The “floating pass” is a technique used in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) to pass your opponent’s guard. It involves smoothly transitioning from one side of their guard to the other while maintaining control and preventing them from regaining a defensive position. This often takes place against a butterfly or open guard and involves posting your arms above the opponent’s shoulders, whilst pinning their legs with your feet.
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How to do the floating pass
- Establish a strong base: Start by positioning yourself in a stable and balanced stance. Place one foot close to your ankle and your other leg planted on the floor for base.
- Control your opponent’s legs: Use your feet to grip your opponent’s pants or ankles, ensuring you have firm contact. This control is crucial for preventing them from recovering guard or attacking you with submissions.
- Shift your weight: As you begin to initiate the floating pass, shift your weight towards the knee that is close to your opponent’s hip. This movement will unbalance your opponent and create an opening for you to transition.
- Slide your knee: While keeping your grip on your opponent’s legs, slide your knee that is closest to your opponent’s tailbone across their body. Aim to move your knee from one side of their hip to the other.
- Maintain pressure: As you slide your knee, use your body weight and pressure to control your opponent’s leg and maintain control over their hips. This pressure will limit their mobility and make it difficult for them to recover.
- Transition smoothly: As your knee slides across, transition your other leg by stepping it over your opponent’s body. This movement allows you to establish side control or a more dominant position.
- Secure your position: Once you’ve completed the transition, ensure that you stabilize your position by establishing a strong side control or mount. Control your opponent’s far arm and maintain good pressure to prevent them from escaping or regaining guard.
Remember, practicing the floating pass technique requires time, patience, and a lot of drilling with a training partner. It’s essential to train under the supervision of a qualified instructor to learn the proper mechanics and details of the technique.
How to defend the floating pass
Defending against the floating pass in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) requires a combination of proper positioning, timing, and technique. Here are some key steps to defend against the floating pass:
- Maintain active guard: Keep your legs engaged and actively work to maintain a strong guard position. This includes keeping your knees up, and your feet active, and maintaining grips on your opponent’s sleeves, collars, or pant legs. Try to get your spine off the floor too.
- Create distance: To defend against the floating pass, create space between you and your opponent. Use your legs and hips to push or shrimp away, creating distance and making it harder for them to establish a solid passing position.
- Frame and create angles: Use your arms and elbows to frame against your opponent’s body. This can help create angles and prevent your opponent from effectively applying pressure and controlling your movements.
- Hip movement and hip escapes: Utilize hip movement and hip escapes to disrupt your opponent’s balance and control. By moving your hips, you can create angles and make it challenging for your opponent to establish a stable passing position. This is useful later on.
- Grip fighting: Engage in grip fighting to break your opponent’s grips on your pants, sleeves, or collars. This can make it more difficult for them to control your movements and execute the floating pass. This is useful earlier on.
- Pummeling: Use pummeling or underhooking techniques to regain control of the inside space and establish better leverage. This can help you regain control and prevent your opponent from effectively passing your guard.
Who to study when it comes to the floating pass
Vagner Rocha and Gordon Ryan are indeed two highly skilled practitioners known for their expertise in floating passing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Interestingly, their styles are quite different. Both Vagner Rocha and Gordon Ryan have demonstrated their mastery of the floating pass, incorporating it effectively into their game plans. It’s worth noting that there are numerous other talented practitioners who excel in this technique as well such as Jeff Glover.
