Jiu-jitsu Guard Passing Drills

Guard Passing is among the most important & basic concepts that one should have instilled in his mind while practicing Jiu-Jitsu. Knowing how to pass the guard can make you able to win BJJ competitions. Drilling is the best practice you can do for improving your guard-passing execution, timing, and position. Drilling reinforces the adaptation of practiced techniques for muscle memory. For being a better grappler, you will be required to execute techniques properly without thinking it through. This means the techniques have to be stored in the subconscious of your brain, which’s what the drill implements. There are some basic drills that you can practice in your BJJ Gi for improving your skill.

Guard Passing Concept

If you are new to grappling, we would suggest you focus on a few drills & do them slowly. As you progress, it’s important to be able to execute guard passes & quickly transit them.  For that reason, we will share a few drills for improving your guard passing ability. Possessing a good guard passing game is among the hardest things to do in BJJ. As it’s the most tiring, & difficult part. A good guard can be almost impossible to pass. The most vital guard passing concepts are perfect posture, pressure, & timing. These three pillars refine your guard passing ability.

Posture for Guard Passing

Posture is one of the pillar concepts important for having a good guard passing ability.  For comfortable passing, you must defend sweeps, & have a good balance. It is unrealistic to have a thought that from any position you can have a good passing game. but, one can develop adequate posture from any position. The thing to remember here is your posture can vary in different guards.

Pressure for Guard Passing

The pressure is important anytime you are passing the guard. It's a misconception in the BJJ community as to what pressure exactly is.  People usually associate it with “smashing.”

Pressure here is referred to as relentlessness & pace. You can pressure out your opponent by moving continuously so they can react to you. Never give your opponent time to maintain a position while moving from pass to pass. Pressure can also be applied in the sense of posture. 

Timing For Guard Passing

Timing is the most important element of BJJ. For having better sweeps, submissions, and passes, you are required to have perfect timing. Timing is what separates BJJ's top professionals from their competitors. A lot of people know techniques, but the reason they lag is the timing. Good guard passing ability needs perfect timing. One must have hit the passes at the perfect moment. 

Guard Passing Drills

1)     Technical Drills

These are fundamental moves that can help you in figuring out all guards. The first of them is standing for opening a closed guard. It’s a must-learn for everyone. The standing part is the moment when you have to be precise & technical, opening & passing parts are relatively easier. Another good drill is going shin-circles for an x-passing combo. That’s where most open guard passing happens. Mastering the shin circle & X-pass is not easy as it sounds. It demands a lot of reps & efforts. Every common guard passing sequence begins with an X-pass motion.

2)     Speed & Balance Drills

leg drag & tornado are those important guard passes that demand balance & speed. No matter how much of a good pressure passer you are, you will have to practice speed and balance drills. The technical steps for such drills are few & simple. There are simpler drills that work step-by-step with these passes. These drills not only improve your jiu-jitsu skills but will give you overall health and cognition benefits that’s why it's never too late to practice BJJ.  Start practicing by moving your leg & body at the same time. Then, introduce an additional step in each drill till you succeed in completing the pass.

3)     Conceptual Drills

Conceptual drills might be more like the lines for position sparring but are proven to work very well. All you need to do is get a partner, and set a time interval of at least five minutes while asking them to do guard retention. Without any sweeps, submissions, or standing up and try passing the legs. Practice it whenever you want.

This information presented is intended to be used for educational purposes only. The statements made have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (U.S.). These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition or disease. Please consult with your own physician or health care practitioner regarding any suggestions and recommendations made.