Torreando Counter with Arm Drag or Rollover Sweep

Torreando Counter with Arm Drag or Rollover Sweep with Jeff Glover

Improving My Passing Game

Alex was trying to help me improve my passing game. I showed/reviewed the following two passes:

1. Margarida Pass - Like the knee slide pass, but grab their lapel and tuck your elbow in and down. You use their gi instead of an underhook.
2. Smash Pass - Put your head on the passing side. Hip down smashing their leg. Underhook if possible. One of the key components is to control their arm on the passing side, try to pull it off the ground. This is Alex's favorite because once you're smash passing, it's hard to stop. Can't seem to find a video though.

Bull Fighter Pass Defense

Preventing bullfighter pass



 Defending a standing guard pass

Seminar with AJ Agazarm at Gracie Barra Mission Viejo

Wayne and I went to an AJ Agazarm seminar at Gracie Barra Mission Viejo. Here are his notes:

• Defense to single leg-over hook (half wizer and wrist control. 
• Loop choke from sprawl-feed cross collar, weave wizer hand to back of head, tuck head roll to superman.
• Single leg takedown- wrist control, step if needed to shoot for front leg clamp leg with knees, foot sweep.
• Sweet spot, step over back leg bend over leg clamp leg with chest, flare knee to feed collar to hand pop up, drive forward
• sweet spot-guy kicks out leg break down pull back up, Thai clench drive forward.
• Open guard pass-grab belt with same side arm with knee in middle, grab knee from underside switch to top grip, kick trap leg out go into side control, grab back neck lapel after letting go of knee.
• Baseball bat-elbow pressure, trap arm on ground windshield wiper it to keep trapped and choke.

Advice from Alex

Don't waste energy defending (being passive), keep attacking, it's the same amount of energy but it keeps your opponent's weight off you.

For the leg that needs to shoot up for a triangle, PIN IT DOWN! Overhook like Sam showed and pin the leg down so your opponent doesn't kick it up for the triangle.

Passing Concepts

General De La Riva Guard Passing Concepts:

1. Unlock opponent's DLR leg hook.
2. Free ankle from opponent's.
3. Control opponent's legs to pass.

Standing DLR Pass (Starting grips = opponent's lapel and opponent's pants leg. Make sure for the lapel grip, your elbow is on top of your knee): 

1. Unlock opponent's DLR leg hook.
2. Pass opponent's pushing leg through and in between your leg.
3. Kick out your leg from opponent's ankle hook.
4. Kick out and pass your leg while maintaining control of opponent's pants leg into knee on belly.

Kneeling DLR Pass (Starting grips are the same as the Standing Pass):

1. Unlock opponent's DLR leg hook.
2. Kneel down to unhook your opponent's ankle hook.
3. Stand and kick out and pass your leg while maintaining control of opponent's pants leg into knee on belly. *NOTE* When passing here, the lapel grip changes into a fist pressure to prevent your opponent from moving.

(Sam's) Smash DLR Pass(Starting grips are the same as the Standing Pass):

1. Unlock opponent's DLR leg hook.
2. Pass opponent's pushing leg through and then smash down on it, overhooking the passing with a pants grip, while underhooking the opposite leg.
3. When ready control the pants grip and hop over.

General Spider Guard Passing:

1. Tuck your elbows to your stomach.

 Side Control Spider Guard Pass:

1. Tuck your elbows to your stomach.
2. Under grip the pants legs (maintain high posture).
3. Obtain a sleeve grip (this will dictate the passing side).
4. Under grip the pants leg o the sleeve grip side.
5. Step to side of the passing hips.
6. Yank and stretch out opponent into knee on belly.

Step Over Spider Guard Pass:

1. Tuck your elbows to your stomach.
2. Under grip the pants legs (maintain high posture).
3. Hip into your opponent and sit on their hips.
4. Step over your opponent and now you will be laying on their hips.
5. Underhook opponent's arm (to prevent them from taking their back).
6. Then pressure and pass into side.

Coping With The New Schedule Change

My school changed its schedule after Labor Day, which forced me to change my life schedule. Now I'm trying to make it to work earlier to so I can get out earlier. As of right now I'm attending the advance classes Tues/Thursday at 6pm.

Last Thursday, Justin went over some sweeps from De La Riva:

• De La Riva with a far side grip on the sleeve. Rock your opponent over, smash the knee, and go parallel while twisting their body. Slowly slide your leg to obtain mount.
• De La Riva with close side grip. Roll on your shoulder and loop your leg through their legs, then use your momentum to swing your leg over their arm and your leg goes behind their leg, lastly kick and take their back.

