Guard Passing Efficiency with Matheus Diniz!

To say the Matheus Diniz performed well at ADCC 2019 would be an enormous understatement. The Marcelo Garcia black belt employed his aggressive top game throughout the competition, besting some of the sport’s biggest names on his way to ADCC gold. With the level of Diniz’s top game, many of his opponents just simply did not have an answer and began to wear down under the weight of his steamrolling style. 

When it comes to ADCC, guard passing is king. At this level, once a guard pass has been achieved, mistakes rarely follow. When an athlete of ADCC caliber passes and settles in, in many cases this is the beginning of the end. Diniz’s passing was certainly one of the highlights of the tournament. In a great match against Josh Hinger, Diniz managed to pass just seconds before the end of regulation time to cement his victory with a stunning knee cut variation. 

So, what is Diniz doing to make his passing so effective? Obviously, there are years of practice, repetition, and intense focus at work here, but every great guard passer seems to boast their own indigenous details and technical methodologies when approaching the guard pass. In this video, we get a look at some of these concepts from Diniz. I have to say, though this technique is quite simple and easy to follow, I was actually blown away at the level of intelligence and trickery at play here. You’re going to want to see this one! Check it out! 

 

Most of us are probably familiar with a fairly common method of passing the guard while standing. We step a leg up the middle and begin trying to cut the knee across for a knee slice variation or play on the guard players reactions and switch our plans. This is where Diniz begins his instruction, but he take a different approach. 

As Diniz steps his leg up the middle, he addresses a common reaction. It’s very likely here that the passer will move forward, engage, and hug his leg. In no gi this is a great option. It connects the guard player to the passer, prevents the under hook and begins to slow things down. But, Diniz knows this and plans his assault accordingly. 

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After stepping his right leg into the middle, Diniz’s partner, follows with the reaction we already discussed. Here, he posts both of his hands on his partner’s shoulders. Now, this is where some of the wizardry comes in to play. With his right knee up the middle, the passer will likely be expecting Diniz to try and secure an under hook on the left side of his body, but this is not the case. With a quick bump of his hands, Diniz is able to create a small pocket of space between his body and his partner’s. In this moment, Diniz has created just enough room to drop his body down and crowd his partner, shooting the left hand to the under-hook space instead of the right! 

With the passer now thrown off, Diniz beings the process of driving him down to the floor, where he then connects his hands. Staying very heavy, Diniz uses his cross face to keep his partner looking in the opposite direction of the pass. HE then begins to turn his focus to the lower body to finish the technique. His right knee is connected tot eh mat and he begins to slide it backward, forcing his partner’s leg further from his body. Tucking his opposite heel to his butt, he then transitions his left leg to the opposite side and finds the space he needs to connect his knee to the mat and finish the pass. Walking his hips over and stabilizing side control, Diniz solidifies a beautifully executed pass. This is incredibly slick. I can’t wait to try it! 

Great guard passing doesn’t have to contain a thousand details, but it does need to be efficient. Combining common guard passing tactics, the element of surprise, and good pressure, Diniz is able to construct an excellent guard passing variation here, that anyone can do. Throwing in one curve ball here, makes all the difference in this passing sequence, as Diniz switches things up and creates confusion, putting him one step ahead of his partner. 

Luckily this is only just the beginning, as Diniz has filmed an entire guard passing instructional with BJJ Fanatics. I’m certain we’ll be treated to many more of these mind-blowing details and efficient methods of passing. What else might Diniz share from his tool box? This is not one to be missed!

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