The folding pass is a pressure-based guard pass where you collapse the opponent’s knees toward their chest, pinning their hips and legs with your body weight to immobilize their guard. It is highly effective against open guards, especially when the opponent has their knees up and is framing, allowing you to bypass their legs and settle into dominant positions like side control or mount.
Start
Combat base vs open guard
End
Mount or side control
Prerequisites: Cross-face control · Establishing an underhook · Knee-cut pass basics · Hip switching from combat base
Steps
1
Establish Combat Base and Inside Knee Position
From combat base, post your lead knee between the opponent’s legs, aiming to split their guard. Keep your trailing foot posted and hips low, with your hands ready to control their shins or knees.
2
Control the Near-Side Knee and Far-Side Hip
Use your lead hand to C-grip the opponent’s near-side knee, while your trailing hand posts on the mat near their far-side hip. This prevents them from recovering guard or shrimping away.
3
Drive Forward and Collapse the Knees
Shift your weight forward, using your chest to drive their knees toward their chest. Keep your hips low and angle your body at roughly 45° to the opponent’s torso, maximizing downward pressure.
4
Cross-Face and Underhook
As their knees fold, shoot your far-side arm for a deep cross-face, turning their head away, while your near-side arm underhooks their far-side thigh or hip. Maintain a heavy chest-to-knee connection.
5
Switch Your Hips and Pin the Knees
Rotate your hips so your near-side hip drops to the mat, pinning their knees together with your thigh and shin. Your weight should keep their knees stacked and immobilized.
6
Clear the Legs and Establish Side Control or Mount
Using your underhook and cross-face, walk your body around their hips, sliding your knee past their thighs. Settle into side control or, if their knees are tightly folded, step over for mount.
7
Stabilize the Position
Once past the legs, secure your grips (cross-face and underhook for side control, grapevine hooks for mount) and settle your weight to prevent late escapes.
Key details most people miss
The chest-to-knee connection is critical: your sternum should pin their knees, not just your arms.
Angle your hips at 45° rather than staying square—this increases stacking pressure and prevents their hips from rotating.
The cross-face must be deep and aggressive to prevent them from turning toward you or recomposing guard.
Your underhook should scoop the far thigh, not just the hip, to block their ability to shrimp or invert.
Common mistakes
If you let your hips rise, the opponent will recover guard by sliding their knees under your chest.
Failing to control the far-side hip allows the opponent to shrimp away and create space.
A shallow cross-face lets the opponent turn into you, recovering guard or attacking submissions.
Not pinning the knees tightly enables the opponent to pummel their legs back in front, restarting their guard.
Counters & responses
They try: Opponent frames hard on your shoulders or biceps to block forward pressure.
You do: Switch to a double underhook grip and redirect their frames upward, then resume stacking pressure.
They try: Opponent attempts to invert or roll under to escape the stack.
You do: Drop your chest lower, scoop their hips with your underhook, and sprawl your legs back to kill inversion.
They try: Opponent shrimping their hips away as you drive forward.
You do: Follow with your cross-face, walk your hips forward, and use your knee to block their far-side hip.
They try: Opponent pummels a butterfly hook inside your posted knee.
You do: Pin their shin to the mat with your knee, windshield wiper your leg out, and re-establish chest pressure.
Drill prescription
5 rounds × 3 minutes; partner uses 60% resistance from open guard; passer must achieve side control or mount via folding pass at least 3 times per round to count as a successful set.
How the masters teach it
Bernardo Faria
Emphasizes heavy chest-to-knee pressure and deep cross-face, often entering the folding pass from half guard or deep half.
Bernardo Faria BJJ Fanatics
Lucas Lepri
Focuses on precise hip switching and knee pinning, with seamless transitions to mount or back takes.