Sweeps from Situp Guard:

• Situp and grab a single leg while gripping the close side sleeve. Grab a lapel and rock your opponent over. Maintain control.
• Situp and grab a single leg while gripping the close side sleeve. If your opponent posts, swing under almost like deep half and roll them.

Luis helped me with the Berimbolo. I didn't know what exactly to do after rolling the shoulder. Luis says it's key that I grab their belt and after rolling over my shoulder I have to pass their leg to take their back. However, if they fall I can get up and turn that into a sweep.

Yesterday, Dominic showed us some Torreando (bullfighter) style passes:

• Basic style is to grab their pant legs, smash them down, and then pass.
• More advanced is grab their pant legs, throw them to the side, as you take a couple steps. But make sure to stabilize with your other leg (height of opponent's shoulder).
• X-pass: Starts with a pants leg and lapel grip. Throw one of their legs through and pendulum your leg and pass. NOTE: your opponent can not be holding onto your ankle. Your arms will end up as an X.

Interesting practice was guard defensive without hands. I need to practice this more.

De La Riva Pass

Kurt Osiander shows a De La Riva pass. Notice the pointing of the toes and the grip on the pants leg.

A Critical Concept to Stop Your Guard from Being Passed

Smash Pass

Alex showed a Smash Pass from Half Guard he learned from training at Marcelo Garcia's school.

1. From Half Guard (top), underhook your opponent's far arm.
2. Overhook their near arm and keep your head/shoulders tight to theirs.
3. Sprawl out on their bottom leg and slowly pass.

57 BJJ Guard Passing Techniques

Featuring Jason Scully:



Nicely done video with names:

Tip From Terrence

While passing guard, control their legs!

Guard Passes From Hell

Don't Sit Down

It's been awhile since I have sat down to write here. I need to be more consistent with my training. Ever since I got promoted to blue I haven been a little hesitant rolling with white belts because:

1. some of them go full on rage trying to submit a blue belt and sometimes that leads to injuries, and
2. getting submitted by a white belt is embarrassing.

I'm slowly starting to get over the 2nd reason because you can't beat them all. Some white belts are really strong and may have a wrestling background. Plus, sometimes a lower belt might submit a higher belt. For example, I saw a blue belt submit a purple today. The blue belt was probably 80 pounds heavier and taller, but it happens. Win or lose, I just have to roll with the intent of learning in mind.

Anyway, onto the things I have learned and need to keep in mind.

1. This week we learned about straight ankle lock. The key to this move is the shoulder shrug.
2. When passing with your knee on your opponent's inner thigh, don't stand too high, but instead press your head down on your opponent's opposite shoulder. Standing too high will lead to getting rolled to the opposite side.
3. Don't sit down. Terence says any time you stand and then sit down, your opponent gets points for a sweep. I do this a lot and need to learn to stop. Alex yelled at me for doing this, but I didn't understand why.
4. If you are trapped in half guard and are standing with the un-trapped leg near your opponent's head:
1. roll your opponent so that they are facing outward
2. pass your leg around your opponent's head
3. sit on your opponent's hips
4. then turn over for side control.
5. If your opponent is on their side and you are behind their back, you can wait for them to roll over to turtle. When your opponent does this, ride their hip and tuck in your bottom hook then roll them back.
6. There are plenty of opportunities to take your opponent's back, look for them.

Rolles Gracie - Standing Guard Pass (BJJ Weekly #042)

In this video, Rolles Gracie shows BJJ Weekly his method of opening the closed guard. After years of practice Rolles has blended techniques he learned from family members Ralph, Renzo, and Rillion to create his own unique method of guard opening and passing.

Tripod-like Guard Pass

Tripod-like Guard Pass:

• Start with an inside grip.
• Smash their knee down and drive opposite arm underneath opponent's other leg to grab their belt.
• Put your head down near their hip (close to the hand you have holding their belt). So you're basically in half-guard now.
• Put your butt in the air and remove your leg.
• Once your leg is removed, grab behind their neck with the hand that was smashing the knee.
• Obtain side control.

Tips from Justin about playing Spider Guard:

• Straighten your legs to stretch your opponent. When you opponent is stretch you are controlling him, and he can not control you.
• Anytime your opponent has a grip on your pant legs, you must work on breaking these grips as they can be used to pass your spider guard.

