Efficient Half Guard Passing With Yuri Simoes

Double Over Pass From Half Guard by Yuri Simoes

If you are new to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, or struggle to pass the guard, it is possible that you just have not found the right technique that works for you. Playing from the top position against a really good guard player can be incredibly frustrating. You would think half guard would be one of those positions to easily pass, but years of evolution in jiu jitsu have made this position deadly and dynamic. What was once seen as a last ditch effort to resist a guard pass, the half guard has evolved into one of the sport’s greatest weapons.

Yuri Simoes has a secret formula in no gi grappling that has not only allowed him to take down and pass the best guards in the world but simultaneously shutdown the best leg attack games.

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When learning guard you should also be learning guard passing. Half guard is no exception to this rule. If you find yourself getting swept or submitted off from the top position you are probably missing some key elements that the double over pass technique can help you with. What exactly is the double over pass from half guard? Yuri Simoes is here today at BJJ Fanatics to help explain that. Yuri Simões is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Ricardo Vieira. He is considered by many to be one of the top grapplers of his generation, having first made a name for himself at lower belt levels in several important competitions. Some of Yuri Simoes main achievements include: ADCC Champion, IBJJF World Champion, IBJJF World No Gi Champion, IBJJF Pan American Champion, IBJJF European Open Champion, IBJJF South American Champion, CBJJ Brazilian National Championship Runner up, and more.

If you want to get good at passing half guard you will want to learn this double over pass to control your opponent’s legs as you move around their body. Watch the video below of Yuri Simoes demonstrating the double over pass and then we will break down his technique. Check it out now!

The goal of the double over pass is to trap your partner’s legs by using your arms to wrap around the thighs. This will block your opponent from being able to use the bottom half of their body to sweep or generate any explosive power. It is important to remember that when doing the double over pass you are not only using your arms to trap the legs, you are using your whole body as well. Yuri emphasizes that once you have you grip establish at the back of the legs you should be pulling your training partner’s knees into your chest.  Yuri also uses his head to pressure down on his opponent’s hips. Notice that his training partner can’t really get flat on his back. Even if he does, his hips are twisted, and he will not be able to bump Yuri Simoes off. Yuri also lifts the knees off the mat as he pressures forward with his head. This allows him to stretch the legs back and release the half guard.

At this point it is common for your training partner to post his elbow on the mat and try to come up with the upper half of his body and frame against your head or shoulders. You do not have to worry much about this hand for now. Simply lock up your position so you are still nice and tight. From here you can start working away around your opponent’s back. As Yuri passes, his left arm continues to control the hips and his other arm goes around his training partner’s back. You can capture the elbow of your training partner that was being used to post on the mat and push him over. When you completely execute the pass you will end up in side control.

This is a pretty simple way to pass the half guard that almost anyone can learn but there are some important details here to remember if you want to get this technique right. First, when you set your grip, you want to make sure you are squeezing your opponent’s knees into each other. If you have too loose a grip, your opponent can frame and slide their knee out into a knee shield, effectively resetting your position. Second, the use of your head to control your opponent’s hips is very important. Too much space between your body and his, and again, it is possible you will get reset. Do not worry about your partner’s attempt to frame against your head and shoulder;it will have no effect on use as you pass to the back.

As you can tell this is a really great technique for passing half guard. Remember, if you can control your opponent’s legs you take away their ability to have explosive power. You can resist all feeble attempts to frame by simply passing to the back and establishing a tight side control. So I hope you give this one a try the next time you are on the mats, especially if you are struggling against a great half guard player. Thank you Yuri Simoes for demonstrating this technique for us today!

Yuri has faced the best of the best and been able to implement his game on almost everyone. Yuri Simoe’s has finally revealed his tried and true methods in his news series High Efficiency No Gi Jiu Jitsu: Top Game and it will accelerate your No Gi game tenfold!

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