
Blow Through The De La Riva Guard With This Knee Slice Pass
Passing De La Riva With A Knee Slice And Leg Drag
The knee slice pass is one of the first passes with learn to utilize from a variety of positions in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The knee slice can be a high level, complex pass even if on the surface it looks easy. And it is a great method for passing many guards, such as the De La Riva.
Today we will explore how you can use a knee slice to pass the De La Riva guard. It takes some steps to set this up, you can’t just force the knee slice.
Master the knee slice pass with one of the best guard passers in the world
There is an art to passing... against a good guard player, your art of passing needs to be museum worthly. One of the best passing "systems" is the over under series by Bernardo Faria. He uses this series on ALL guard, ALL players, and smashes them all.
Let’s take a look at this video of BJJ Drill Passing De La Riva with Knee Slide and Leg Drag by Kris Kim, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt under Tony Passos. Kris is the Head Instructor for Yongsan BJJ at Trent Warrior Fitness Center, U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan, Seoul, Korea. He is also the BJJ coach for Team Posse MMA, Body and Seoul Martial Arts and United Forces BJJ, Republic of Korea. Check out the video below and then we will break it down!
In the video, Kris starts off standing in his opponent’s De La Riva guard, grabbing the foot on his thigh either at the ankle or by the gi pants for control. Once he controls that foot he shoves it down towards the mat, or he lifts the ankle and steps in. If he pushes the opponent’s foot down he can go for the knee slice on that leg by taking a back step, shifting his opponent’s hips and then pressuring down with his knee at the thigh, and finally sliding it across. The ending side control position is a perfect way to slide into kesa gatame.
When Kris lifts the ankle and steps in as opposed to pushing it downwards he can then initiate a leg drag pass. Notice the angle he approaches his opponent, straight on, even gripping the gi lapel before passing the leg into a strong side control position. Great stuff!
What makes the knee slice and leg drag so effective when passing the De La Riva guard? They take the opponent’s leg hook completely out of the equation. By focus entirely on the leg with the foot at your hip you expose an entire side of your opponent that he is not ready to defend against. These are some great moves for passing the De La Riva. So keep this in mind the next time you are drilling guard passes! These techniques could just be the difference between a win and a loss in competition.
Do you want to know how to smash pass anyone's guard while barely exerting energy? Bernardo Faria... 5x Black Belt World Champion and master of the pressure pass, shares with you his system for smashing with the over under grip and his pressure passing system that requires athleticism, strength, or energy. You easily and confidently destroy every guard with simple guard passing concepts and pressure, its all about the pressure baby!!

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