Artemis BJJ (Easton Road), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 18/12/2019
I first learned this pass from Roger Gracie a few years ago, getting some further great details from Ed Beneville and Tim Cartmell's excellent book. Beneville and Cartmell refer to the position as 'inverted half guard', but I prefer Saulo's nomenclature from Jiu Jitsu University: he uses the term 'opposite side pass'.'Inverted' is mainly associated with being upside down in BJJ, so I'll stick with Saulo.
The orthodox method to pass the half guard is to get a similar 'super-hold' (as Xande calls it) as you would in side control, then use shoulder pressure to hold them in place as you bounce your leg free and slide through. That's what I regularly teach during half guard month. With the opposite side pass, you're also trying to control their upper body. In Saulo's version of the pass, on p307 of his book, they already have an underhook. He therefore grips over the top of that underhooking arm, securing it by gripping the gi material by the small of their back.
Posting on his free hand, he then swings his free leg over, ending up sat next to them. He suggests grabbing their knee initially, then shifting to grabbing the far hip. If you prefer, you can grab the knee and maintain that grip, to prevent a counter they can try where they open their half guard then hook under your knee. They can then lift and drive through to the top position.
My personal preference is to start the pass by reaching under their head with the arm on the same side as your trapped leg. This may feel counter-intuitive, as normally that is the arm you would use to underhook, but that's because you're swinging over to the other side. This is effectively a cross-face on the opposite side, which you lock in fully once you're over to the other side, driving your shoulder into their cheek/jaw to prevent them turning their head towards you. It's also key that after swinging to the other side, you post firmly on your outside leg, angling the knee towards their body. This should stop them bridging into you and getting a reversal.
A useful tip from Fran Vanderstukken is to pull their knee across, which twists their spin. Your free leg is behind you for base, preventing them rolling you over. You can then yank their top leg towards you and extricate your foot. If you require more leverage, push on their bottom leg with your free foot. You can also try stepping the basing leg in front of their leg, using it as a wedge. That means it both blocks their movement but still provides you with base.
If all that fails, you could swing back over to the other side and knee cut, but be careful of back takes (if you can get an underhook it will help, holding the head may not be enough control). Going to half mount is also a good option, from where you can pry your legs free. As soon as your knee is past their legs, even though they may still have your foot, many options open up.
A slight variation on this pass comes from the Beneville book: if you can get this one, it's probably the tightest option. Before you swing over, open up their lapel on the free leg side. Pass the end of their gi to the hand you have under their head and feed it through. Push their head slightly towards the trapped leg side, then shove your head in the space you’ve created. You can use your head for base, along with your free hand if required.
After you've swung over, watch out for a counter they may try, which is to lift up your leg with their far foot, flipping you over. To re-counter that, immediately switch from holding the knee to hooking behind their knee with your arm. That should stop them lifting for the sweep. Alternatively, you can also do a big step over to the other side as they try to flip you to your back.
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Teaching Notes: As I seem to have forgotten to put notes down, I'll just copy the ones from last time I taught it. Getting all the way over, making sure you've turned enough, so you are sat next to them. Spend more time on the specifics of the turn/twist. I did mention the leg flick counter they might try, though that is fairly rare, there is also the possibility they could adjust to take your back if you're lazy. I guess worth adding at the end, but that's something to think about in terms of structuring the teaching (also for the video etc ;D).
Follow ups are handy to add, especially the very simple one of drifting back over and going for a knee cut. That's in the previous video from last year, doesn't take too much time to mention that as another option. Some people can't always get high enough to get in properly for a cross-face, which is where the shoulder pressure options come in, particularly Saulo's one.
However, it's important to note the risk of a back take if you drift back over for a knee cut. Another option I showed this time was to go to half mount, which is safer than the knee cut. As soon as you knee is past their leg, that opens up a whole bunch of options.
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