Need to work on maintaining the mounted position!!

Double Leg Takedown and Another Standing Guard Pass

Double Leg Takedown:

• Lift up opponent
• Side step
• Dive in with double behind the calfs (make sure to keep body upright)

Another Standing Guard Pass (used when opponent keeps closed guard):

• To Open Guard
• If opponent has hand gripping on your lapel, straight arm them on the same side
• With your opposite hand, grab their wrist
• Step up with your leg on the side of the arm that is being controlled
• Keep holding onto the wrist grip and let go of the lapel grip to press down on their leg
• As make sure to take a step back with the side you are pressing down
• To Pass
• Put your your inner knee down and press down on their inner thigh
• Put your elbow down
• Pressure and pass
• Look for video 

Vale Tudo Guard Passes

Vale Tudo Guard Passes: It doesn't matter how good your stand-up is, you will inevitably find yourself in your opponent's guard - and you need to be prepared to get out as quickly as possible. In this DVD, Erik outlines a complete arsenal of passes that you can integrate into your ground game.

Guard Pass Where You Control Opponent's Arm

Today we learned the "double under" guard pass:

1. First start out by controlling the opponent's hip with one hand while pressing down on their stomach/chest holding the lapel with the other hand.
2. Step up with the foot on the side that is pressing down on the stomach/chest.
3. Let go of some of the lapel and tuck in your elbow.
4. Then step up with the other foot.
5. Stand straight up and let go of more of their lapel while making sure to tuck your elbow.
6. Now reach behind your back with the other hand (that was controlling their hip) and open their guard.
7. Once their guard is open, use combat stance (tuck your elbows) and get close to their hips. Or immediately go to the next step.
8. Roll both of your arms under their leg and secure this position.
9. Control their hips by moving it on top of your knees.
10. Cross face one arm with thumb inside opponent's lapel.
11. Sprawl and pass.
12. Make sure to secure the side control position.

Justin worked with me on another guard pass. This one was very similar to the one above, except the twist was controlling the opponent's arm by tucking it under your "straight" arm.

1. Eventually, grab one of your opponent's arms and then tuck it under a straight arm.
2. Step up on the side of the arm that is being controlled. Since you are controlling the opponent's arm on that side, they can not grab your leg.
3. Post up with the other leg, step back, and then reach back with your hand to open the guard. Note that the hand that reaches back is the one that was the straight arm. The other hand is still controlling your opponent's arm, but make sure to keep your elbow tucked.
4. Once the guard is opened, continue to pass as usual (i.e. sprawl).

I rolled with a really tall guy named Cyrus. He's got to be at least 6' 5" and 250 lbs. I almost got him in a rear-naked choke but time ran out. One thing Professor Dominic showed him that I thought I should keep in mind if I ever got caught like that was: if your opponent has one if your lapels from behind, the side you want to escape (by placing your back on the mat) is opposite of the side the arm holding onto the lapel.

Passing Guard Tips From Larry

Today I roll with a blue belt named Larry. He gave me some tips for passing guard. He recommended standing guard passes because they are more affected.

1. Hands to opponent's armpits and spawl.
2. Then put one of your knee in between their guard to open it.
3. Once opponent's guard is opened, get into "combat stance" and press one fist down on opponent's stomach holding while other hand is holding onto their leg. (here I don't the fist on stomach is required, but you could have both hands on their legs and stay in combat stand to prevent from getting swept).
4. While in this stance make sure you are close to their hip so that you are in control.
5. Push their leg down and pass.

When sparring with Larry, I observed his "style". Every time I was in his guard, he would push one of my arms across me and try to get my back. While fighting this and trying to open his guard, he would sweep me and mount me. I would this try to bump and get him into half-guard. After which he would S-mount me, after the S-mount he would work at getting my back. I would roll back and he would mount me. Basically, he had dominated with positions the whole time and I was playing all defense.

Larry said that this is more of a no-gi pass and Prof. Steve teaches it in the no-gi class. He also give me another tip:

• "Anytime you are about to do anything, think how it makes you vulnerable, how it exposes you." I think this is really good advice/principle. This is to help you be prepared in case you have to defend. Sometimes I'm so focused on passing guard or whatever that I forget that I could be exposing myself and end up getting submitted or in a worst position.

I looked up a standing guard pass on the internet and want to try this one out some time: