Stack Pass
Guard pass · Closed Guard
The stack pass takes you from inside his guard to side control by folding him onto his shoulders. The moment is when he keeps his legs high after the closed guard opens, hunting for a triangle or armbar. Feed one arm under one leg and drive it onto your shoulder, thumb deep in his collar, your other forearm pinning his other knee so he cannot triangle, come up on your toes and drive his knees toward his opposite shoulder, not straight at his face. Your weight goes onto his shoulders with your head driving forward, so his hips lift off the mat and he cannot shrimp. Do not walk out wide: slide your belly to the side of his hip and press it over, stacking at an angle toward your passing side, then drop chest to chest into side control without a pause in pressure. If he rolls back over his shoulder, take the Seatbelt Back Take. Stack slowly: the neck carries the weight.
How to do it
- Feed one arm under one leg and drive that leg onto your shoulder, thumb deep in their collar; your other forearm stays on their other knee, pinning it down so they cannot triangle.
- Come up on your toes, knees off the mat, and drive their knees toward their head, folding them toward their opposite shoulder rather than straight at the face.
- Keep your weight on their shoulders, with your head driving forward, so their hips are lifted off the mat and they cannot shrimp.
- Move only a little to the side: slide your belly against the side of their hip and keep pressing it over, stacking at an angle toward the side you pass to, rather than walking out to a right angle.
- Once you are past the legs, drop into side control with your chest on theirs, without a pause in the pressure.
Key details
- Keep the weight on their shoulders: with the hips in the air they have nothing to push from.
- Stack at an angle, toward the side you pass to; straight over the head they roll back over the shoulder or catch a triangle.
- Keep constant pressure: every breath you give them is a chance to reset the guard.
- Fold the knees toward their opposite shoulder, not straight at the face, so the fold also turns their hips away from your passing side.
- Up on your toes, knees off the mat, head driving forward: your whole bodyweight goes into the fold.
- Grab the back of their pants or belt and put your knee under their lower back: the knee holds the hips up, so your hand is free and they cannot drop the hips to escape.
Common mistakes
- Stacking straight over the head. — Stacked straight over the head, they roll back over the shoulder and escape. — Stack at an angle, toward the side you pass to.
- Letting them breathe with pauses in the pressure. — Each pause lets them breathe and reset the guard. — Keep the pressure constant until you are past the legs.
- Hands off the legs while walking around. — Free legs kick you off and the fold is gone. — Keep both legs trapped with your arms until you walk around.
- Walking far around to their side. — Every step creates space for their knee to come back in. — Slide your belly onto the side of their hip and keep pressing until they give up the pass.
If they defend
- They go for a triangle. → Posture up and push the knee to the mat.
How to drill it
Stack pass, 8 each side; then against a partner who attacks triangles.
Safety
Apply the stack slowly; the partner’s neck carries the weight.
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