How to Pass Guard in BJJ: 7 Proven Techniques That Work

How to Pass Guard in BJJ: 7 Proven Techniques That Work

Are you struggling to get past your training partner’s legs during rolls? You’re not alone. Guard passing is one of the most challenging aspects of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for beginners and intermediate practitioners alike.

Learning how to pass guard in BJJ is essential for progression in the sport. Without effective passing techniques, you’ll remain stuck in your opponent’s guard, unable to advance to dominant positions like side control or mount. This limitation severely impacts your ability to score points in competition and secure submissions.

The good news? Guard passing is a learnable skill that improves with the right approach and consistent practice. This guide covers seven proven techniques that work against common guard types. You’ll learn both pressure-based and dynamic passing methods to handle different opponents and situations.

Whether you’re a white belt learning your first passes or a blue belt refining your game, these techniques will help you break through defensive guards and take control of the match. Building on fundamental BJJ positions creates a strong technical foundation.

What is Guard Passing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? & Why it is Important

Definition and Core Concept of how to pass guard

Learning how to pass guard – Guard passing refers to the process of moving around or through your opponent’s legs when they’re on their back. The goal is to establish a more dominant top position—typically side control, mount, or back control—while maintaining control for at least three seconds.

In BJJ, passing the guard is the primary way to transition from neutral or defensive positions into offensive control. It’s one of the fundamental skills required to progress through the belt system.

Why Important to Learn how to pass guard and Why it matters

Understanding how to pass guard in BJJ opens up multiple advantages during training and competition. First, successful passes earn you three points in IBJJF competition rules. Second, dominant top positions give you better control over your opponent’s movement and increase your submission opportunities.

Guard passing also forces your opponent to expend energy defending. When you maintain consistent passing pressure, you wear them down physically and mentally. This creates openings for attacks and transitions that wouldn’t exist otherwise.

Two Main Approaches

There are two fundamental strategies for guard passing: pressure passing and dynamic passing. Pressure passes use weight distribution and slow, controlled movements to flatten your opponent’s defenses. Think stack passes and knee slices.

Dynamic passes rely on speed, timing, and rapid direction changes. Toreando passes and leg drags fall into this category. Most successful guard passers develop competency in both styles to adapt to different opponents and guard types, according to BJJ Heroes analysis of top competitors.

Essential Principles Before Learning Techniques – How to pass guard

Posture and Base

Good posture is the foundation of effective guard passing. You need a strong, upright spine with your head over your hips. Poor posture makes you vulnerable to sweeps and submissions, especially when facing closed guard or spider guard.

Your base—the stability of your stance—determines how difficult you are to sweep. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart with knees bent. Lower your center of gravity like a pyramid. This stance makes you incredibly stable and hard to off-balance.

Control the Hips and Legs

The key to passing any guard type is controlling your opponent’s hips and legs. Their legs are their primary defensive tools. Once you neutralize leg movement, you’ve eliminated most of their guard retention capability.

Focus on a logical progression: beat the feet, beat the knees, beat the hips, beat the torso. Each step brings you closer to completing the pass. Don’t skip steps or rush through this sequence, as understanding guard retention from the bottom helps when attacking from the top.

Grip Fighting and Breaking Connections

Before you can pass, you need to strip your opponent’s grips on your gi or body. Every grip they maintain gives them control over your movement and positioning. Develop grip-breaking skills as a priority.

Use your elbows to clear grips from your collar and sleeves. For pants grips, straighten your legs to create tension that breaks their hold. Once their grips are gone, immediately establish your own control points—typically on their knees, ankles, or pants near the hip.

Pressure Over Strength

Don’t confuse pressure with muscular effort. Proper weight distribution allows a 150-pound black belt to feel like they weigh 250 pounds. Learn to use gravity and body positioning rather than arm strength.

The Knee Slice Pass (Knee Cut)

Setup and Entry

The knee slice is one of the most versatile passes in BJJ because it works from many guard types. Start by controlling your opponent’s far hip with one hand and their near knee with the other. This prevents them from following your movement.

Position your cutting knee (the one closest to their legs) on the mat, angled toward their hip. Your shin should be perpendicular to their body. This creates a wedge that splits their guard open.

