The 50/50 Guard is a BJJ position which has a heavy focus on the legs of both practitioners and is unique in having both players in an identical position on the floor. This position became popular with BJJ wizard Ryan Hall who showed its effectiveness in both BJJ & MMA. It has since proved successful at the highest levels of grappling, with Australian grappler Lachlan Giles, most notably winning a bronze medal in the absolute division at ADCC 2019.
With both people having entangled legs it means theoretically both are in the same zone for attack and defence at the same time. Because of this it is called 50/50 as the position is completely neutral for both parties. This means it’s the only position in the sport which doesn’t favour either practitioner and is the only guard which has both partners seated simultaneously.
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Controversy
The 50/50 guard is quite possibly the most controversial guard in all of jiu-jitsu, with a large number of spectators claiming it has killed sport BJJ.
Whilst no ruleset is perfect and every system will be gamed once people figure out how to do so. 50/50 plays right in to the hands of those who know how to abuse the system. The guard is perfect for a tournament setting since you can stall almost indefinitely giving the opponent very little chance to pass your guard.
Excluding no-gi (where heel hooks are permitted) there are very few high percentage submissions from 50/50. It is possible to submit someone in 50/50 under IBJJF rulesets, although at the high level it almost never happens.
There was a point in time where people began to get armbars from this position, but people soon learned how to defend against this and the position continues to be somewhat stuck in a stalemate for elite gi matches.
Tournament Strategy For Stalling
Although the IBJJF has changed some of the rules surrounding the 50/50 guard, it can still be abused to secure wins. Under the modern rules you will no longer be given advantages for “almost” sweeping your opponent.
With that being said, if an early advantage is scored. A lot of modern competitors will try and enter 50/50. Once a lapel wrap is secured, it is almost impossible to pass within the time limit. You can be given 2 penalties for stalling and still win by 1 advantage to 0.
Another way is to keep sweeping with your opponent back and forwards if you are both even on points. When you realize there is a short amount of time left, you can stand up and sweep for the victory.
Sweeping from 50/50 is relatively easy compared to other guards, so the opponent could just sweep you back. However, if your sweep is timed correctly then they will run out of clock to do so and lose. Therefore a well timed sweep can win you a match if it becomes a stalling contest.
Entries
Perhaps the most common entry to the 50/50 position is through the Single Leg X guard. Here, the bottom player must engage their legs with the opponent. Then from Single Leg X the bottom player must create a triangle from the inside leg (using their opposite leg to avoid knee reaping). Upon achieving this position with a bridge sweep similar to that of Single Leg X, the top player then falls to the ground creating 50/50.
Elsewhere, other entries can be created from the likes of Spider Guard and spinning from De La Riva or even some double guard pull positions.
Passing 50/50 Guard
#1
Firstly, it must be noted. If you are against high level opposition with a lapel wrap on your leg, it is going to be extremely difficult to pass the guard, no matter what you do.
The first battle is to break the lapel grip. Once this is done you have a chance to pass.
From here you must stand up and underhook the opponents top leg (their legs will be triangled in a lock). You can open this lock by underhooking the ankle and moving the leg up.
After this you will be able to either push your opponents other leg down and crush it, or step out and untangle your legs.
Whilst you won’t have technically passed your opponents guard and will have scored 0 points. You at least now have a chance of passing their open guard, rather than being stuck in a static position.
#2
This method requires your opponent to make a mistake.
You must also stand up, but can have a fairly low stance in a squatted position.
From this point onwards you must distract your opponent enough for them to let go of your trapped leg with their arm. As soon as this grip is relinquished, you step your own leg over the opponents head (stepping outwards).
If you do this successfully, you will now be in a folding pass position.
Passing by this method will earn you 3 points for a guard pass.
Submissions & The Evolution Of No-Gi 50/50
Submissions In IBJJF Gi Tournaments
This is generally where the problem is with 50/50 guard in general. Although people may find it a boring position overall, at the very least 50/50 does have more submission options in nogi formats.
In the gi you only really have a handful of low percentage options, these are:
Armbar
Whilst there may be other ways to submit an opponent from here, such as various lapel chokes. These have even lower chances of succeeding.
The Evolution Of 50/50 In No-Gi & MMA
The most widely credited individuals for the evolution of 50/50 in nogi competitions and MMA are undoubtedly John Danaher and Ryan Hall.
In a BJJ setting, the Danaher Death Squad has had massive success in various superfights, ADCC & EBI by using heel hooks from 50/50 guard. Danaher revolutionized leg locks from the position by teaching people about the control needed to apply a leglock rather than just risking the entire position to get a tap.
Ryan Hall’s gym is literally named 50/50 as he spent a lot of time working on this position for BJJ tournaments. More recently he has bought the success of this position to MMA where a lot of opponents will refuse to fight him since they understand he is far more experienced than them at this position. Most notably he tapped BJJ legend B.J Penn with a 50/50 entry in to a heel hook. Showing that the position can be used correctly on the biggest stage in the world.
Summary
The 50/50 guard will always favor the person with more knowledge of the position. Of course this applies to all areas of BJJ but it is probably more evident here than in other positions as it can neutralise the athleticism of a bigger opponent. When leg locks are added in to the equation, you are able to see big upsets that would otherwise not happen.
Lachlan Giles was able to submit 3 larger opponents using an inside heel hook. Although an elite grappler, Giles would have been crushed by his competition if he were to play a standard BJJ style against them.
Overall the 50/50 guard is a useful tool for any level of student. It is especially beneficial for those who enjoy leglocks. Not only this but with Ryan Hall using similar positions in MMA and the UFC, it also has a practical background when fighting, so it is something thought highly of by all BJJ trainers and will no doubt be seen in future MMA matches as the game evolves.
