Our favorite Australian BJJ mastermind is back with yet another huge DVD instructional. Lachlan Giles, the man that’s behind one of the top grapplers of today in Craig Jones has a brand new DVD out. It’s been a while but now “The Guard Passing Anthology: Half guard” is out and ready. It is another 8 part DVD set that leaves no stone unturned about the top half guard position. Luckily, we got our hands on it as soon as it emerged, so we were able to do a detailed Lachlan Giles DVD review for you all.
ON SALE HERE:
Lachlan Giles – Guard Passing Anthology: Half Guard (DVD/DIGITAL)
There aren’t many people in the world that can pull an 8 part DVD off. Without a doubt, Lachlan Giles is one of them, as he has proved before. The “Guard Passing Anthology: Half Guard” DVD is the second installment in what seems to be a series. the first addressed Lachlan’s take on the bottom half guard, once again across 8 volumes. It was nothing short of miraculous, in terms of both technical quality and quantity. Since it is always a pleasure to do a Lachlan Giles DVD review, the length of the instructional just makes it better. Pick this DVD up, you’ll need it. if you still need convincing, read on!
The Lachlan Giles Half Guard Series
Before we go deep into the Lachlan Giles DVD review, let’s talk about him and half guard. It seems that the Australian is really fascinated by the position. It is apparent not just in his own game, but also that of his students. Craig Jones had tremendous success with it prior to becoming a leg locking machine. It is one position that those lads down at Absolute MMA in Melbourne sure love to work.
Okay, that much we knew, but what we didn’t know is that they favor the half guard whether they are on top or bottom. Usually, people that are great at half guard tend to avoid it whenever they can. Well, Lachlan sure is different as he thrives in it from both top and bottom. The fact that he is a huge No-Gi guy also makes this new DVD that much more enticing.
If you really like to turn yourself into a half guard magician, you need to complete just two steps. First up, go and get The Half Guard Anthology Lachlan Giles DVD. Then, repeat the process, but this time, get yourself the brand new “Guard Passing Anthology: Half Guard” instructional. These 16 volumes will give you enough material to study for a lifetime. Moreover, if you’re a smaller or older grappler, this is the DVD combo that’ll help you deal with everyone while not even breaking a sweat.
Lachlan Giles DVD Review – The Guard Passing Anthology: Half Guard
Okay, so we have quite a lot of material to go through here. in that sense, I’ll try to get to the gist of everything without going too much into what Lachlan offers. After all, you need to hear what he has to say about passing the half guard from him rather than me.
What you’ll get from this crazy DVD are 8 discs packed with insane amounts of BJJ wisdom. Lachlan doesn’t like to leave out anything and he also loves categorizing every tiny detail. that translates to lots of chapters per volume, well in excess of 30 for most of them. However, he also has subcategories that help you make sense of things.
Since this is a passing DVD, you’ll learn every possible top position in terms of the half guard. you’ll then learn how to establish passing sequences that end up with a pass, submission nor back take. Lachlan also covers virtually all bottom half guard positions giving you a complete game. Before we get into the volume by volume Lachlan Giles DVD review, let us just mention that the last volume is filled with narrated rolls instead of specific techniques. More on that later.
Part I – Overview & Forcing Half Guard
The first part of volume one is all about Lachlan’s take on the top half guard position. While most people in today’s instructionals simply go over the introduction in one short chapter, Lachlan likes to use half a disc. in the overview portion, he covers his own guard passing history, philosophies, principles and passing methods. OF course, each of these gets a chapter of its own. What we marked as key during this Lachlan Giles DVD review was the chapter on passing methods, that covers the layers of half guard and direction in which you can pass. Extremely important for the rest of this instructional.
Since the overview takes up about two-thirds of this volume, the second third is all about concepts. Anything you can think of, from opening space to lower and upper body alignment is here. A lot of chapters refer to your base and how to establish it. Others concepts include preventing stuff like underhooks and the knee shield as well as creating openings for your own attacks. Not that these are just the concepts, and all the specific techniques will follow in subsequent volumes.
Finally, before wrapping up, Lachlan talks about forcing the half guard which is an essential skill to have in BJJ. Once again a few key concepts open up the way to specific entries to the position. Basically, Lachlan divides his half guard to the cross and near side knee through, which open up half guard passes. he also offers options on forcing half against the knee shield and butterfly guard. Some narrated rolling wraps part 1 up.
Part II – Back Takes & Cross Knee Through
Back takes? Wati wasn’t this a half guard passing DVD? During the Lachlan Giles DVD review, we thought similarly. Yet there’s a method to the madness Lachlan sees back takes as one of the ultimate positions to end after passing the guard. As such there area alto fo concepts in Part two that refer to “the end stage of passing”. This is a great way of putting things at it’ll really shine through later in the instructional. Stuff covered here include techniques and multiple options in two main scenarios. the first is when the opponent turns into you, and the second when they turn away.
The second portion changes direction, exploring the cross knee through position. Options include common concepts and tactics, the likes of phases of passing and specific positioning. moreover, Giles offers core attacking concepts, divided into primary and secondary attacks. Counters and some problem-solving AKA troubleshooting chapters bring this volume to a close. Of course, not before a section that brings everything together.
