In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, individuality is a huge thing. To that extent, we have a whole host of instructors out there that express themselves through the gentle ARt. Still, there are two predominant “schools” of thought. On one side, we have the old school guys and girls. People the likes of Roger Gracie, Rickson or Marco Barbosa. They’re all about pressure, keeping things simple and being able to use BJJ in self-defense. Then, we have a new school. There, people like John Danaher, Ryan Hall, and Lachlan Giles, to name a few, teach by way of going deep into Jiu-jitsu and understand the philosophical fundamentals of it. For them, it’s all about concepts rather than straightforward techniques. Yet, when I hear that a new Lachlan Giles DVD Instructional is out, I truly get the jitters. This time, it is a set about the half guard.
Seriously, what’s up with Australia and high-level grapplers? Or, to be more precise, high-level grappling coaches. First, we all got to see Danaher’s masterful instructions, and now, the next generation of high-level Aussie instructors is already on the rise. And it’s leading edge is Lachlan Giles. Lachlan is the man behind Melbourne MMA, as well as one of the most fearsome competitors of today – Craig Jones. Giles is a modern version of Danaher, missing most of his injuries, yet none of his wits, it seems. Lachlan is the author of a few very successful DVDs so far, but none of them is up to par with the latest Lachlan Giles DVD Instructional. The “Half Guard Anthology” is an 8 part DVD set that has you covered for life on the subject of the half guard.
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Lachlan Giles – The Half Guard Anthology (DIGITAL / DVD)
Lachlan Giles’ Half Guard
The half guard is one of the most common subjects of BJJ DVDs. It is also one of the most exploited positions in Jiu-Jitsu. Everyone, from beginners to the highest level black belts, has a game that involves the half guard, at least in a small part. The reason for this is that the half guard is a highly effective position that offers plenty of variety. It is also one of the BJ positions that evolved the most during the years.
Roberto ‘Gordo” Correa is the man responsible for the half guard. while nursing an injury to his leg, he decided to play half guard when everyone else was playing the closed guard. the rest is history. the half guard evolved a lot through the years, from basic positions like the Z-guard that Lachlan favors, to the deep half guard and Cyborg’s tornado guard. All of them have their advantages and drawbacks, of course.
What Lachlan did is bring organization and clarity to a position that offers a lot, but in a hectic manner. Simply put, the Lchaln Giles DVD Instructional is a complete half guard system that covers absolutely everything you need to know. It is one of the largest DVD sets of all times, with the “Half guard Anthology” numbering 8 DVDs in total with almost 10 hours of material. Everything that works is there, organized in a system that not only teaches you but encourages you to build upon it.
Lachlan Giles DVD Instructional Review – The Half Guard Anthology
“The half Guard Anthology” Lachlan Giles DVD instructional is an in-depth analysis of everything related to the half guard. Lachlan is an extremely knowledgeable grappler, with a rich history of competing and teaching world-class athletes. QWhat you need to know is that this instructional is a No-gi one, meaning Lachlan covered all bases. What you learn without the gi, is very to use with the Gi as well. While Giles is proficient with both, he is a huge fan of No-=Gi, as we all know.
Across 8 discs you’ll get to know how Lachlann approaches general concepts, entries from virtually everywhere, basic half guard variations, attacks, and troubleshooting. There’s also a lot about guard recovery, as well as info on a dogfight, sit up guard and De la Riva guard. Finally, there’s your mandatory Lachlan Giles DVD Instructional part – narrated rolls where he uses everything outlined in the instructional.
DVD 1 – An Overview
The first Part of this Lachlan Giles DVD Instructional is dedicated to acquainting you with the system. Namely, Giles goes over a basic introduction before explaining the layout of the whole DVD. Since this is such a huge instructional, Lachlan has a chapter dedicated to how best to use the instructional, depending on your level of experience. he also goes over all the specific things, like sweeps, that we’ll cover later on in the instructional.
The DVD than shifts to a more technical portion. This first volume focuses on entries to the half guard. On this subject, it features entries both again ta kneeling and standing opponent. as well as a complete system that brings everything together. There’s also crucial information on adjusting your half guard attacks to the opponent’s guard passing attempts.
DVD 2 – Half Guard Recovery And The Crossface Underhook
The dreaded “shoulder of justice” AKA the Crossface is the central subject of the second part of the Lachlan Giles DVD Instructional. However, you probably haven’t used this variation up to now – it’s from the bottom. The crossface underhook is a unique way of ensuring full or half guard recovery in every bad situation. It is the basis of working further half guard variations so you need to really understand this concept.
Further along in this volume, Lachlan begins to get into some of the first half guard variations. Giles starts with the switch base half guard a variation that then goes into turtle guard and other fancy systems. This continues into the three-quarter mount, or quarter guard. What you’ll learn here is that one of the positions you do not even consider as being half guard actually offers a lot of offensive opportunities. The front-headlock completes this volume, as a natural extension of successful half guard attacks.
