Guard passing can get so difficult. If you’re rolling against a training partner who knows what they’re doing, then passing their legs and arm frames can often be much more tedious than even submitting some people.
But here’s the thing. Often times, it’s not even your training partner’s ability that’s hindering you from getting that pass; instead, it’s your tendency to make guard passing much more complicated than it needs to be. For instance, you could use the Step Over Pass, which will probably work better than all those fancy sequences you’ve been trying out!
Here’s how to do this pass, as explained by Alan Ciku.
THE STEP OVER PASS
You’ll start setting up the Step Over Pass in the same way you set up the Torreando Pass; both of your hands on the training partner’s shins (except, in this case, they need to be closer to the knees). Then, you’ll shift one of the partner’s legs to the side – this is crucial because you don’t want their hips to stay square to yours.
Once you do that, you’ll need to switch your hand (the one on the bottom leg) to the top of the training partner’s knee. Your second hand stays on their other leg’s shin.
From here, push on their first leg as you step over it. Make sure to plant your toes on top of the partner’s hip, as this will make it difficult for them to turn into you. Then, get a hold of their collar and transit to the Knee On Belly – and you’re now in a prime position to start working on your submissions!
Alan Ciku demonstrates the entire setup for the Step Over Pass on the video below:
