I’ve been playing underhook half guard for many years, and one of the things that helped me have more success is adding variation to how I grip with the underhook.

Depending on the situation, one grip may work better than another.

And to make that determination, you have to understand what options are available and what unique benefit each one offers.

That’s what you will discover in this post.

And first, we’re going to start with…

Hug the Waist

This is the most standard variation. You have the underhook, and there should be no space betwen your shoulder and their armpit.

If there is, that’s where you run into danger.

Just a wee bit of space can lead to outright underhook theft, and then you’re getting smashed it. Or they may punch their overhook to mat, and your arm might be danger.

That’s not all either.

That little bit of space can also lead to cross faces from hell, darce chokes galore, and merciless guillotines.

Such small things leads to so much misery, so don’t do it. Suck up all that space. Connect your shoulder to their armpit. Drive your head into their chance.

And then, and only then, will you have a chance of dominating the position with a basic underhook.

The benefit of using this particular grip variation, though, it is easy to get and it allows you to glue yourself to their hip, which will make it easily for you off balance them when you start coming up for the attack.

If you’re struggling with it, though, another option is…

Hug the Leg

When you switch to this low underhook around the leg, it immediately gives you a quicker path to deep half and a stronger ability to shuck their arm and expose the back.

In fact, these days, it is swiftly becoming one of my favorite grips because of how versatile it is.

And it closes the path to the darce and armbar by its very nature.

I know, I know.

I’ve also spoke of its benefits, but I have yet to discover any drawbacks from setting the grip low.

Even when opponents attempt to crossface, you can just pull the leg forward and slide down to expose the back.

If you still prefer to go around the waist, though, you can try controlling…

The Far Lapel

 If you open your opponent’s far lapel and pass it to your underhook, it gives you extraordinary control of your opponent’s ability to rotate towards you.

And therein lies its primary strength.

If you’ve been getting smashed with crossfaces from hell, this is the preventative grip to use. It absolutely slaughters the cross face, and it leaves your opponent frustrated with impotent rage.

It can be a little difficult to set though in the heat of the moment. That’s why I downgraded in my list of preferred grips.

And, of course, it can only be used in the gi.

If you like to play one grip both in and out of the gi, though, you can also try…

The Bear Hug

A few years ago, I was rolling with a fellow black belt, and he was doing a great job of neutralizing all my attempts to sweep from half guard until I decided to just to do a body lock.

Yup.

Just that.

I was already hugging his waist with my underhook, so I just reached over with the other hand and locked a gable grip.

The benefit is that it gave me hip control domination. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t wiggle, and I just shifted my hips and bridged for the sweep.

But it matters where the elbow of your non-underhook is. It has to be sucked in tight, in order to lock down the position and dominate the hips.

If that isn’t your cup of tea, though, another option would be…

Dental Floss

This one is also for gi players only.

You have to open the lapel, establish a low underhook around the leg, and then pass the far side lapel between the legs to your underhook.

I learned it a long time ago from Cyborg’s first Tornado Guard instructional, and it’s primary benefit is that it kills the kneecut.

How?

Well, the grip creates a barrier between their hips and your body. So even if they lift their knee and slide it across your leg and out, they will struggle to stabilize the pass.

Why?

It’s because all the space that will still be available to you. So if you’re struggling with knee cuts, this is a great grip to use.

And if you like these lapel entanglements in half guard, you can also try the…

Near Lapel Wrap

This bad boy is a recent addition to the lab. I started playing with it in the academy, with much success.

The difficulty lies in the setup, but once set, the control is so dominant.

It’s like doing a bear hug or body lock with just one arm.

All you have to do is open the lapel, pull it out as much as possible, pass it across their body and around the back to your underhook.

If you’re curious about what it look like, check out the video below: