Scissor half guard can be a real game changer. While it is useful with regard to guard pass prevention (in particular, preventing the knee cut guard pass), there's a second, much more offensive component to the position we'll explore here. While half guard is traditionally considered to be a largely defensive position, particularly without the underhook, a scissor hook (sometimes also called a "knee shield", although we're going to stick with a very low knee shield here) can really turn this type of guard into a much more attack-oriented position. Scissor half guard can also lead directly into butterfly half guard, but we'll focus on the former here.
I think the omaplata attack is referred to as "free NJ" in 10th planet parlance. I've made some adjustments to my half guard passing as a result of this attack when I'm turning my hips to face the opponents legs. I'm a lot more cautious about when I overhook his top leg. I try to make sure that I have head control first.
Scissor half is my strongest position on bottom. AMA
Do you like it better than butterfly half? For me, I really like scissor half to recover to butterfly half (probably my strongest position for in-close stuff).
I do scissor half guard but my bottom foot is always on opponents hip. Why do half-guard when you can block hip? If he removes it, then go to between legs.
Scissor half is my strongest position on bottom. AMA
Do you like it better than butterfly half? For me, I really like scissor half to recover to butterfly half (probably my strongest position for in-close stuff).
I do like it better, just as a personal preference.
I suppose I see it as a choice between two types of pressures: my scissor half game focuses on keeping his upper body misaligned, and I attack based on his response. My butterfly half game focuses on lifting his hips, and I attack based on his response. There's definitely a case to be made that the second is a stronger attacking game. I just happen to have spent wayyyyy more time on the scissor half portion.
Interestingly, I use butterfly half 100% of the time when my scissor half game inspires the top player to turn (like reverse scarf).
What's your preference based upon? And what's your preferred style of butterfly half play?
Scissor half is my strongest position on bottom. AMA
Do you like it better than butterfly half? For me, I really like scissor half to recover to butterfly half (probably my strongest position for in-close stuff).
I do like it better, just as a personal preference.
I suppose I see it as a choice between two types of pressures: my scissor half game focuses on keeping his upper body misaligned, and I attack based on his response. My butterfly half game focuses on lifting his hips, and I attack based on his response. There's definitely a case to be made that the second is a stronger attacking game. I just happen to have spent wayyyyy more time on the scissor half portion.
Interestingly, I use butterfly half 100% of the time when my scissor half game inspires the top player to turn (like reverse scarf).
What's your preference based upon? And what's your preferred style of butterfly half play?
I don't play the butterly half often. The distance adjustment either leaves my butterfly foot collapsed to my butt or when I'm further out my half guard leg is somewhat extended and becomes a weak hook that he can donkey kick pretty easily.
There are 2 occasions where the butterfly half seems right to me:
-you got his arm dragged across (the arm that would fight for underhook), but you cant get to his back b/c he's driving his body over you
-could be reverse scarf and twinkletoesCT said, but more generally whenever his torso is more to my side so that we are aligned similar to xguard (which can be easily transitioned into)
Other than that I tend to play more of a knee shield to prevent him from wrapping both legs, donkey kicking and just dominating my legs...I'll work to control his head from there, but I'm really putting myself on the defensive.
Scissor half is my strongest position on bottom. AMA
Do you like it better than butterfly half? For me, I really like scissor half to recover to butterfly half (probably my strongest position for in-close stuff).
I do like it better, just as a personal preference.
I suppose I see it as a choice between two types of pressures: my scissor half game focuses on keeping his upper body misaligned, and I attack based on his response. My butterfly half game focuses on lifting his hips, and I attack based on his response. There's definitely a case to be made that the second is a stronger attacking game. I just happen to have spent wayyyyy more time on the scissor half portion.
Interestingly, I use butterfly half 100% of the time when my scissor half game inspires the top player to turn (like reverse scarf).
What's your preference based upon? And what's your preferred style of butterfly half play?
I also really like the belt grip, and couldn't show it in these videos, but it's absolutely a go-to sweep for me. I think I like it as much as I do because someone can go from feeling like they're doiminated to being swept or submitted almost immeditaely. I present *some* of this urgency when I play scissor half guard (attack the triangle, omoplata, Kimura, kneebar, etc), but the threat to sweep isn't there to amplify the submission threats the same way it is for butterfly half.
Scissor half is my strongest position on bottom. AMA
Did you ever do that half-guard instructional you said you would a few years back? I thought you were going to do something with butterfly half?
I use the Scissor/knee sheild and halfguard with a deep underhook in combination. Hands down my a-game.
I filmed it and the files became corrupted. I've taught the exact syllabus as seminars a couple times.
At least I've waited long enough that DVD is no longer the dominant format...
Well maybe you can teach it at one of the Harris get togethers one of these years!
I did exactly the same thing (inadvertently) with audio. I listened to cassettes during the 90s instead of CDs because... well, because I had tape players everywhere. I didn't buy an actual CD player, although I could play them on my computer. By 2007 or so, Pandora was out, and the rest was history.