Marcelo & Josh discuss several crucial parts of the top and bottom dynamic for Back-Step Half-Guard: When playing Half-Guard on bottom, if your opponent opts to invert their position and pivots around their trapped leg into the far-side (Capoeira-Pass, Negativa, Inverted-Half, et al.), a new battle takes place for who will emerge into the offensive. The bottom-player is wise to protect themselves from the possibility of a Knee-Bar attack against their near-side leg; doing so by hiding their foot as a hook underneath their opponent's trapped leg. If one can sufficiently claw their arms around their opponent's head-and-arm and lock their upper-body in place, the bottom player can then switch their feet and now use their near-side leg that was previously a liability as a pendulum to help sweep. The top-player however in this position, must constantly adjust their bodyweight so that they are consistently applying pressure against the guard-player's shoulders. Don't let your opponent under-cut your hips; reallocate your posting free-leg to match your opponent's movements. If your opponent latches onto your head, match their counter with an Under-Hook & Head-Control of your own. Trust in your top-positioning and tight control to stay on top even if your opponent attempts to reverse you with a sweep; you can insert a Butterfly-Hook to help flip your opponent back down onto the mat to solidify your pass.