Your favorite way to pass or block "modern" guards

knee cut doesn't work against everything, but it works against many things. One of the keys to making it work, IMO, is to have a good transition when they counter, and being able to switch back and forth between the knee cut and another pass.

aed333 - knee cut doesn't work against everything, but it works against many things. One of the keys to making it work, IMO, is to have a good transition when they counter, and being able to switch back and forth between the knee cut and another pass.

This Phone Post

aed333 - knee cut doesn't work against everything, but it works against many things. One of the keys to making it work, IMO, is to have a good transition when they counter, and being able to switch back and forth between the knee cut and another pass.

just worked this exact concept this morning with Henrique Rezende. its all about staying on your toes, being able to quickly transition from a knee cut pass, to a standing pass, back to your knees, back to standing. constant pressure and not allowing the guy to ever recover completely

Guys, stop distracting Josh from making his video!! :) Phone Post

In Phone Post

How do you clear spider guard hooks from your knees? I don't think I've ever seen anyone do that against someone with a decent spider guard.

There is only 3 ways to pass the guard.

- Over the legs
- Around the legs
- Under the legs

there is no other ways.

There is only 3 ways to pass the guard.

- Over the legs
- Around the legs
- Under the legs

there is no other ways.

JRockwell - Guys, stop distracting Josh from making his video!! :) Phone Post

Sorry, will do it tomorrow Phone Post

I think of all guard passing as wanting to open up the space between my opponent's knees and elbows - breaking him out of his defensive 'shell' - then using the handles I've obtained (underhook controlling the shoulder, knee in the middle blocking his thigh/hip etc.) to turn his hips and shoulders in opposing directions, immobilizing him to allow the pass.

All the different ways of achieving this constitute all the different guard passes there are, and IMO it doesn't make sense to separate them into categories like "under the legs", "through the legs" etc, as many passes blur the lines between these categories anyway. There is really only one way to pass the guard: By dominating and occupying the inside space.

I think passing and playing guard are both such extremely dynamic positions that have an unlimited amount of positions. To say there is only one way or of pass that works on everything is crazy talk. I thought I understood guard passing until I got to brownbelt and spent some time with Leandro Vieira. He opened my eyes to new dimensions in passing, I look at it much different now.

joshjitsu - I think passing and playing guard are both such extremely dynamic positions that have an unlimited amount of positions. To say there is only one way or of pass that works on everything is crazy talk. I thought I understood guard passing until I got to brownbelt and spent some time with Leandro Vieira. He opened my eyes to new dimensions in passing, I look at it much different now.

By 'one way' I mean that every pass is predicated on dismantling your opponent's defensive structure by creating separation, acquiring dominant handles on the leverage points of his body and immobilizing him. This invariably happens through the battle for control of the inside space. However, there are a million and one different permutations to how this is achieved.

Shemhazai - 
joshjitsu - I think passing and playing guard are both such extremely dynamic positions that have an unlimited amount of positions. To say there is only one way or of pass that works on everything is crazy talk. I thought I understood guard passing until I got to brownbelt and spent some time with Leandro Vieira. He opened my eyes to new dimensions in passing, I look at it much different now.

By 'one way' I mean that every pass is predicated on dismantling your opponent's defensive structure by creating separation, acquiring dominant handles on the leverage points of his body and immobilizing him. This invariably happens through the battle for control of the inside space. However, there are a million and one different permutations to how this is achieved.

Ok I see what you're saying and mostly agree, although I wouldn't say creating separation (space) is always predicated for guard passing. Actually I would say in most cases it's a bad thing for the passer.

Pay attention to events where non-bjj guys go against BJJ guys and how they pass the guard, and that's your answer. ADCC for one.

Over the years, i've realized that a lot of modern BJJ only works against BJJ and the whole game of it. Once a lot of these people face grapplers from other mindsets and styles, things get a little hairy sometimes because they don't necessarily play the same game.

I'm no world beater or anything, but I've found the old knee through pass and simple old school tight and smashing type of passing seems to work universally.

SlapUsilly - Pay attention to events where non-bjj guys go against BJJ guys and how they pass the guard, and that's your answer. ADCC for one.

Over the years, i've realized that a lot of modern BJJ only works against BJJ and the whole game of it. Once a lot of these people face grapplers from other mindsets and styles, things get a little hairy sometimes because they don't necessarily play the same game.

I'm no world beater or anything, but I've found the old knee through pass and simple old school tight and smashing type of passing seems to work universally.

