The Headquarters (HQ) Pass is a neutral passing position where the top player controls one of the bottom player's legs between their own, often with the opponent's shin or knee across their thigh. This pass is essential for neutralizing open guards like De La Riva, shin-shin, or knee shield, allowing the passer to dictate tempo and transition to dominant positions.
Start
Leg-on-shoulder headquarters position
End
Side control / mount
Prerequisites: Posture maintenance in open guard · Knee cut entry · Cross-face control · Underhook establishment
Steps
1
Establish HQ Base
Step one leg between opponent’s legs, pinning their shin or knee to the mat with your knee pointing forward and your foot flat. The other foot posts wide for base, hips low.
2
Control Opponent’s Nearside Knee
Use a C-grip or pant grip on the opponent’s nearside knee; keep your elbow close to your own thigh to prevent them from pummeling inside.
3
Cross-face and Underhook Setup
With your far-side hand, reach for a cross-face (collar grip in gi, cupping the head in no-gi). Simultaneously, your nearside arm seeks an underhook on their far-side thigh or hip.
4
Pin and Flatten Hips
Drive your chest forward, applying pressure through your cross-face and knee, flattening their hips to the mat. Your weight should be centered and chest-heavy.
5
Clear the Shin or Knee Shield
Use your nearside elbow and knee to windshield-wiper or staple their shin to the mat, freeing your leg. Make sure your knee stays tight to their hip.
6
Slide Knee for Knee Cut or Smash Pass
Once the shin is cleared, slide your knee across their thigh for a knee cut, or drop your hips lower for a smash pass, keeping your underhook deep and cross-face tight.
7
Finish to Side Control or Mount
As you pass, sprawl your trailing leg back, switch your hips if needed, and settle into side control or transition to mount, maintaining heavy chest pressure and head position.
Key details most people miss
The angle of your knee (not too wide or narrow) determines both your base and your ability to clear the shin.
Maintaining a strong cross-face prevents the opponent from turning in and recovering guard.
Stapling their shin with your knee and pinning their far hip with your underhook hand creates a wedge that immobilizes their hips.
If you allow your posted foot to drift too close, you risk being off-balanced by hooks or sweeps.
Common mistakes
If you let your elbow flare while gripping the knee, opponent can pummel for inside position and attack submissions.
Failing to maintain chest pressure allows the bottom player to invert or recover guard.
If your base leg is too close, opponent can hook and off-balance you with De La Riva or shin-shin sweeps.
Neglecting the underhook lets the opponent turn to their knees and initiate a scramble.
Counters & responses
They try: Opponent inverts or spins under for a leg entanglement
You do: Drop your hips and sprawl your posted leg back, keeping the cross-face, and redirect their hips away from inversion.
They try: Opponent pummels inside for a knee shield or butterfly hook
You do: Pin their shin to the mat with your knee and use your nearside elbow to block their knee from entering inside space.
They try: Opponent frames hard on your shoulder to prevent cross-face
You do: Switch to a double underhook or redirect their frame by circling your head to the far side and threatening a smash pass.
They try: Opponent grabs your ankle for a single leg or tripod sweep
You do: Kick your ankle back while maintaining upper body control, then re-establish your wide base before proceeding.
Drill prescription
5 rounds × 3 min; 50-70% resistance; passer starts in HQ, must complete pass to side control or mount at least 3 times per round. Switch roles each round.
How the masters teach it
Lucas Lepri
Known for seamless HQ-to-knee-cut transitions with relentless pressure and precise grip fighting.
Deep Dive JJ
Leandro Lo
Utilizes dynamic HQ passing with constant movement and grip switching to nullify open guards.