Near-Side Knee Slide vs Lasso

PassLasso-guard passBelt: blue+Risk: moderateIBJJFADCCNo-GiSub-OnlyMMA

The near-side knee slide pass is a pressure-based guard pass designed to defeat the lasso guard by sliding your knee over the opponent's thigh on the same side as their lasso. It neutralizes the lasso hook by pinning the leg and controlling the upper body, allowing you to progress to side control. This pass is crucial for competitive grapplers facing flexible guard players who use the lasso to stall or attack.

Start

Caught in lasso guard

End

Side control

Prerequisites: Breaking sleeve grips · Cross-face control · Establishing an underhook · Knee slide mechanics

Steps

1
Address the Lasso Hook
With your opponent’s lasso on your right arm, use your left hand to grip their lassoing pant leg at the knee, pinning their shin to your hip and keeping your elbow tight to your ribcage to prevent deep lasso penetration.
2
Kill the Far Leg
Use your right hand to control their far-side pant leg at the knee or ankle, pinning it to the mat and preventing them from framing or recovering guard with it.
3
Establish a Strong Cross-Face
Drop your left shoulder across their face and secure a cross-face with your left arm, aiming for a deep grip behind their head or lat, keeping your chest heavy and hips low.
4
Slide Your Near-Side Knee Over Their Thigh
With your right knee (same side as their lasso), drive your knee over their trapped thigh at a 45° angle, keeping your toes active and pointing outward to prevent your leg from being re-caught.
5
Clear the Lasso Foot
As your knee slides over, use your left forearm to gently pry their lasso foot off your biceps, pinning their shin to the mat with your hip and freeing your right arm.
6
Establish the Underhook
As your knee lands on the mat, swim your right arm under their far-side armpit for an underhook, keeping your elbow tight and palm flat on the mat to block their hip escape.
7
Switch Your Base and Settle
Rotate your hips to face their head, windshield-wipering your right foot to the outside. Drop your hips and sprawl your legs back, maintaining cross-face and underhook pressure.
8
Secure Side Control
Release the pant grips and consolidate your side control with a wide base, chest-to-chest connection, and knees off the mat for optimal pressure.

Key details most people miss

Pinning the lasso shin to your hip with your elbow glued to your ribs prevents opponent from re-lassoing or inverting.
Sliding the knee over at a sharp angle (not straight forward) makes it harder for the opponent to recover guard or hook your leg.
Timing the clearing of the lasso foot as your knee passes is critical—wait too long and they re-guard, too soon and you lose pressure.
Maintaining a deep cross-face disables their ability to turn in or frame effectively.

Common mistakes

Allowing your elbow to flare during the pass gives the opponent space to deepen the lasso or invert for attacks.
Failing to control the far leg lets the opponent recover guard or set up a de la Riva hook.
Sliding the knee straight forward instead of at an angle exposes your leg to re-lasso or triangle attempts.
Neglecting to establish the underhook allows the opponent to turn into you and recover guard.

Counters & responses

They try: Opponent stiff-arms your biceps to keep the lasso foot in place

You do: Switch your grip to their sleeve, circle your elbow to the inside, and use your hip to drive their shin off your arm as you pass.

They try: Opponent frames hard with their far leg to block your knee slide

You do: Switch to a backstep pass by redirecting your weight and stepping your knee over their hip, threatening the other side.

They try: Opponent inverts under you as you clear the lasso

You do: Drop your hips and sprawl, keeping your cross-face heavy, and redirect your knee to staple their hip, preventing inversion.

They try: Opponent grabs your ankle to trap your passing leg

You do: Kick your foot back and windshield-wiper your shin to the outside before settling into side control.

Drill prescription

6 rounds × 2 min; 50% resistance; each partner starts in lasso guard, passer must achieve side control via near-side knee slide at least 3 times per round, tracking clean passes (no guard recovery within 5 seconds).

How the masters teach it

Videos are still being curated for this technique. AI suggests these instructors:

Lucas Lepri — Emphasizes sharp knee angle and relentless cross-face pressure to neutralize the lasso's mobility.Leandro Lo — Known for dynamic grip switching and using hip pressure to pin the lasso leg before sliding the knee.Rafael Mendes — Focuses on precise timing and grip breaks to clear the lasso foot as the knee slides over.John Danaher — Teaches systematic control of both legs and advocates for using the underhook to prevent guard recovery.

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