So which modern non-bjj guy did well at passing guard in a recent ADCC?

joshjitsu - 
Shemhazai - 
joshjitsu - I think passing and playing guard are both such extremely dynamic positions that have an unlimited amount of positions. To say there is only one way or of pass that works on everything is crazy talk. I thought I understood guard passing until I got to brownbelt and spent some time with Leandro Vieira. He opened my eyes to new dimensions in passing, I look at it much different now.

By 'one way' I mean that every pass is predicated on dismantling your opponent's defensive structure by creating separation, acquiring dominant handles on the leverage points of his body and immobilizing him. This invariably happens through the battle for control of the inside space. However, there are a million and one different permutations to how this is achieved.

Ok I see what you're saying and mostly agree, although I wouldn't say creating separation (space) is always predicated for guard passing. Actually I would say in most cases it's a bad thing for the passer.

I mean creating separation in his defense, i.e. separating his knee from his elbow, his arm from his ribs, his neck from his shoulder etc. - opening up the inside space on his body, not creating space between us (almost never a good idea for offense, at least not on top).

joshjitsu - 
SlapUsilly - Pay attention to events where non-bjj guys go against BJJ guys and how they pass the guard, and that's your answer. ADCC for one.

Over the years, i've realized that a lot of modern BJJ only works against BJJ and the whole game of it. Once a lot of these people face grapplers from other mindsets and styles, things get a little hairy sometimes because they don't necessarily play the same game.

I'm no world beater or anything, but I've found the old knee through pass and simple old school tight and smashing type of passing seems to work universally.

So which modern non-bjj guy did well at passing guard in a recent ADCC?

David Avellan, Rustam Chizev (sp?) for more recent examples of non-bjj guys messing up modern player guards in ADCC (trials for Rustam, he got hurt before ADCC)

Rustam especially, is the type of player that i'm talking about. No regards for what's considered dangerous or proper in the BJJ mindset and causes BJJ minded players to have to play safer guards. Just pressure pressure pressure.


And for BJJ, Bibiano fernandes vs some Japanese judoka, for a sample of someone who doesn't play by the bjj mindset really screwing up someone's bjj flow.



I usually fake a hamstring pull. Sometimes I'll pretend to hear my phone. Occasionally, I start a line of questioning, "Woah, who's blood is this... someone's bleeding?"

Countering modern guards is all about having options.

SlapUsilly - 
joshjitsu - 
SlapUsilly - Pay attention to events where non-bjj guys go against BJJ guys and how they pass the guard, and that's your answer. ADCC for one.

Over the years, i've realized that a lot of modern BJJ only works against BJJ and the whole game of it. Once a lot of these people face grapplers from other mindsets and styles, things get a little hairy sometimes because they don't necessarily play the same game.

I'm no world beater or anything, but I've found the old knee through pass and simple old school tight and smashing type of passing seems to work universally.

So which modern non-bjj guy did well at passing guard in a recent ADCC?

David Avellan, Rustam Chizev (sp?) for more recent examples of non-bjj guys messing up modern player guards in ADCC (trials for Rustam, he got hurt before ADCC)

Rustam especially, is the type of player that i'm talking about. No regards for what's considered dangerous or proper in the BJJ mindset and causes BJJ minded players to have to play safer guards. Just pressure pressure pressure.


And for BJJ, Bibiano fernandes vs some Japanese judoka, for a sample of someone who doesn't play by the bjj mindset really screwing up someone's bjj flow.

Davd Avellans game is jiu jitsu and wrestling. That said I don't remember him passing much guard in ADCC if any, he still did great but I can't recall the any matches in the past 2 ADCC's that he passed. I don't think Rustam has ever competed in ADCC

Muffinho - 
joshjitsu - 
Muffinho - all guard passing is the same.

elbows tight, break grips, gain inside control, grab any underhooks you can and trap their hips.


I am going to strongly disagree with this statement.

lol?

Have you ever seen Cobrinha or Gui, or Rodolfo pass guard?

They establish the strong knee cut position against every "modern" guard you can think of. How? Well they obv keep their elbows tight, everyone does that. They break dominant grips (or dont allow them to happen). They enter the knee slice, blocking the underhook and the free foot (inside control). When they can get an underhook, they take it.

They pass and trap the hips.

=/

This is how I pass. IMO, it's the best approach to passing modern guards, because it shuts down most of the dangers while keeping maximum mobility and an array of high-power passes open.

You don't need to pass with the knee slice, but the knee slice is what sets up all the passes. Blocking the spider controls, blocking the DLR/RDLR hooks, and killing the half/closed guards.