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North-South Pass (Cartwheel Over Legs)

PassDynamic passBelt: blue+Risk: highIBJJFADCCNo-GiSub-OnlyMMA

The North-South Pass via cartwheel is a dynamic open guard pass where the passer launches their body over the opponent’s legs, landing chest-to-chest in north-south. This bypasses traditional leg entanglements and can surprise opponents who rely on framing or guard retention hooks.

Start
Top open guard
End
North-south
Prerequisites: Posting on opponent’s hips · Controlling opponent’s ankles · Base maintenance during movement · Hand posting for cartwheel

Steps

  1. 1
    Establish Distance and Base
    From top open guard, post one hand on the mat near the opponent’s hip and the other hand controlling their far ankle with a C-grip. Keep your hips high and weight balanced on your toes.
  2. 2
    Clear Opponent’s Hooks
    Use your posted hand to push their near leg toward their centerline, while your C-grip hand straight-arms their far ankle, pinning it to the mat and preventing re-guarding.
  3. 3
    Initiate Cartwheel Setup
    Step your far-side foot slightly forward and angle your body at roughly 45° to their torso. Your posted hand should be light but stable, ready to bear weight for the cartwheel.
  4. 4
    Hand Placement for Launch
    Place your free hand on the mat above their head, creating a two-post base (one hand by their hip, one above their head). This sets your launch path over their legs.
  5. 5
    Cartwheel Over the Guard
    Explosively kick your hips up and over their legs, using your hands as posts. Keep your elbows slightly bent and eyes focused on their far shoulder as you rotate.
  6. 6
    Land Chest-Heavy in North-South
    As your feet land, aim to drop your chest directly onto their upper torso, perpendicular to their spine. Keep your hips low and weight distributed through your chest and toes.
  7. 7
    Secure Head and Arm Control
    Immediately pummel your near arm under their far armpit, establishing a cross-face or underhook, while your other arm controls their near-side hip to prevent bridging or turning.
  8. 8
    Settle and Stabilize
    Widen your knees and sprawl your hips, maintaining north-south control. Adjust your grips as needed to prevent escapes and prepare for further attacks.

Key details most people miss

  • The cartwheel must be explosive but controlled—if you go too slow, opponent can re-guard; too fast, you overshoot and lose chest contact.
  • Pinning the far ankle with a C-grip prevents the opponent from swinging their legs up for guard retention or inversion.
  • Your hand placement (one by the hip, one above the head) determines your cartwheel trajectory; too narrow and you land on their legs, too wide and you miss chest contact.
  • Landing chest-heavy, not hip-heavy, ensures you don’t get rolled or have your base disrupted on arrival.

Common mistakes

  • Failing to pin the far ankle allows the opponent to invert or recover guard as you cartwheel.
  • Posting both hands too close together results in poor base and a sloppy, easily countered cartwheel.
  • Landing with hips high instead of chest low gives the opponent space to shrimp and escape north-south.
  • Not controlling the near-side hip after landing lets the opponent bridge and roll you over.

Counters & responses

They try: Opponent frames stiff-arm against your chest mid-cartwheel
You do: Angle your cartwheel trajectory slightly wider and aim to clear their frames, landing further north to bypass the arm.
They try: Opponent inverts and shoots legs up to entangle
You do: Maintain the C-grip pin on their far ankle throughout the pass and sprawl hips low immediately on landing.
They try: Opponent turns in and turtles as you land
You do: Follow their movement, switch to seatbelt grip, and transition to back control or front headlock.
They try: Opponent bridges explosively as you land
You do: Widen your knees and sprawl hips, shifting weight forward to flatten their shoulders and kill the bridge.

Drill prescription

6 rounds × 2 minutes; 50% resistance; each round, passer must hit 5 clean cartwheel passes (chest-to-chest, north-south stabilization for 3 seconds) before switching roles.

How the masters teach it

Videos are still being curated for this technique. AI suggests these instructors:
Lucas Lepri — Emphasizes precise hand placement and smooth, controlled cartwheel motion for high-percentage passing in IBJJF competition.Leandro Lo — Known for using explosive cartwheel passes in no-gi and gi, often combining them with leg drags and rapid tempo changes.Andre Galvao — Focuses on athleticism and timing, integrating cartwheel passes as part of a broader dynamic passing system.Tye Ruotolo — Utilizes the cartwheel pass in no-gi, especially against flexible guard players, with an emphasis on immediate submission threats from north-south.
#open-guard#dynamic-pass#north-south#athletic#no-gi-friendly#gi-legal#explosive#high-risk#tall-athletes#competition