recognition of timing windows for transitions to more favorable positions like knee shield, deep half, or dogfight.
Position Definition
- Top player’s knee-side leg is threaded between bottom player’s legs, typically positioning the shin or knee across the bottom player’s hip line or thigh to establish the weave structure that disrupts defensive leg positioning
- Bottom player maintains half guard hook with one leg (usually the far leg) while the near leg is being controlled or pressured by the top player’s weaved leg, creating asymmetric leg connection
- Top player applies forward and downward pressure through chest and shoulder, often with crossface or underhook control to flatten the bottom player and prevent hip escape
- Bottom player’s back is on or near the mat with varying degrees of hip escape and shoulder rotation depending on defensive frame effectiveness and ability to create angles
- Space between players is minimal due to the leg weave creating tight connection, requiring bottom player to actively create frames with forearms, elbows, or knees to prevent complete chest-to-chest contact
Prerequisites
- Bottom player was in half guard position (standard, knee shield, or lockdown variation)
- Top player successfully initiated leg weave entry by threading knee-side leg between bottom player’s legs
- Bottom player failed to prevent the initial weave with knee shield or frame
- Top player established some form of upper body control (crossface, underhook, or collar tie)
- Bottom player’s far-side leg maintains some connection (half guard hook) preventing complete pass
Key Defensive Principles
- Establish and maintain strong defensive frames using forearms against opponent’s neck, shoulder, or hip to prevent complete flattening
- Keep active hip movement and angle creation to prevent top player from settling their weight and consolidating position
- Protect the underhook battle - fight to maintain or recover underhook on the near side to limit top player’s control
- Use far-side leg (hook) actively to disrupt balance and prevent top player from stepping over or completing passes
- Create space through bridging and shrimping movements to insert knee shield or recover full guard structure
- Monitor and defend crossface pressure - prevent head control which enables easier passing sequences
- Maintain awareness of back exposure - avoid turning too far into opponent when attempting escapes
Available Escapes
Frame and Shrimp → Knee Shield Half Guard
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 25%
- Intermediate: 40%
- Advanced: 55%
Underhook Sweep from Half → Side Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 15%
- Intermediate: 30%
- Advanced: 45%
Deep Half Entry → Deep Half Guard
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 20%
- Intermediate: 35%
- Advanced: 50%
Old School Sweep → Side Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 10%
- Intermediate: 25%
- Advanced: 40%
Dogfight Position → Dogfight Position
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 30%
- Intermediate: 45%
- Advanced: 60%
Rolling to Guard → Closed Guard
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 20%
- Intermediate: 35%
- Advanced: 50%
Lockdown Sweeps → Lockdown
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 15%
- Intermediate: 30%
- Advanced: 45%
Decision Making from This Position
If top player establishes strong crossface and drives chest pressure to flatten you:
- Execute Frame and Shrimp → Knee Shield Half Guard (Probability: 40%)
- Execute Deep Half Entry → Deep Half Guard (Probability: 35%)
- Execute Rolling to Guard → Closed Guard (Probability: 25%)
If top player posts hands forward or elevates hips to step over your leg:
- Execute Underhook Sweep from Half → Side Control (Probability: 45%)
- Execute Old School Sweep → Side Control (Probability: 35%)
- Execute Dogfight Position → Dogfight Position (Probability: 50%)
If top player drives weight forward while maintaining low posture:
- Execute Deep Half Entry → Deep Half Guard (Probability: 50%)
- Execute Lockdown Sweeps → Lockdown (Probability: 30%)
- Execute Rolling to Guard → Closed Guard (Probability: 20%)
If top player attempts to free their leg from your hook while controlling upper body:
- Execute Frame and Shrimp → Knee Shield Half Guard (Probability: 45%)
- Execute Underhook Sweep from Half → Side Control (Probability: 35%)
- Execute Dogfight Position → Dogfight Position (Probability: 40%)
Escape and Survival Paths
Defensive escape to sweep to submission
Leg Weave Bottom → Knee Shield Half Guard → Side Control → Kimura from Side Control
Deep half counter to leg lock
Leg Weave Bottom → Deep Half Guard → Ashi Garami → Inside Heel Hook
Dogfight scramble to back attack
Leg Weave Bottom → Dogfight Position → Back Control → Rear Naked Choke
Success Rates and Statistics
| Skill Level | Retention Rate | Advancement Probability | Submission Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 20% | 15% | 5% |
| Intermediate | 35% | 30% | 10% |
| Advanced | 50% | 45% | 20% |
Average Time in Position: 30-90 seconds before pass or escape
Expert Analysis
John Danaher
The leg weave bottom position represents a critical junction in the half guard passing sequence where the battle of angles and frames determines outcome. The fundamental principle at work here is the concept of inside position versus outside position - the top player has achieved inside leg positioning through the weave, creating a biomechanical advantage that must be neutralized through superior frame construction and hip angle management. The key defensive insight is that frames are not static structures but dynamic tools that create distance, which then enables angle creation through shrimping mechanics. Most bottom players make the catastrophic error of accepting the flat position, at which point the passer’s weight advantage becomes insurmountable. The intelligent escape sequence begins with establishing frames that prevent complete chest-to-chest contact, then immediately creating hip angle to insert the knee shield or transition to deep half guard. Understanding that this position is fundamentally about the battle for inside control - once lost with the leg weave, it must be systematically recovered through precise technical sequences rather than explosive scrambling.
Gordon Ryan
Leg weave bottom is honestly one of the worst positions to be in during competition because good passers will flatten you and pass in seconds if you don’t know the specific escapes. From my experience at the highest levels, the absolute key is never letting them settle their weight - you need to be moving your hips constantly even if it’s small movements. The frame on the neck is non-negotiable, that’s your survival tool that buys you time to hip escape. What works for me when I end up here is immediately recognizing whether they’re driving forward pressure or trying to step over - if they drive forward, that’s your deep half window, if they elevate to step over, that’s when you come up to dogfight. Against elite guys like Lachlan Giles or Nick Rodriguez who have incredible pressure, I’ve found that the old school sweep becomes viable because they commit so much weight forward trying to flatten you. The biggest mistake I see is people giving up the position mentally and just accepting the pass - if you keep fighting for frames and angles, you’d be surprised how many scrambles you can create even against world-class passers.
Eddie Bravo
The leg weave is basically the passer trying to kill your lockdown and half guard game, but there’s some sick counters if you know the 10th Planet system. First thing, don’t let them flatten you bro - that’s death. You gotta keep that electric chair option alive by maintaining your leg connection and looking for that ankle. A lot of people don’t realize that when they weave their leg through, they’re actually giving you a potential path to the twister side control if you can get the underhook and roll them. The deep half entry is money here too, especially if you’ve been drilling the dogfight to deep half connection. What I teach is to always be thinking about the lockdown recovery even from bad positions like this - if you can get your foot across their hip while they’re weaving, you can sometimes trap their leg and create the whole lockdown game again. The vaporizer sweep is also there if they commit too much weight forward and you have that far leg hook. Bottom line is leg weave bottom is dangerous but it’s not game over - you’ve got electric chair, deep half, dogfight, and if you’re flexible enough, rubber guard entries when they post their hands. Keep moving, maintain that hook, and look for the counters.