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Kneeling Leg-Weave Pass

PassKneeling passBelt: blue+Risk: moderateIBJJFADCCNo-GiSub-OnlyMMA

The Kneeling Leg-Weave Pass is a staple guard pass used from a kneeling posture to slice through a seated or open guard by weaving your arm between the opponent's legs and pinning their far thigh. This pass is highly effective for shutting down dynamic guard players and leads directly to tight side control with strong upper body isolation.

Start
Kneeling vs seated guard
End
Side control
Prerequisites: Posture maintenance from knees · Controlling opponent's hip line · Cross-face control · Stapling opponent's leg with shin

Steps

  1. 1
    Establish Kneeling Base
    Stay on your knees with a wide base, hips low, and hands ready to grip. Keep your chest upright and weight slightly forward to prevent the opponent from entering underhooks or attacking your legs.
  2. 2
    Control Opponent's Near Shin
    Use your lead hand to grip the opponent's near-side shin or ankle with a C-grip, pinning it to the mat to immobilize their leg and prevent guard retention.
  3. 3
    Weave Arm Through Far Thigh
    Thread your far-side arm (same side as their far leg) deep between their legs, palm up, reaching through and under their far thigh. Aim for your biceps to make contact with their hamstring.
  4. 4
    Secure the Far Thigh Grip
    Grip the outside of their far thigh or pants (gi) or cup the hamstring (no-gi) with your weaving hand, pulling their far leg across your centerline and stacking their knees together.
  5. 5
    Staple the Near Leg with Your Shin
    Slide your near-side knee over and pin their near-side thigh to the mat, using your shin to prevent their hip from escaping. Your foot should be posted wide for base.
  6. 6
    Apply Cross-Face and Drive Forward
    With your free arm, establish a cross-face by threading your arm under their head and cupping their far shoulder or lat. Drive your chest forward and down, putting pressure through your shoulder.
  7. 7
    Walk Hips Around and Clear Legs
    Keeping pressure, walk your hips around their legs in a semi-circle, maintaining the leg weave and cross-face. As you move, use your shin to push their knees together and flatten their hips.
  8. 8
    Settle into Side Control
    Once past their legs, release the leg weave and transition your hips flat, establishing a wide base. Secure traditional side control grips: underhook and cross-face, knees tight to their body.

Key details most people miss

  • The depth of the weaving arm is crucial—your biceps should be tight to their hamstring, not just grabbing the knee.
  • Your shin staple must pin the opponent's near-side thigh, not just the knee, to fully immobilize their hips.
  • Cross-face pressure must be chest-heavy and drive their face away from their hips to prevent guard recovery.
  • Keep your hips low and weight distributed forward throughout the pass to avoid exposing your legs to counter-attacks.

Common mistakes

  • Failing to pin the near thigh with your shin allows the opponent to hip escape and recover guard.
  • Gripping too shallow on the far thigh results in losing control of their hips, letting them invert or frame you away.
  • Not establishing a strong cross-face lets the opponent turn into you and set up frames or underhooks.
  • Allowing your hips to rise during the pass exposes you to leg entanglements or sweeps.

Counters & responses

They try: Opponent frames on your shoulder and creates space
You do: Switch your cross-face arm to a near-side underhook and drive your head to their far hip to nullify the frame.
They try: Opponent inverts under your weaving arm
You do: Drop your hips and sprawl your chest forward, pinning their knees together to block the inversion.
They try: Opponent attempts to trap your weaving arm for a triangle
You do: Keep your elbow tight to their thigh and maintain forward pressure, never letting your arm drift toward their centerline.
They try: Opponent shrimp escapes their hips away from your staple
You do: Follow their hips with your knee, re-staple the thigh, and re-establish cross-face pressure before advancing.

Drill prescription

6 rounds × 2 min each; 50% resistance; passer completes 5 clean passes per round, measured by achieving chest-to-chest side control with both knees down before opponent recovers guard.

How the masters teach it

Videos are still being curated for this technique. AI suggests these instructors:
Lucas Lepri — Known for seamless leg-weave passing with relentless pressure and precise shin stapling, especially in gi competition.Leandro Lo — Utilizes a dynamic, fast-paced leg-weave pass with explosive hip movement and deep cross-face control.John Danaher — Emphasizes no-gi adaptation, focusing on hamstring control and anti-inversion mechanics.Bernardo Faria — Popularized the leg-weave in combination with over-under passing, stressing heavy pressure and patience.
#guard-passing#kneeling-pass#side-control-entry#pressure-passing#open-guard#gi#no-gi#medium-risk#anti-inversion#heavyweight-friendly