Class Seven: Open guard passing

Class Seven: Open guard passing

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Fundamentals Program of Science of Jiu Jitsu Team developed by professor Mario Rodríguez 

Summary

In this class we will work on the basic principles and strategies for passing the open guard in brazilian jiu jitsu

Concepts and Principles. 

Understanding that there are two main guard passing modalities :

  • Loose and movement passing : in this type of passing we try to take the opponents hooks away, fixate the opponents legs and flank them using specific grips and movements for getting to dominant positions like side control or the mount.
  • Tight pressure passing: in this type of passing we try to get an angle and use our weight and grips to close the distance and kill progressively the opponents hooks for flanking the legs and getting to dominant positions like side control or the mount.

Choosing one of these two styles for passing the guard depends upon a lot of factors but some like age, physical condition and biotype are some of the more relevant.

Generally young and light persons will prefer loose passing while older and heavier persons will prefer tight pressure passing.

In general terms passing the guard is closing the distance between you and your opponent clearing his legs and grips to get to dominant positions from which to submit.

Generally you will have to dismount hooks and break opponents grips for getting closer to the opponent and gain positions like side control or the mount.

It will be a battle against attacks, unbalancing and frames from the opponent until you can access the desired positions.

The passing work requires general and specific techniques and strategies for solving the previous problems and you will be learning them.

We can understand the passing game in terms of the following sequence: 

  • Kill the hooks and break relevant grips.
  • Flank the legs
  • Look for positions where you can attack : Knee on the Belly, Side Control, Mount or Back.

Other relevant concepts:

  • Understanding the relevance of maintaining the positions after passing the guard.
  • Understanding the need of transitioning between positions in case the opponent is defending correctly or escaping a position.
  • Understanding the difference in passing when you are grappling as you can not grab the clothes. Also, it is better to work on tight passes or side to side feints.
  • Understanding that there are basic mechanics (around the legs, inside the legs, under the legs) and that a lot of guard passes are just variations of these basic mechanics. 

We work on some guard passing drills:

  • Toreada drill.
  • Leg drag drill.
  • Knee Slice drill
  • Side Smash drill against some open guards (Half, de la Riva, Spider)

Videos y Resources:

General concepts for open guard passing (In Spanish)
Toreada Drill
Leg drag Drill
Knee Slice Drill

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