Half guard
Grappling position
- Type
- Grappling positions
- Martial arts
- Brazilian jiu-jitsu
- Listed in
- Positional grappling (Brazilian jiu-jitsu)
- Learning path
- Brazilian jiu-jitsu: step 14 of 39 (intermediate)
Half guard (or half mount) is a defensive ground grappling position where one combatant is lying on the other, with the bottom combatant having one leg entangled. Sometimes the bottom combatant is said to be in half guard, while the top combatant is in a half mount. In wrestling and catch wrestling half mount is called Turk ride. The half guard is the position that is in between a full guard and side control or full mount. The combatant on top will try to untangle the leg and pass to obtain side control or mount, while the bottom combatant will try to transition into a full guard or alternatively attempt a sweep or submission. The half guard may favour the combatant on top or the guard player, depending on the many details of the position such as body positioning and grips.
Other Brazilian jiu-jitsu grappling positions
- Ashi garami
- Back mount
- Guard
- Mount
- North–south position
- Overhook
- Rear naked choke
- Rubber guard
- Side control
- Sprawl
- Triangle choke
- Wristlock
- Underhook
- Knee-on-stomach
- North–south choke
- Guillotine choke
- Collar tie
- Hooks
- Gogoplata
Japanese terms for grappling positions
| Term | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 下手 | shitate | humble position; inferior |
| 前捌き | maesabaki | battling to knock away the hands of one's opponent, in order to achieve an advantageous position |
| 死に体 | shinitai | losing posture; falling position from which it is impossible to recover |
| 変わり身 | kawarimi | change of attitude (stance, position) |
| 座り相撲 | suwarizumou | wrestling performed in a sitting position |
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q13635620 (CC0); text quoted from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0); Subskills sports technique taxonomy (CC BY 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.