Execution Steps

Follow these steps to complete the knee slice:

1. Control the far hip firmly with your hand or forearm
2. Drive your cutting knee across their legs toward their far hip
3. Keep your trailing leg back and wide for base
4. Drop your shoulder weight onto their chest as you slice through
5. Pin their near arm to prevent them from creating frames

The slice motion should be smooth and continuous. Don’t pause halfway through or your opponent can re-establish their guard.

Common Mistakes

Many beginners make these errors when learning the knee slice:

• Slicing too slowly, giving the opponent time to counter
• Failing to control the far hip, allowing them to turn into you
• Keeping weight too high instead of pressuring their chest
• Not addressing their bottom knee shield

Finishing to Side Control

As your knee clears their legs, immediately sprawl your hips forward and low. This weight forces them flat and prevents any last-minute escape attempts. Secure your head position by their shoulder, not floating high where they can create space.

Your chest should be heavy on theirs with no gaps. This is how you hold the position for the three seconds required to score the pass in competition. From here, you can transition to high-percentage submission attacks like the kimura or americana.

The Stack Pass (Double Under)

When to Use the Stack Pass

The stack pass excels against opponents who play closed guard, butterfly guard, or half guard. It’s a pressure-based technique that uses their spine as a lever to control their entire body. This pass works especially well when you’re stronger or heavier than your opponent.

Start from inside their closed guard or after opening it. The setup requires getting both arms under their legs, which demands good grip control and timing.

Step-by-Step Technique for Learning how to pass guard in BJJ

Here’s how to execute the stack pass:

1. Break any grips they have on your collar or sleeves
2. Slide both arms under their legs, hugging their thighs to your chest
3. Clasp your hands together behind their legs
4. Step forward with your legs, walking your knees toward their shoulders
5. Stack their weight onto their upper back and neck
6. Choose a side and slide your body to that side for the pass

The stacking motion should be progressive, not sudden. Apply pressure gradually to prevent them from shrimping away or reversing the position.

Pressure Application

The effectiveness of this pass depends on proper weight distribution. You’re not just lifting their legs—you’re driving your weight forward and down through their legs. Think of pushing their knees toward their ears while maintaining chest-to-legs contact.

Keep your head positioned on the opposite side from where you plan to pass. This prevents them from catching your head and pulling you into their closed guard again. Once you’ve stacked them sufficiently, circle to side control. This technique aligns with IBJJF official rules for legal pressure application.

The Toreando Pass (Bullfighter Pass)

Dynamic Movement Fundamentals

The toreando is a dynamic pass that uses speed and direction changes to bypass the guard. Unlike pressure passes, this technique relies on creating and exploiting momentum. It’s particularly effective against open guard players who try to use their legs as barriers.

Grip both of your opponent’s pants near their knees or ankles. This gives you control over their leg positioning. Stand with good posture and wide base for stability.

The Passing Motion

Execute the toreando with this sequence:

1. Grip both pant legs firmly near the knees
2. Push their legs to one side while moving your body to the opposite side
3. Keep constant forward pressure as you move
4. Don’t let them plant their feet or re-establish guard
5. Land in side control with your weight controlling their torso

The key is simultaneous movement—push their legs right while you go left, or vice versa. This creates a separation that makes it nearly impossible for them to follow you with their legs.

Timing and Rhythm

Think of this as a cardio battle. Move their legs, make them work to recover, then pass to the other side. This left-right-left-right rhythm exhausts your opponent and eventually creates the opening you need.

The toreando works best when combined with other passes. Use it to set up leg drags or knee slices when your opponent starts defending the bullfighter motion.

Additional High-Percentage Guard Passes

The Leg Drag

The leg drag is a hybrid technique that combines elements of both pressure and dynamic passing. Grab your opponent’s leg and drag it across your body while controlling their hip. This creates an angle that allows you to pass to the side or take their back.

The leg drag excels against half guard, butterfly guard, and single-leg X-guard. It’s become one of the most popular competition passes at high levels of BJJ.

The Over-Under Pass

Also called the “pressure pass,” the over-under uses one underhook on their leg and one overhook on their other leg. Apply crushing pressure as you drive forward and slide into side control. This pass neutralizes most guard retention methods through sheer weight.

It’s particularly effective when your opponent insists on pulling you into closed guard repeatedly. The over-under pressure makes it uncomfortable for them to maintain closed guard.

