Effective Guard Passes
Posted by Corey Kuropas on
Being able to pass the guard in Jiu Jitsu is absolutely necessary to become truly good within the art. Once you get to the guard, if you do not know how to properly pass, your game will get shut down and that is no good. To be good at guard passing, you have to have a few different passes in which you feel comfortable in doing. There are three passes that I use that have much success. Here are those three passes.
Knee slice pass
If I am able to play outside my opponent’s open guard, this is usually what I will try to hit before any other pass. Being able to control the pace, and not let the opponent attack with open guard sweeps is important. By controlling his legs and going down to his open guard, you are already ahead. By pinning the legs apart, and pinning your opponent’s leg down with your own shin, you will cause discomfort. From there, you can pass to side control. This can be done in both athletic fashion and in the pressure way.
Double under pass
This is another great way to pass the full guard. Once you break the guard open, this pass is already on its way to happening. By diving underneath your opponent’s legs and controlling them with your arms, you take away the ability to hit armbars or triangle chokes. As with the first pass, you can do it in an athletic way or a pressure way. Either way you decide to finish this pass, you’ll be in great position, in side control.
Over under pass
The over under pass is my favorite pass to get out of the guard into a superior position. I hit this in the same way that Bernardo Faria does. It’s a modified version of the pass. With this style of pass, you have total control of the opponent’s legs, preventing him from re-guarding and able to use this in the way it was meant to be used, with pressure. When done correctly, this is a near perfect way to pass, putting you where you need to be to win the match.
There are many guard passes, and variations. These three are great to study and use on the mats. By passing guard, not only do you get in a better position to win the match, but it is also psychological. Passing people’s guards definitely gets in their mind and helps break them down to do what you need to, to win. If you want to get your guard passing better, check out this awesome DVD. It is by Bernardo Faria and is great for anyone wanting better passing.
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