DVD 3 – Knee Shield Attacks
While the second portion was all about guard recovery and counter-attacking, the third portion is all attack. Lachlan goes into the basics of the knee shield, AKA the Z-guard. Giles is actually known for his prowess with it, as is his protege Craig Jones. Entries preceded the attacking potions from this very utilized BJJ position.
The first attacks covered in the third part of this Lachlan Giles DVD instructional begins with attacks from the underhook position. As the DVD goes on, it stems into more versatile positions, like the overhead knee shield half guard. Multiple varied attacks include submissions, sweeps as well as positional disruptions of your opponents’ base and posture. Following right after is a portion on additional attacks. Here, you’ll find a system of primary and secondary attacks from multiple of knee shield-related positions.
Just as you think that you’re all done with this DVD, there’s a huge portion left – troubleshooting. A portion like this is actually a regular thing in this Lachlan Giles DVD instructional and has integral information that eliminates the need for a Q&A.
DVD 4 – Underhook Half Guard Attacks
The underhook half guard is arguably the most often used variation in BJJ. The trouble lately, is that people are getting wiser to attacks like D’arce chokes which take away from the underhook half guard’s efficiency. Well, there’ll be no more of that after you see this volume of the Half Guard Anthology DVD. OF course, things kick off with an overview of what’s to come.
The first part of this volume is about the main attacks from the underhook half guard. Once again, you have primary and secondary attack options and combinations. The real value of this chapter is what comes next. There are about a dozen chapters in this volume dedicated to important underhook half guard concepts. They are exactly the thing you need to counter everything your opponent might try and throw at you.
Following closely is the inevitable troubleshooting section, which takes up about half of this volume. Finally, there are clear directions on how to put everything together. A lot of information and we’re only halfway through!
DVD 5 – Underhook Kneecut, Reverse Half And Jedi Mind Trick
If the title of this volume of the Lachlan Giles DVD instructional is not enough to get you intrigued, maybe you should find a new sport. The mandatory overview beginning is there, giving you an outline of what’s to come. Then, real half guard magi begin.
The Kneecut Underhook is probably what you’re going to end up using most from this complete instructional. Lot’s of attacks, the backstep half guard as well as key counters are all in there. Basically, everything you need to never lose the half guard ever again. A real gem in this volume is the reverse half. Nobody has ever done a more comprehensive study of it than Giles. Expect to use it a lot after you go over all the information available here.
After Lachlan shows you how everything works as a system once again, he moves on to a favorite of mine – the dogfight position. He covers the position, main attacks, additional attacks and, of course, troubleshooting.
DVD 6 – Sit Up Guard And Shin-To-Shin
In the sixth volume, Lachlan starts to open up the half guard, literally. The sit up and shin to shin guard is the next doors neighbors fo the half guard. Actually, they’re just seated variations, if you come to think about it. How does it all work?
To begin with, Giles is going to explain what to do when you can only reach one leg. He offers a host of single-leg options, including the sit-up guard. The shin-to-shin guard is not far behind with primary, secondary attacks, and counterattacks organized in a tight little sub-system. The volume wraps up with additional attacking options and the always present troubleshooting section.
DVD 7 – Reverse De La Riva Guard
The Reverse De La Riva comes naturally whenever an opponent stands up from your half guard. or, you might use it to enter the half guard. Whatever the case, it is a huge part of any successful half guard game. Of course, it has its own volume in this Lachlan Giles DVD Instructional.
When you’re in the Reverse De La Riva, it is normal to be attacking the back. Spinning attacks make up almost half of this volume, offering a lot of variety to a regular half guard game. AS you can see, all your options of your back are covered here. The way everything comes together is through pathways that connect the RDLR with the seated guard. These key transitions are covered in depth-giving everything a new dimension. Troubleshooting is here, as always to take away any unlikely questions you might be left with. but that’s not all.
It seems Lachlan had a lot more to say, so he really jam-packed this volume. There’s a new section here on the waiter position, offering sweets and transitions you’ve probably never seen before. And again, primary and secondary attacks are the main feature, along with directions of putting it all together.
DVD 8 – Narrated Rolls
If you’ve ever seen a Lachlan Giles DVD Instructional, you know the final volume is reserved fro narrated rolls. Given the amount of information in the Half guard Anthology DVD instructional the last volume has a lot to cover. So it’s not surprising that Giles has someone helping out – Kit Dale.
Before Kit Dale pops in to roll with Lachlan, though, Giles has something to say about Z-guard Kimuras. Actually, he has a complete system that’s going to make you a Kimura machine from the bottom.
ON SALE:
Lachlan Giles – The Half Guard Anthology (DIGITAL / DVD)
