Seamless Guard Passing with Lachlan Giles

By Fanatics Authors, October 14, 2019

Where guard passing is concerned, the headquarters position has become a familiar hub of many passing progressions. I was first introduced to the headquarters position in early Rafael Lovato Jr. instructionals. Lovato added significant value to passing games all over the world with this material. It was a game changer for me, as it now gave me a goal when entering in to a guard passing sequence. I had a home base and a point of reference that I understood and could count on. Getting to the headquarters in some form allowed me to pick from a great deal of options and this is a good feeling when you’re trying to get your passing bearings.

High level BJJ athletes all over the world have taken the concept of the headquarters and adapted it to fit their own unique passing games. With so many options and variety, the headquarters serves the BJJ passing realm on several levels and continues to be a staple in the passing arsenals of many.

In this video Lachlan Giles gives us a look in to his passing game and how he chooses to put the headquarters to work in a great passing sequence that you’ll enjoy. Check this out!

Settling in -

Sometimes when we see someone enter in to this type of passing posture, it looks like more of a squatting position, with the knees and hips parallel to the ground. Here, Giles begins with entering in to a configuration that favors the right side, putting tons of pressure on the left leg. There are some other interesting modifications here as well. Settling in, Giles uses his knee to pin his partners leg, but he also curls his instep under his partners calf. This makes it a bit more difficult for the leg to be mobile and keeps movement to a minimum. Giles keeps his base wide and strong here, but also pinches the knees together a bit to restrict the guard players movement even further.

Lower Body Control and the Finish –

Now poised to continue advancing, Giles must get past his partners frames and work to get tighter. He pommels his shoulder tot eh inside of his partner’s framework, beating the knee, and settles in tighter to his partners lower half. Now tight to the hips, Giles must be sure to not continue moving forward just yet. If he gives his partner his weight, there is the possibility of being swept, as there is still a hook in place that could become problematic if Giles gets too hast here. He stays focused on the hips and begins to sprawl his leg on tot eh butterfly hook. As he drops weight down, he cuts his leg to his right, removing it from the hook and placing the newly freed leg in the crook of his knee. Giles can now take his safely stowed leg over his partners thigh to finish the pass.

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There’s a heavy emphasis here on not getting stuck in the half guard. You can see all the small detail work that goes in to making sure that doesn’t happen. Every step is necessary. Though being past the knee shield and settled in tot eh half guard is not the worst thing in the world, if it can be avoided, it will make life much easier.

Tip for Entering –

This is a very important detail to observe. When were looking to enter this type of passing position, we don’t want to become engaged in a pommeling match. Giles points out that this is exactly what may happen if you begin trying to control your partners legs at the knees. Giles recommends controlling the ankles here. This will offer much more control over the legs and make entry in to the position much less difficult.

Common Reactions –

For a variety of reasons, the guard passer may employ the knee as a means of stopping the pass. Whether this happens naturally or purposely, it will be a variable that must be dealt with. The hands will surely be a factor here as well, creating a framing network that can stop forward progress if not taken care of. As the knee turns in and the hands come up, Giles makes a turn with his body and creates an angle. This removes all the defenses from his path and pushes them to the right, causing them to lose their effectiveness.

Here, Giles secures a grip on the belt on the back side of his partner’s body. ON the front side there more to deal with. With a good frame still in place, Giles looks to secure his partners bottom elbow and then pommels his head to the inside of the frame, finding connection with his partner’s chest. Giles would like to now make a getaway to the backside of the body, but his feet are still caught up inside his partners feet. This may be the last line of defense for the bottom player, so they may be holding on for dear life here and Giles still needs to be careful. For the transition, Giles covers his partners shins with the lower portion of his left leg and the passes his right knee up and over tot eh backside, freeing himself from the entanglement. He’s now free to travel to the backside and begin attacking however he chooses to do so.

Closing Details -

With some final details on the technique, Giles offers advice on how to sprawl the hips. He advises us to focus our body weight on the legs not the hips, to make sure we pin them together and collapse that knee defense. He also reiterates that we need excellent control over that bottom elbow, as this will keep his partner from getting up and beginning to defend from a better position. Once the bottom player is able to rise up, continuing to pass will become a night mare.

This is a great way to implement the headquarters position. Giles has mapped out the perfect pass here with not one detail omitted. Practice this just as it is and you’ll undoubtedly have more success in this type of passing scenario! Good luck!

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