Concepts — Passing Systems
Passing Systems
A passing system is not a single technique — it is a family of related passes that share a unifying mechanic and create dilemmas with each other and with the bottom player's guards. Each system here is a distinct strategic platform with its own decision tree.
A passing system exists when multiple passing techniques share a mechanical root and create dilemmas through their shared structure. The knee slice's underhook-vs-frame exchange is one such system. The leg drag's pass-vs-back-take dilemma is another. The torreando's standing-vs-kneeling decision is a third. Each one is a strategic platform that shapes which guards it pairs against and which terminal positions it delivers to.
Each page below names the system's principle, the invariables it expresses, the technique pages that live inside it, the dilemmas it creates, and an ability-level progression. The five systems together cover the no-gi guard passing universe — every passing technique on this site lives inside one or more of them.
The Knee Slice Passing System
The cleanest pressure pass in no-gi — knee through the centreline, underhook plus cross face, landing in side control or mount. The underhook-vs-frame exchange is the live decision.
The Half Guard Passing System
Passing the trapped-leg position from top half guard. The whizzer is the decisive grip, and the smash-vs-kimura dilemma forces the bottom player into an impossible defence.
The Leg Drag Passing System
Drag the bottom player's leg across their own centreline to create a lateral hip pin. Simultaneously threatens pass and back take — the opponent cannot defend both.
The Torreando Open Guard Passing System
Stay standing, control the bottom player's legs at the shins, run around the hip line. Speed and angle as the passing engine — the standing complement to pressure systems.
The Smash Pass System
The heaviest pressure pass in no-gi. Stack the bottom player's legs onto themselves; the passer's chest lands as the seal. Body lock and over-under variants share the same crushing-pressure mechanic.