Jiu-Jitsu Basics: Understanding Guard Passing

In BJJ, few skills are as essential as guard passing. Whether you’re training for MMA, self-defense, or pure grappling, learning how to pass the guard is a foundational skill that separates reactive fighters from composed, confident ones.

Guard passing isn’t about brute force. It’s about pressure, timing, balance, and adaptability.

What Is the Guard?

The guard is a position where one fighter is on their back using their legs to control distance, disrupt posture, and set up attacks. From guard, the bottom player has a lot of tools available, which is exactly why passing is so important.

If you can’t pass the guard, you can’t advance. And if you can’t advance, you’re always fighting uphill.

The Goal of Guard Passing

The objective of guard passing is simple:

• Break through the legs

• Control the hips

• Establish a dominant top position (side control, mount, or back control)

The challenge? Doing all of that while avoiding sweeps, submissions, and constant off-balancing.

Core Principles of Basic Guard Passing

Rather than memorizing dozens of techniques, beginners should focus on principles. These concepts apply across all styles of guard passing.

1. Posture First

Good posture keeps you safe. A straight spine, engaged core, and controlled head position reduce your opponent’s ability to break you down or attack submissions.

2. Control the Hips

The hips are the engine of the guard. If your opponent’s hips are free, their guard is dangerous. Pinning, redirecting, or immobilizing the hips makes passing possible.

3. Create Angles

Guard passing is rarely straightforward. Stepping off-line, cutting angles, and forcing your opponent to turn creates openings you can exploit.

4. Pressure Over Speed

Beginners often try to pass by exploding or scrambling. Effective passing uses steady pressure, forcing your opponent to carry your weight and make mistakes.

5. Stay Balanced

Balance is everything. If your weight is too far forward or too far back, you’re vulnerable to sweeps. A strong base lets you advance without giving up position.

Common Beginner Guard Passes

• Knee Slice Pass – used primarily against open guard or half guard. From the top, you step one knee between your opponent’s legs and slice it across their thigh while applying upper-body pressure to prevent them from recovering guard.

• Over-Under Pass – One leg goes over your shoulder. The other leg goes under your arm. By stacking your opponent and pinning their hips, you take away their ability to move freely, making it much easier to pass into side control.

• Standing Guard Breaks – You stand up with balance and structure, usually bringing one foot up at a time while maintaining control of the hips or upper body. As you rise, pressure and positioning make it harder for the opponent to keep their legs locked. Once you are fully standing, the closed guard can be opened using hip pressure, angles, or by forcing one leg down.

• Half Guard Passing – All about freeing your trapped leg while maintaining strong top control and pressure. By controlling the head and shoulders and keeping your hips heavy, you limit your opponent’s ability to sweep or recover guard.

These passes build confidence and teach you how to connect movements rather than forcing positions.

Guard Passing for MMA

For MMA fighters, guard passing is even more critical. Passing the guard opens up:

• Ground-and-pound opportunities

• Safer positional control

• Clear paths to stand back up if needed

A clean pass means less time in danger and more time in control.

Be Like Water: Adapt, Don’t Force

Bruce Lee’s philosophy applies perfectly to Jiu-Jitsu: be formless, be adaptable. Guard passing isn’t about winning a single exchange. It’s about flowing from attempt to attempt until the guard breaks.

At Be Like Water, we teach guard passing as a system, not a checklist. You’ll learn how to stay calm under pressure, adjust to resistance, and move with purpose.

If you’re just starting your Jiu-Jitsu journey or looking to strengthen your fundamentals, guard passing is one of the best places to focus. Show up, stay patient, and let the technique do the work.

Train smart. Stay fluid. Be Like Water.