Immobilize Your Opponent and Pass the Guard with Lachlan Giles

One of the most important aspects of your BJJ game is passing. Without a good understanding of how to pass the guard, your BJJ will simply be incomplete and never reach its full potential. Many times, the passing procedures we enjoy most depend on our body types, the kind of instruction we’re receiving, and preference of course. Whatever your go to pass is, the chances are, it will not always work in every setting. This is why we tend to recruit a couple of different styles or methods of passing. Other variables such as where you prefer to pass from (the feet or the knees) may also influence you’re passing preference.

With all that being said, there are certain principles that will never go away when it comes to passing. We must advance, closing the gap between our selves and our partners, beat the feet, knees and hips, and get chest to chest. 

Lachlan Giles is coming off of an incredible 2019 performance at ADCC, where after having a very tough first day, came back and dominated the absolute division. Giles heel hooked three of the largest competitors in the tournament earning a well-deserved bronze medal in the contest. Giles has recently released an instructional on the body lock pass and the information is incredible. We’ve been getting small snip it’s of the series via YouTube and the material is looking quite interesting. 

Giles is a phenomenal instructor and he’s got an incredible passing game among other things. His teaching is very detail oriented yet simple and essay to follow and he’s becoming one of the most sought-after instructors int eh world. Let’s take a look at an excerpt from his latest release on the body lock passing system. Here he gives us a general overlook on the pass itself to help us become a little more familiar with the system. Check this out!

 

Giles begins his instruction from a standing passing position. His first goal here (and I believe this may be one of the most important things to observe in this entire video) is to enter the guard with one leg on the outside of his body. Without this particular detail in mind, the body lock pass will be over before it starts. To do this, he controls the leg he wishes to keep on the outside as he drops his body down to enter. Giles also acquires an under hook here and as he settles in his head rests on his partner’s chest. As he solidifies the early stages of the position, he also closes his knee down on his partners foot, trapping that leg that he needs to keep on the inside. With this leg trapped, Giles can now remove his hand and begin to lock down the body. 

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More details here to take note of. As he removes his hand and begins to pursue the body lock, Giles uses his triceps to keep his partners knee at bay and he also uses his head to keep his partners upper body at a distance. All of these small ideas in combination will help to prevent guard retention and the threat of any submissions. Don’t skip these details!

Ok, so now its time to secure the body lock. Completing the circle around his partner’s body, Giles connects his hands, locking an S-style grip just above his partner’s waistline. Giles does not want o give up control of his partner’s nearside knee as this could be disastrous to the completion of the pass. So, he reaches as far as possible with his right arm around his partners body, locking the s-grip as close as possible to the side he’s passing on. This allows him to keep his elbow close to his partners knee, keeping it trapped and immobile. 

With the upper body controls in place, Giles now turns his attention to dealing with the lower half to complete the pass. He needs to beat his partners knee first, but he must do so without allowing his partner to elevate him with a butterfly hook, which if not considered can definitely be a threat here. To make sure he doesn’t give his partner any opportunity to elevate him Giles circles to the side a little bit, sprawling and dropping his hips down. This flattens his partner’s knee and steals the leverage necessary to elevate, while also bringing the knee closer to the mat, where its more easily captured. With the knee flat, Giles can step over it and leave it safely behind him. With the knee line in check, Giles no longer needs his elbow to control the leg. 

Giles is now free to transition his head to the opposite side and change the orientation of his hips (think hip switch pass). From here its likely that the guard player will lock him inside of the half guard. To combat this reaction, Giles tripods his body, turn his hips and pommels his free foot to the inside of the half guard. Using his instep to pry his other foot free and transition to wherever he chooses. 

IN no gi where grips are scarce and things move very quickly its important to establish great control over our opponent’s bodies. This can be difficult without the right tools. This type of pass offers superior control over many different aspects of the guard. Giles leaves no stones unturned here as he systematically controls each segment of the body, resulting in a very well though out and controlling method of passing the guard. 

Be sure to observe all of the details here. You’ll probably end up getting swept a few times or even end up in the closed guard periodically. Keep that near leg in the forefront of your mind as you work through this one. Not keeping control of the near leg will quickly result in the dismantling of your body lock pass efforts. 

Once again, great stuff from one of the best teachers on the planet!

Hang on tight with The Body Lock Pass by Lachlan Giles. Revitalize your passing with the power of The Body Lock. Fresh off of a Stellar ADCC 2019 performance, Lachlan Giles is ready to show you how to Dominate with The Body Lock Pass!

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