The dogfight position is a form of half guard which is advantageous for the player on the bottom. From entering the dogfight from bottom half guard, they can then start to attack numerous sweeps and back takes from there. Because of this, there is often a battle between two BJJ players as to who can gain the underhook whilst in half guard.
If the bottom person achieves it, then there is a good chance of getting the dogfight. Against equal opponents, this will often lead to a sweep, albeit the dogfight is not perfect. Like everything in BJJ, it can be countered which will we also look at in-depth. Although the origins of the name are not known, it’s safe to assume the position was called this due to it being a scrappy position that can use a lot of energy.
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How to enter the dogfight position
As mentioned, the dogfight is entered from the bottom half guard. Typically this is done from those using the Z-guard which is a typical variation of half guard. From there, the idea is to kick your knee shield passed the body of the top opponent. This should give space to grab a deep underhook which is done by sitting up. Remember, you can’t get this underhook if your leg is in the way, so it’s important to kick it out before going for the underhook. It’s also ideal to be assertive with this underhook so when you go for it, do it with intent.
Whilst in the dogfight, remember to glue your ear to the chest of the opponent. If done with space, they can counter with a darce choke. We shall look at this counter later, but from the bottom perspective you simply can’t give up space for the opponent to pummel their arm in. A good way to stop this is by having a high underhook which makes it awkward for them to get an angle to shoot for a darce. In short, imagine you’re hugging them as tight as possible.
With the upper body sorted, it’s time to focus on the lower body. At this point, you should bring your bottom leg out from under theirs. From here, you should pinch both knees together with their knee trapped between your legs so they cannot try and stand or run off. You should also move your inside leg and foot outwards to put torque on their knee. Some people refer to this position as Coyote guard which was coined by the half guard legend Lucas Leite. Due to bending the knee outward, it will make it more difficult to defend. At this point, you are now in the dogfight and have numerous attacking options.
Attacks from the dogfight position
Generally, the dogfight is based on sweeps and back takes, although there is the odd submission which may be available. The first priority is to try and take the back. With experienced opponents, they will defend this by getting an overhook or whizzer. This is basically an arm-wrap around your underhook which stops their back take. Don’t worry, if this happens you will go for sweeps instead. In this clip, Geo Martinez shows a stylish entry to the back.
However, if done with enough speed or against naive opponents, they will not whizzer. At this point, you can literally get to your feet and insert hooks to take the back. This is easy from the dogfight as you already have an underhook whilst being on the side of their body. Once on the back, you can start attacking chokes. Against decent opponent’s they may counter by offering a tight whizzer. Sometimes you can still get the back by using a limp arm to escape the whizzer and quickly get to the back. This involves relaxing your underhook so you can remove it.
The other option is the oldschool sweep which is basic but very effective. This is done by using your free arm to knee-tap their far leg. As their other leg is compromised, you are effectively removing their base and sweeping them. They may try to post out on their hand to defend, but if you bring the knee in with force then you should sweep them. Alternatively, you can opt to grab their foot instead. If you can also use the underhook arm from around their back to connect with their foot, then again, you can pull the foot inwards to sweep them.
The third sweep is a counter to their defense. If someone is strong and athletic, then they may defend the sweep by posting out with a good base. By doing this, they are giving up a sweep to their other side. Here, you should grab their foot or pants near their knee in the gi on the inside with your free arm. You can then roll underneath them to the side of your underhook.
The goal of this is to keep torquing their far leg to remove any base and also load their weight onto your body so you can use leverage to move them easier. Even against far heavier opponents, this should be possible using the correct technique.
A final attacking option from the dogfight is the armbar. It should be warned that this move requires an element of athleticism and coordination though. Once in the dogfight, if you punch your underhook high enough, you can shoot their arm upwards as a result. From here, you can release your inside foot and base on it.
At this point, you can kick it around the back of their head and attack a belly down armbar. Even if the opponent tries to counter, you can always roll with them into a standard armbar. Alternatively, you can try to flip them into this position. Having said this, the armbar is generally less conventional from here compared to other attacks.
Countering the Half Guard Dogfight
One common mistake you will often see is users try to defend the dogfight without really understanding their position. For instance, if the bottom player is busy sweeping you, it isn’t a good idea to use your energy to avoid this without any solutions. Basically, there’s no point wasting time and energy by holding onto a whizzer and resisting fully.
At some point, you will get swept and will be more tired as a result. With this in mind, here are some realistic counters which offer proactive Jiu Jitsu, as opposed to stalling from the top. Please note, these counters should be applied when the underhook is first lost – and not when the opponent is already deep into the dogfight.
Although the dogfight is incredibly powerful, it isn’t invincible either. As touched upon, one counter is the darce. However, it should be noted that this is only applicable against sloppy, shallow underhooks. Generally, this won’t catch out advanced opponents. However, if the underhook is low enough and the bottom player’s head isn’t glued to your body then it is an option.
From here, you can shoot your arm through and get a rear naked choke grip around the back of their head. To finish, you can bring your elbows together and contract the neck of the opponent. Even if your one leg is still stuck in half guard, it doesn’t matter at this point as you can still easily finish from here.
Having said this, usually most people will counter with passing options and generally speaking, there are two that stand out. The first choice is to do the backstep pass which was popularised by half guard creator, Gordo. From here, you should accept the underhook of the opponent.
At the same time, you should put your hands above the head of the opponent to base and then backstep with your free leg. You should land in a position on your side, facing into the opponent. It is vitally important to grab a cross face from here and stop the opponent from turning into you. Whilst controlling their head, you should then use your free leg to kick on their hip and get your leg free. Alternatively, you can even switch the cross face to an underhook and switch back to regular half guard and attempt a knee slice.
The other available option is yet again to accept the underhook. This time, you should counter it with an overhook and try and flatten the opponent’s body to the floor. It is imperative you do this, otherwise your overhook is literally useless. After this, you should grab your other hand underneath them and create a body lock.
By driving their body flat, you should then place your head on the same side of the overhook. Effectively, this pins their upper body down. From this point, you can start to pass by using your free foot as a butterfly hook. This hook should pry the legs open to free your foot. At this point, you have the option of side control or mount.
A less conventional way to pass is to use the 100% position which is popular with 10th Planet. The idea is to use your free hand to grab a headlock and then connect it with the whizzer hand to make a gable grip. This puts massive pressure on the head of the opponent. With this done, you can basically sweep the opponent from the top and land in top three quarter guard.
By freeing your foot by the same example you used to get to mount, you can pass to mount with a neck crank position locked in. Alternatively, you can even take the back from here by creating space after moving their body with the 100% grip. With the available space, you can slip your hooks in and take the back. Due to the unorthodox nature of this position, it may take some time to get used to it though.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the dogfight is a superb position to learn and play. One critique of half guard is that it can be too slow at times and lack aggression. However, if you add the dogfight into your game then it will take away those arguments.
As mentioned, it isn’t a silver bullet though and can still be countered. Perhaps an even bigger problem is that high level practitioners won’t even engage in an underhook battle to begin with. If they know of your game, they completely avoid half guard or pass it by using different methods. With this in mind, whilst it’s a great position, you shouldn’t become too reliant on it.
In summary, the dogfight is a great tool. It is especially useful for smaller players to slip under their opponent and use their size to their advantage. On a final note though, you should also take warning of the position’s name. It is called the dogfight for a reason and can be very tiresome for both who are involved in the battle.
