Dogfight

Overview

Core Mechanics and Concepts

Alignment in the dogfight

The underhook vs whizzer battle

• Who has better position?
• If they let go of the whizzer

Near leg position and control

Drive into your opponent

Keeping your shoulder up

Underhook position and placement

Hip height

Should you switch to a single leg?

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Entries

• Wrestle-up from half guard (primary entry: win underhook, lower leg shift, wrestle to knees)
• From knee shield to underhook to deep underhook
• From turtle
• From standing (collar tie, snap down exchanges)

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Major Pathways (Underhook Player)

• Driving through them
• Limp arm
• Shelving the leg
• Go-behind (clearing the whizzer, circling to turtle/rear body lock)
• Cut back (switching direction into far hip)
• Transition to single or double leg

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Countering Heavy Whizzer

• Rollunder sweep
• Double leg trap

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Countering Them Freeing the Leg

• Back take
• To body lock
• To front headlock

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Whizzer Player (Defense)

• Uchi mata / whizzer kick (outside trip counter)
• Transition to front headlock
• Preventing the go-behind

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The Underhook Pipeline (Half Guard to Dogfight)

• Entries to the underhook (knee shield to underhook, other entries)
• Deepening the underhook (getting around the corner, placement, head position, bottom arm battles)
• Deep underhook concepts (outside leg hook, torqueing the knee, applying pressure, controlling the far leg)
• Getting up to dogfight (methods, preventing leg freeing, if they stand)
• Rollunder sweep (as alternative to dogfight)

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Summary

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Coaching Guide

Common entries and sequences

Wrestle-up from half guard. The bottom player in half guard wins an underhook and performs a lower leg shift. By freeing their trapped leg or shifting their hips, they wrestle up to their knees, forcing the top player to use a whizzer to prevent an immediate back take. This is the primary entry.

The go-behind. The underhook player clears the defender's whizzer by bringing their underhook hand up toward the opponent's head or neck. This kills the leverage of the overhook and allows the attacker to circle behind to turtle or a rear body lock.

Uchi mata / whizzer kick. The player with the overhook uses their leverage to pull the opponent's weight forward while kicking their own leg back or using an outside trip. This throws the attacker back to the mat, often allowing the defender to take top position. Most common high-amplitude counter.

The cut back. If the defender leans heavily into the underhook player, the attacker switches the direction of their force and drives their weight into the opponent's far hip (often using a side body lock), forcing the defender onto their side or hip.

Transition to single or double leg. If the underhook player cannot finish the sweep directly, they transition their underhook to a low single-leg or double-leg shot. The defender may use the space to transition into a front headlock.

Common problems and cues

Recommended games

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Resources

• Dogfight, Lachlan Giles (Submeta)
• Underhook Half Guard, Lachlan Giles (Submeta)
• Half Guard, Lachlan Giles (Submeta)