DEEP HALF-GUARD SWEEP

The deep half-guard sweep is the canonical sweep from the deep half-guard position in which the bottom player has burrowed underneath the opponent's hips and uses leg-extension and arm-grip mechanics to topple the opponent backward or sideways. The technique is one of the highest-percentage half-guard sweeps in modern competition and was made into a competitive specialty by Bernardo Faria's IBJJF and ADCC career.

The mechanics begin from deep half-guard with the bottom player's body underneath the opponent's hips, the bottom player's head positioned to one side of the opponent's body. The bottom player grips one of the opponent's legs (typically the near ankle or pant cuff) and uses the captured leg as the structural lever. The sweep comes from extending the bottom player's legs upward to dump the opponent backward, simultaneously pulling the captured-leg grip downward. The combined leg-extension and grip-pull produce the rotational toppling that lands the bottom player on top.

The deep half-guard was systematized by Bernardo Faria as a primary competitive specialty. Notable practitioners include Faria, Tom DeBlass, and various Alliance and other half-guard specialists. Defensively the deep half-guard sweep is countered by maintaining strong base with wide knees (denying the burrowing entry), by establishing whizzer on the bottom player's near arm before the sweep launches, or by sprawling backward when the bottom player attempts to come up.