Passing The Guard And Finishing For BJJ With JT Torres

Posted by Matt Bryers on March 12, 2019

The Fundamental Concepts From JT Torres Are Used Everywhere In BJJ

Guard passing is seen as one of the most fundamental concepts in BJJ, but it is something you will never stop learning about. How you adapt and react to your opponent’s guard plays a vital role in your ability to pass and work towards submissions. Today we will take a look at two fundamental techniques from JT Torres: opening and passing the closed guard and the clock choke. Both of these techniques are basics that everyone should know. So let’s check it out!

Judo has some of the most powerful and aggressive closed guard passing. Judo Olympian and Renowned Coach Jimmy Pedro thinks there are some simple ways to pass almost any guard, and when he tries them he still smashes them.

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Opening the Closed Guard

JT Torres, also known as “The Spiderman” knows what it takes to pass a BJJ player’s closed guard. As a gifted Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, Torres has an extensive list of accomplishments such as wins at the World and Pan American No Gi championships. The American native is part of an exciting generation of US grapplers making their mark in a sport heavily dominated by Brazilians. Take a look at the video below and then we will break down the technique. Check it out now!

Before you learn how to pass the closed guard you need to know how to open the guard. Without knowing how to break the closed guard you will never even get an opportunity to pass. Torres starts off by focusing on the position of his knees. From here, Torres likes to open up the lapels to get some slack. With a thumb in grip he punches both of his hands underneath the arm pits of his training partner, locking your elbows tight to the body. Now he takes a step back with his knees. By doing this he is putting more pressure on his opponent’s guard. Now that Torres has his hips back it is time to step up one by one. Notice that Torres maintains his grips when stepping up to his feet. He also points out that when he steps up with the first leg he stays tight to the hip, pushing his knee in towards his training partner’s thigh. This prevents your opponent from pulling your leg out with an under hook. If you allow too much space it is easy for your opponent to sweep your leg, putting you in a bad position. When Torres steps up with his second leg instead of going to the outside of his opponent’s hips he goes under his thigh, knee folding directly under his butt. Once that knee is in Torres puts his other knee in as well. This puts a lot more pressure on his opponent’s lock. From here Torres works his hands up one by one to his training partner’s hips, grabbing at the gi pants, dropping his elbows inside the thighs. Now all you needs do is sit back to open the guard and start passing.

Opposite Side Shin Slide Pass

Once you have opened your opponent’s guard you can easily pass. One of JT Torre’s favorite passes is the shin slide pass. Let’s see how it does it. Watch the video below and then we will break down the technique. Check it out now!

If you are against someone with a tight half guard it can be difficult to pass using traditional methods. Right away Torres looks to secure his grips. He gets a lapel grip right back the chest, grabbing, twisting and bringing it outside of his opponent’s thigh. His other hand is at his opponent’s knee. From here he picks the bottom leg up, using the lapel grip to flip his opponent over to his weaker side to secure a pass. He punches with his grip and pulls the leg, now basing wide with his other leg. He drops his chest down on his opponent and releases his grip. This prevents his opponent from being able to pull his knee out. To finish the pass Torres secures an under hook. He kicks out his training partner’s leg and back steps into side control, finishing the pass.

Clock Choke On an Opponent in Turtle

The clock choke is one of many different chokes that can be very effective in a variety of positions. Once you pass your opponent’s guard you can start to work clock cokes. In this case we will look at how to do the clock choke on a turtled opponent. In the video below JT Torres teaches the clock choke he used to win Gold medal at the 2014 American Nationals. Watch the video below and then we will break down the technique. Check it out now!

Let’s say have ended up in a scenario where your opponent is in the turtle position and you are controlling them from the side. The first important detail Torres gives us is to keep your hips connected to your training partner’s hips. You want to keep your opponent in tight and prevent him from rolling out by using your hands tight to his body, hooking under his thigh with your arm across his back. Now, if your opponent has good turtle, you want to feed your hand inside through his collar – your thumb across his neck to establish the correct “slicing angle.” Once you have your hand across to his shoulder you can switch your hand hooking his thigh up to his wrist. From here you can collapse your opponent by pulling his wrist in and driving his head in towards the mat. Once you accomplish that you can adjust your hip up to the back of his neck. The first way you can finish it by walking little by little over the top of his head to secure the tap. If your opponent is trying to roll away you can roll over his right shoulder and still catch the clock choke.

JT Torres is one of the most dangerous grapplers on the planet and he has proven it against some of the world’s best competitors including Garry Tonon, Lucas Lepri, and many more. If you want to learn how to pass your opponent’s guard and finish them like the ADCC 2017 Champ, then check out JT Torres’ instructional series “Passing, Back Takes and Finishes” available exclusively on BJJFanatics.com! This 4 DVD series will completely transform your game and help you dominate even the biggest guys in your gym.