Master The Weave Pass With Travis Stevens

 

Mastering the guard pass is something that we’ll all chase until the end of our BJJ careers. As a cornerstone of any BJJ skillset, becoming a more proficient top player will be ever present in your goals for the duration of your BJJ journey. We simply cannot advance or progress in our jiu-jitsu without constantly observing and perfecting our ability to pass the guard. 

With that being said, there are many things that will dictate the way you pass. Your body type, the instruction you receive, and undoubtedly you will gravitate towards certain types of passing that you find most useful. Nowadays, the current climate of jiu-jitsu provides the guard passer with plenty of conundrums to sort through. Modern guards and the evolution of the bottom game have caused the guard passing game to evolve as well. However, there are still many tried and true traditional passes that can be launched from anywhere. You only need an enhanced sense of how to dismantle the guard player’s efforts so that you can find your favorite methods to pass among the chaos. 

There is also quite a difference between passing with the gi and the no gi guard passing scenario. The gi offers much in the way of anchors and waist to stay connected to the bottom player. A stapling effect can be used and the utilities of the gi serve the guard passer in countless ways. In no gi, when things are a bit slipperier and seem to move much quicker, there is a more positional game that takes place and we are forced to learn how to position our bodies, use our weight properly, and take full advantage of the limited points of connection that are available. 

Travis Stevens has released a phenomenal guide to passing in the no gi scenario. Mastering No Gi Passing is available now and in this series, Stevens will walk you through some of the important pillars of passing no gi and provide a detailed look at his most relied upon no gi passing procedures, so that you can recruit the same tools that have helped Stevens maintain such a high level of passing proficiency. 

Let's take a look at an excerpt from the series. Here, Stevens instructs us on the weave pass. The weave pass is a highly efficient approach to getting around the guard. We see it alot in a half guard scenario, perhaps where there is a knee shield present. By weaving the arm through the legs, there is a certain level of control that is attained and the weave can help the guard passer shut down the hips, so that they can continue advancing. Everyone has their own version of this pass but Stevens has one that you definitely need to see. Check this out! 

 

Here, we find Stevens entering the position from an open guard setting. He first tilts his partner's body by pressing down on the knee, causing him to favor the right side. Stevens then takes an angle and knifes his hand through the legs, going under the top leg and over the bottom leg. The configuration of the arm is important here, so if you've never tried this, make sure you keep this detail on your radar. As Stevens drives forward and his partner begins to react, Stevens takes a reverse grip with his palm up on his partner's ankle. As he forces the foot to the floor, he lifts his body, placing all of his weight on his partner. He then makes a quick shuffle to the backside of his partner. As he arrives on the back side, Stevens removes the weave and then looks to gain control of the head. He stays here, blocking both the upper and lower body in anticipation of his partner’s hip escape and attempts to turn and face Stevens. 

 

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Stevens addresses a common struggle of the weave pass, demonstrating how the bottom player may use their bottom leg to hook the guard passers leg and cause some trouble. This is no problem with Stevens’ variation. As you can see, when his partner hooks the leg, Stevens simply rises up and retreats a bit to remove the hook. Stevens’ weave will keep his partner from hip escaping and taking any advantage of his movements. 

A baseball slide can also be used to compress that problematic bottom leg and shut down any unfavorable movement. You can see Stevens cheating his knee over, continually squeezing the legs together and further immobilizing the hips. 

Stevens keeps it simple and this is exactly what we need when we're approaching the no gi guard pass. It’s essential that we have great positional tactics, misdirection, and pathways to dominant positions that we can remember even when things start moving a little faster. 

The new instructional is a simple and direct approach to mastering the no gi guard pass. If you're looking for easy to follow instruction on high percentage passing techniques, Stevens is your man! Mastering No Gi Passing is available now!

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