Half Guard Revival: Finding Gold in Injury Setbacks 🐺

The Danaher Detail: How One Small Shift Transformed My Coyote Guard

Life Updates

• Training Time Crunch: Balancing a baby, BJJ training, and running an agency has limited my writing time. I'm committing to publishing at least bi-weekly from now on, and using this bulletpoint format instead.

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• Resource Recommendations:

  • LIMI Newsletter “Outlier Mat Minute“: Jake (who I often reference) launched his own newsletter—it's as valuable as his videos. Subscribe here.

  • Book Pick: Miha's book has earned a spot in my top five BJJ books alongside Marcelo's and Eddie Bravo's works. A true gem worth purchasing.

This Week's Focus: Coyote Half Guard a la Danaher

Why Half Guard Is Working For Me Again

I've been struggling with turf toe for 3 months (embarrassingly not even from BJJ). This injury has forced me to reconnect with half guard—a position I used heavily in my early training but moved away from as I chased flashier techniques.

Half guard has become my go-to again for three practical reasons:

1. I naturally end up there while protecting my injured foot

2. It's accessible without complex entries that might aggravate my toe

3. It offers systematic responses rather than unpredictable scrambles

Below is one complete sequence from my current half guard system. This should help improve your approach regardless of your preferred half guard style.

Coyote Sweep (Danaher-Influenced Version)

The Critical Foundation: The Underhook - Without a solid underhook, you'll likely get your guard passed. This is non-negotiable for offensive half guard play.

Note: While Lucas Leite is the godfather of Coyote guard, the "lower leg shift" detail from Danaher's Gi half-guard instructional transformed my effectiveness with this position.

Step-by-Step Breakdown:

Step 1: Deep LOW Underhook

• Typically entered from Z-guard, but workable from any half-guard variant

• Use your knee to clear space for your underhook to penetrate deeply to their far hip

• With your bottom arm, hook their far leg

• Position your head tight against their belly, controlling the inside space

Step 2: Establish the Coyote Hook

• Key detail: Maintain constant outward rotational tension on their knee

• This tension prevents them from comfortably applying pressure without risking their knee

Step 3: The Game-Changing Lower Leg Shift

• This subtle adjustment makes the entire position more effective

• Once you incorporate this detail, you'll never go back to the standard approach

Step 4: Sweep Execution - Rotate AND Move

• Most opponents will be swept even when they know it's coming

• Maintain tension with your outside leg (keep the coyote hook tight)

• Use your free leg to shift your hips entirely to the opposite side, underneath their weight

That’s it!

Training Through Injury Tip

For fellow turf toe sufferers: Try duct tape 😂 instead of athletic tape to partially immobilize and support the toe joint. It won't heal the injury, but it's helped me avoid aggravating it further during training.

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What techniques or positions would you like me to cover next? Reply to this email and let me know!

Until next time!

Enrique