The fundamental skill of breaking through legs to reach side control. Where BJJ is won.
A guard pass is any technique that moves you from inside your opponent's guard (bottom player controlling you with legs) to side control, mount, or north-south. Guard passing is one of the most complex and strategic skills in BJJ.
There are hundreds of guard passes, but they all follow the same principles: break grips, control hips, clear the legs, and establish dominant position. Mastering passing is a lifelong pursuit in BJJ.
Passing guard is worth 3 points in IBJJF competition and is often considered the dividing line between intermediate and advanced practitioners.
Follow these steps to execute the Guard Pass correctly. Every step matters — skipping one leads to a failed attempt.
Start by breaking the opponent's grips on your sleeves, collar, or pants. No pass works against active grips.
Choose a standing pass or a kneeling pass based on the guard type. Standing is better against spider and lasso; kneeling works for closed and half guard.
Pin the opponent's hips with your hands or knees. Hip control prevents them from creating angle or recovering.
Move the legs out of the way — over, under, or around. Toreando, double under, and knee slice are the three main passing patterns.
Once the legs are cleared, drop into chest-to-chest side control with an underhook and crossface. Stabilize for 3 seconds to score in IBJJF.
These are the most common errors people make when attempting the Guard Pass. Recognize them in your own game and fix them systematically.
Trying to pass against active grips leads to sweeps and submissions.
Fix: Always break grips first. Passing is impossible until the grips are off you.
If the opponent can move their hips freely, they will recover guard every time.
Fix: Pin the hips before committing to the pass. No hip mobility for the bottom player.
Passes executed too fast leave gaps the opponent can exploit.
Fix: Pressure, control, then commit. Pressure passing beats speed passing in most cases.
Passing into a loose side control lets the opponent immediately recover.
Fix: Drop chest to chest, secure crossface and underhook, and stabilize for the full 3 seconds.
The Guard Pass is a intermediate-level technique that is tested and refined at different stages of belt progression. White belts learn the mechanics, blue belts refine the setups, and purple belts integrate it into complex chains.
Mastery of core techniques like the Guard Pass is one of the things professors evaluate when considering a promotion. Beyond time in grade, your practical application of fundamentals matters.
Open the BJJ belt calculator to see where you stand against IBJJF minimums.
Open CalculatorYes. Guard passing is widely considered one of the hardest skills to develop in BJJ. It typically takes years of focused training to pass reliably.
The toreando (bullfighter) pass and the knee slice pass are the two most common beginner passes. Both work from standing and kneeling.
A guard pass is worth 3 points in IBJJF competition. You must stabilize in side control for 3 seconds for the points to count.
Both have their place. Standing is better against open guards and spider; kneeling works for closed guard and half guard. Learn both.
Most failed passes come from bad grip fighting or rushing the sequence. Break grips, control hips, then pass methodically.