The X-Pass

The X-pass works well from standing against opponents in seated open guard. Control one knee, push on their hip or thigh, and quickly step around their legs. This pass requires good timing and footwork.

Practice this pass by drilling the stepping pattern repeatedly. The motion needs to become automatic so you can execute it at speed during live rolling. Developing better movement fundamentals through consistent training will improve your passing game significantly.

Long Step Pass

When you’re stuck in half guard, the long step can free your trapped leg. Control their head or upper body, then take a long backward step with your caught leg. This clears their lockdown or hold and allows you to pass to the opposite side.

Troubleshooting Common Guard Passing Problems

They Keep Re-Guarding

If your opponent constantly recovers their guard, you’re not controlling their hips properly. Focus on pinning their hips to the mat before attempting the pass. Once their hips are flat, they can’t create the angles needed for guard retention.

Also check your passing speed. Moving too slowly gives them time to recover. Moving too fast causes you to lose control. Find the right pace through drilling.

You’re Getting Swept

Sweeps happen when your base is compromised or your weight is too high. Review your posture fundamentals. Keep your hips low, maintain a wide stance, and distribute weight evenly between your feet.

Never reach across your body or extend your arms too far. This breaks your structure and creates easy sweep opportunities for your opponent.

Your Arms Are Getting Tired

Arm fatigue indicates you’re using muscle instead of weight. Proper guard passing shouldn’t exhaust your arms because you’re driving with your legs and core, not pulling with your arms.

Practice passing with minimal arm engagement. Use your body weight to create pressure and your legs to generate movement. Your arms should only be there for control points, not force generation.

Nothing Is Working

When stuck, change approaches. Can’t pass standing? Kneel. Can’t pass kneeling? Stand up. Can’t do either? Try a sacrifice pass or submission threat to create reactions.

Final Thoughts

Learning how to pass guard in BJJ requires understanding both pressure and dynamic passing techniques. The seven passes covered in this guide—knee slice, stack pass, toreando, leg drag, over-under, X-pass, and long step—provide a complete toolkit for handling different guard types.

Start by mastering the fundamentals: posture, hip control, and pressure over strength. Then drill each passing technique slowly until the movements become automatic. Remember that timing beats speed, and precision beats raw strength.

Guard passing improves through consistent practice and live rolling experience. Don’t get discouraged when experienced training partners defend your passes. Every failed attempt teaches you something about timing, positioning, or technique refinement.

Keep working on these techniques, and you’ll see steady improvement in your ability to pass guard and advance to dominant positions. The key is patience and deliberate practice.

FAQ’S

How long does it take to learn how to pass guard in BJJ?

Most beginners develop basic guard passing proficiency within 6-12 months of consistent training. The timeline depends on your training frequency and athleticism. White belts should focus on mastering 2-3 fundamental passes like the knee slice and toreando before expanding their arsenal. Expect to drill each pass hundreds of times before it becomes effective during live rolling.

What’s the easiest way to pass guard for beginners?

The toreando (bullfighter pass) is often the easiest guard pass for beginners because it doesn’t require complex grips or precise weight distribution. It relies on simple pushing motions and basic footwork that most athletes already understand. Once you master the toreando, progress to the knee slice pass, which works from multiple guard positions.

How to pass guard against bigger and stronger opponents?

When facing bigger opponents, focus on dynamic passes like the toreando and leg drag rather than pressure-based techniques. Use speed, angles, and timing instead of trying to match their strength. Create movement by switching between standing and kneeling positions to make them work harder. Chain multiple passing attempts together to exhaust their defensive reactions.

Should I learn pressure passing or speed passing first?

Start with pressure passing techniques like the knee slice and stack pass. These teach fundamental body mechanics, weight distribution, and hip control that apply to all passing styles. Once you understand pressure concepts, add dynamic passes to your game. The best guard passers seamlessly blend both approaches.

Why do high-level competitors make guard passing look so easy?

Elite BJJ athletes make guard passing look effortless because they’ve drilled passes thousands of times and developed exceptional timing. They recognize guard positions instantly and know which pass to attempt. They also chain multiple passing attempts together, using failed passes to set up successful ones. This comes from years of deliberate practice and competitive experience.

By BJJ Sportswear Editorial Team
Reviewed by black belts with competition experience and 15+ years teaching guard passing fundamentals | Last Updated: January 14, 2026