### Transition to Full Guard The **Transition to Full Guard** is an essential maneuver in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, fundamental for ensuring a more defensive and controlled posture, allowing for numerous offensive potentials. This guide describes the transition primarily from the **Half Guard** position. ### Steps to Perform the Transition #### Initial Position: Half Guard 1. **Engage and Secure:** - Begin in the **Half Guard**, where your opponent's one leg is trapped between your legs. - Secure a tight underhook with your inside arm (the arm nearest to your opponent's torso). This control prevents your opponent from flattening you out or advancing their position. 2. **Frame and Create Space:** - Use your free arm to frame against your opponent's far shoulder or head. - Shrimp slightly away to create space by pressing your feet against the mat, aiming to bring your hips out from underneath them. 3. **Leg Registration and Adjustment:** - Ensure your outside leg remains tight and high on their back, applying pressure and preventing them from easily stepping out. - Meanwhile, with your inside leg, find an opportunity to slide your knee underneath your opponent's hips or torso. 4. **Transition to Guard:** - As you've created adequate space and established underhooks and frames, use your inside leg to hook or weave around your opponent's leg. - Use a digging motion with your foot to unhook your opponent's leg and slide it back. - Simultaneously pull with your underhook and adjust your frame to enhance the transition. 5. **Close the Guard:** - Once your legs are free from their entanglement, quickly lock your legs around your opponent's waist by crossing your ankles. - Adjust your position to ensure a secure **Closed Guard** posture. ### Key Details - **Maintain Close Contact:** Staying tight ensures your opponent has no room to counter easily during the transition. - **Use Proper Timing:** Execute each step with synchronization to prevent giving room for your opponent to react. - **Employ Hip Mobility:** Hip movement is essential to create the necessary angle for the transition. ### Common Mistakes - **Inadequate Frames:** Weak or improper framing can result in getting flattened out or countered. - **Lack of Hip Movement:** Static positioning can stall the maneuver and give an exploitative opportunity to your opponent. By mastering the eloquent transition to Full Guard from Half Guard, BJJ practitioners can vastly improve both defensive measures and open up numerous offensive sequences. ### Additional Notes - **Japanese Name:** Not commonly used; most terms derive fundamentally from Brazilian Portuguese or are adapted English versions. ### Follow-Up Techniques - Once in **Full Guard**, begin exploring setups for submissions like armbars, triangles, or other sweeps to improve positional advantage. Transitioning effectively into Full Guard from Half Guard not only bolsters your control but also provides strategic avenues for both defensive maneuvers and initiating offensive tactics, enriching the dynamism of your ground game.