Part III – Three-Quarter Mount & Near Side Knee Through
The three-quarter mount is actually a position we all use. The trouble is that not many people view it as a great spot to actually attack from. Giles explains the 3/4 mount to such a point that this volume is pretty much an instructional on its own. The rhythm is a lot like previous volumes starting with an overview followed by core concepts on holding and passing the position. Pay attention to the grip fighting chapter, it holds the secret to winning every exchange.
Attacks and counters are plentiful, taking up about a dozen or so chapters in this volume. Once again the focus is on primary, and then secondary attacks. There are also counters included, along with the “bring it together” chapter.
As far as the near side knee through position goes, it is just a glorified knee slice. However, it is a take on the knee slice, unlike the stuff that we’re used to. It all begins with entries, before going over primary and secondary attacks. Here, though, Lachlan does add something different. Namely, he goes over the concepts along with the techniques and positions. He also tackles the counters as he goes too. While doing this Lachlan Giles DVD review we got answers to all our knee slice questions.
Part IV – Smash Pass
I couldn’t wait to get to this part while watching. Still, I had to go through everything in order to do a solid Lachlan Giles DVD review. the wait was worth it, though, as you need some of the core concepts that come before. The smash pass is such an important part of Lachlan’s top game that he dedicates a whole volume just to it.
Of course, entries and overall information open the smash passing section. I really liked that Giles covers the opponent’s options before looking into what you can do. Applied concepts follow, where the focus in on how to execute the techniques while heading to a predetermined goal. There’s a lot of pressure information here that is applicable to passing any guard.
In the attacks portion, once again it’s primary before secondary options. One sequence that Lachlan clearly enjoys is smash passing directly to the mount, given how many variations of it he offers. But that’s not all. The best part of it is that he offers you the choice of attacking the mount or the back. This means you can easily use this DVD to compliment your game, rather than change it for its sake. Drills are included as well as a troubleshooting portion covering common errors.
Part V – Half Guard Proper
Yeah, the title of this one had me scratching my head too. IT does start to make sense though, right from the beginning. The half guard proper is actually the half guard that we all know and some of us love. Well, this DVD is going to be the death of it.
Ater entries, the focus of this volume is on control. Here Lachlan covers just about any underhook variation that you might think of. Far side underhooks and near side underhooks are just the tips of the iceberg. Every type of head positioning during both is covered in extensive detail. Moreover, there’s lot s of information on taking away space, controlling limbs and some neat passing mechanics.
Of course, some applied concepts once again find themselves in this volume. They’re crucial to really understand how the half guard works. From there on, you can head to use any underhook configuration to pass to a submission, mount or back control. No messing around. But it is not all underhooks in this one. What I liked most is the part where Lachlan demonstrates how to pass when you have absolutely no upper body control.
Part VI – Lockdown, Half Butterfly And Base
The part most of us have been waiting for. Let’s face it, the lockdown has been a real hassle for years. Every gym has that one guy that’s crazy effective with it. The half butterfly is pretty much the modern day lockdown. It is the one position that everyone enjoys playing. Well, Lachlan has them both figured out.
This part of the Lachlan Giles DVD review was particularly enjoyable. I soaked in every little detail about options against the lockdown and particularly, weight distribution. Also, Lachlan has a really simple way of getting the foot out of the lockdown. The best part – the very late stage electric chair defense, without a doubt!
The half butterfly portion is just as impressive. It is quite longer than the lockdown one and includes a lot more options. Once again, concepts lead the way, covering ways n which you can defeat the butterfly hook. Attacks cover passes, submissions, and some key counters, particularly to leg lock entries.
A huge part of this Lachlan DVD is the one about switching base. When passing half guard this is a major concept that has been proven to work over the years. After this Lachlan Giles DVD review, I must confess I went back to it again. There’s no way of stopping the switch base with these innovative concepts.
Part VII – Underhook Counters, Deep & Reverse Half Guard
As I mentioned previously, Lachlan goes over every bottom half guard combination you can think of. In that sense, he includes a huge portion on dealing with the dreaded bottom half guard Underhook. Since he is a half guard expert himself, he knows the ins and outs of the underhook. He uses his bottom half knowledge to show the path to defeating any possible underhook scenario and pass any guard. Prevention, early defense, late defense, and counters are all there.
The reverse half guard, as such is one spot we don’t spend much time in. Why I have no idea. This Lachlan girls DVD review sure opened my eyes to how effective it can be. Especially after you see the control concept that Giles offers. Like before, this portion is divided into chapters on primary and secondary attacks, counters and core concepts. Oh, and entries, of course.
Finally, the deep half. A half guard variation that is notoriously difficult to pass because the opponent is right underneath. The most useful information here for me was that on sweep prevention. the positioning Giles shares are pinpoint precise and once you have it down. you’ll be impossible to sweep. Then you can look to attack and get the back or use one of the knee through positions to start passing.
Part VIII – Narrated Rolls
What I enjoy most about Lachlan’s DVDs is that he includes a lot of narrated rolling. Since he is really technical and extremely detailed, it helps to see things working in practice. The final portion covers the strategy about transitioning between all the passing positions covered earlier. After that, it is rolling time. There are six rolls in total, each featuring a different opponent. Lachlan goes step by step over every little thing he does to nullify all their guards and pass with ease. The perfect ending to a great DVD.
ON SALE HERE:
Lachlan Giles – Guard Passing Anthology: Half Guard (DVD/DIGITAL)
