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The Ever So Flashy Cartwheel Pass
So while I am a person who usually preaches about fundamentals and basics, there is some fun to be had in Jiu Jitsu. Depending how quick you pick certain things up, there is some flashy techniques that can be added your game. One of those techniques is the cartwheel pass. Let me stress that before you try this pass, learn the basics. Learn the toreando, learn the double under, and etc. But once you have a firm grasp on those passes, you can start to play around. A nice pass to play with is the cartwheel pass. While it is not one to go for all the time, it is one that can definitely help you in certain situations.
So the cartwheel pass is best to go for when your opponent sits guard. Most likely when he is looking to play butterfly guard against you. This is when you can bust this gem out. To start, you have to have one leg forward and one leg back. It will assist with the cartwheel pass. So let’s say that you place your left leg forward and your right leg back. First you have to put your left hand on the ground, and put your right hand on your opponent’s shoulder. The hardest part of this style of pass is pretty point blank. You have to be able to do a cartwheel. It is something to practice alone, doing a solo drill so that when you practice it with your partner, you will be ready to hit it.
After you cartwheel, you should end up directly behind your opponent. Once you’re there, do not wait. Immediately lock in the seatbelt grip and sit to get your hooks in. Now you have the back, and your opponent probably did not expect to get his guard passed this way. As I said earlier, this isn’t a first go to pass. Try your other passes. But if someone is playing butterfly guard and you want to avoid that guard retention, perhaps this is a pass for you to try.
Before you start to try and become an acrobat, get more fundamental passes down first. A nice supplemental DVD for this is The Folding System by Fernando Reis. His instructional is full of sound passes that will aid your game and let you play around with fancier passes later.
Click here to see The Folding System at BJJ Fanatics!
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