The 4 Styles of Guard Passes


Ask a high level black belt how to pass the guard and you better get out our notebook, because he is going to be talking for a while!

There are many different styles of guard and multiple passes for each!

To simplify a complicated position, we examine the 4 concepts of passing the guard:
1) We pass UNDER the legs – stack passing
2) We pass OVER the legs – pressure or smash passing
3) We pass THROUGH the middle of the legs – knee slice
4) We pass AROUND the legs – the “Bullfighter” pass

Now let’s look at some specific examples of techniques:

1) UNDER the legs pass
A great example of this would be the double under pass (great in no-gi). The key is to get UNDER the opponent’s legs and force his knees to his head using a lot of pressure.

2) OVER the legs pass
Pressure-Style Guard Pass by BJJ World Champion Rodolfo Vieira.  Smash those legs to the mat and pass over the pinned legs. No one does it better than Rodolfo Vieira!

3) THROUGH the middle pass
The popular and powerful knee slice or knee cut pass would fall into this category. Get your opponent flat and take the direct route straight through!

4) AROUND the legs pass
Toreando / Bullfighter Pass: Basic Hip & Knee Twist with Professor Kris Kim
If you have a speed advantage over your less mobile opponent, this is a great style of pass to employ.

Read also on Jiu-jitsu Times : Knee Slice Guard Pass – A Mini Tutorial


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