Double Under Pass

What This Is

The double under pass is a guard pass in which the top player threads both arms under both of the bottom player’s legs simultaneously — one arm under each leg — and then stacks the bottom player upright (hips over their own head) before finishing to the side. With both legs controlled at the same time and the bottom player stacked, hip mobility is eliminated and the guard is passed.

The double under grip is most commonly established with the hands clasped together behind the bottom player’s hips — a body-lock style grip that pulls the hips toward the passer and stacks them vertically. Once stacked, the passer cartwheels around the legs or dumps them to one side, ending in side control or north-south.

The pass is high-percentage once the grips are established because the bottom player has almost no hip movement from the stacked position. The challenge is establishing the grips — a guard player who recognises the double under attempt will use frames, arm pushes, and hip elevation to prevent the grip. The double under is best entered as a reaction to the bottom player extending or flattening their guard, not as an initial attack.

The Invariable in Action

The double under depends entirely on close-quarters connection — both arms under both legs simultaneously requires the passer’s body to be tight to the bottom player’s hips. Any gap between the passer’s chest and the bottom player’s legs when the grips are established reduces the stack height and allows the bottom player to replace guard. The passer must drive their chest into the back of the thighs as the grip is clasped. Staying tall or back while attempting double under grips produces a grip without a stack, which the bottom player escapes easily.

From the bottom player’s perspective, the double under pass succeeds when they have lost the foot line — when their legs have been gathered and lifted past the passer’s knee line. The bottom player’s primary resistance to double under is maintaining active legs: framing with the knees, pushing frames into the passer’s shoulders, preventing both legs from being captured simultaneously. The passer must defeat this active leg resistance before the grips can be clasped. Waiting for the bottom player to extend or flatten (breaking their own foot line) makes this much easier.

The double under pass solves the foot problem comprehensively: rather than clearing one foot at a time, the passer gathers both legs and lifts them entirely above the hip line. From the stacked position the feet are pointing at the ceiling — they are not between the passer’s knees, not on the mat, not in any position to hook or frame. This is the most thorough version of INV-P01 available in the passing game. The challenge is the entry rather than the clearing — once both arms are under and the grip is clasped, the foot problem is completely resolved.

The double under pass advances the knee line through lifting rather than driving forward. By folding the bottom player’s hips above their head, the passer creates a situation where their own hips are already past the bottom player’s guard line — the guard has been inverted upward rather than driven through. The cartwheel walk or dump finish then brings the passer’s knees to the mat past the bottom player’s hips, completing the advance. This is why the stack must be full: a partial stack leaves the hips at mat level and the knee line has not actually advanced.

With both arms under both legs and the bottom player stacked, the bottom player’s connections are comprehensively broken. Their legs cannot hook because they are above their own head. Their arms cannot frame effectively because the stacked position loads their weight onto their upper back. The underhook — the bottom player’s primary upper-body connection — has no fulcrum to work from when the hips are inverted. The double under grip effectively eliminates all active connections at once, which is why the pass is high-percentage once the grip is established.

The double under pass does not arrive in a transitional position — it arrives with the passer’s chest already in contact with the bottom player as the legs are set down. The cartwheel walk maintains continuous chest-to-leg contact throughout the finish, and settling into side control is a matter of dropping the hips rather than reorganising from a separate position. The pin and the pass share the same body weight distribution. A passer who releases the leg grip and stands up before establishing the pin creates a recovery window; the legs must be controlled through to the moment the chest pins.

Setup and Entry

Reaction to Extended Legs

The cleanest double under entry occurs when the bottom player extends both legs to push the passer away — a common guard retention reaction. The passer ducks under the extended legs, bringing both hands through under the thighs simultaneously, and clasps the grip behind the hips before the bottom player can re-bend their knees. The bottom player’s own pushing motion loads their legs into the passer’s arms.

From Toreando / Leg Control

After a toreando control has been established — both legs pushed to one side — the passer can scoop the far arm under the near leg before the bottom player re-frames, creating one arm under. The near arm threads under the far leg as the passer steps around, closing the double under. This is a sequential entry (near arm first, far arm second) rather than simultaneous.

From Over-Under Control

The over-under pass and double under are related. When the over-arm (the arm that is on top of a leg in over-under) is shifted underneath — the passer drops the elbow under the leg — the grip converts from over-under to double under. This transition is useful when the bottom player defends the over-under by pushing the over-arm.

Execution

Clasping and Stacking

With both arms under both legs, the passer clasps their hands behind the bottom player’s hips — grip style varies (gable grip, S-grip, or interlaced fingers all work) — and drives their chest forward and upward. The bottom player’s hips travel vertically: their spine bends and their hips stack above their head. At full stack, the bottom player’s weight is on their upper back and shoulders, with limited ability to bridge, roll, or hip escape.

Cartwheel Finish

From the stacked position, the passer steps one leg to the side and walks their body around the stacked legs — a lateral movement that brings the passer to side control. The legs stay under control throughout. The passer’s chest stays heavy on the bottom player’s legs during the walk. This is the most reliable finish because it keeps contact and weight throughout the movement.

Dump Finish

An alternative to the cartwheel: the passer tilts the stacked hips to one side sharply, dumping the legs to the mat. The bottom player lands on their side, and the passer settles into side control directly. This is faster but requires more explosive hip movement. The dump can be used when the bottom player is resisting the cartwheel walk by extending their body back down.

Common Errors

Threading arms without closing the chest

Threading both arms under the legs while remaining upright produces a grip but no stack. The bottom player simply replaces guard because their hips are still on the mat with mobility intact. The chest must drive into the back of the thighs during the grip — the stacking happens from the entry motion, not as a separate step.

Stacking without hip control

A high stack with a loose grip allows the bottom player to roll over their own shoulder (granby roll or similar) and escape. The grip behind the hips must keep the hips directly above the bottom player’s head — not off to the side. If the hips drift to the side during stacking, the bottom player can roll out.

Neglecting the near arm during entry

When threading both arms under, the bottom player’s hands are free and can frame into the passer’s face or shoulders to prevent the stack from completing. The passer must keep their head down and drive through the frames rather than trying to remove them first.

Drilling Notes

• Entry drill — simultaneous arm thread: Partner extends both legs. Passer ducks under and clasps the grip cooperatively. Confirm both arms are under both legs before proceeding. Reset and repeat.
• Stack mechanics: From clasped grip, drive the stack cooperatively. Partner confirms they feel their hips elevating above their head. Passer confirms chest contact. No finish yet.
• Cartwheel finish: From full stack, walk to side control. Partner cooperates. Develop a slow, controlled walk before adding resistance.
• Reaction drill: Bottom player frames or extends randomly. Passer reacts: if extended legs — double under. If framing — smash pass or toreando. This develops the double under as a read-and-react option.

Ability Level Guidance

Double under pass is rated Developing. The technique requires understanding when to enter (reactive, not initial) and the body mechanics of the stack, which takes mat time to feel correctly. A practitioner who is still developing their toreando and basic leg-control passes should establish those first before adding the double under.

At Developing, focus on the extended-leg entry and the cartwheel finish as the core sequence. At Proficient, the sequential entry from toreando or over-under becomes available and doubles the contexts in which the pass can appear.

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