Knee Slice Pass
Guard pass · Half Guard
The knee slice takes you from half guard top to side control by cutting your knee across his thigh. The moment is when his knee shield is low. Grip his collar deep, pin his near knee to the mat so it cannot rise into a shield, and slide your knee diagonally across his thigh just above his knee, along the mat, with your back leg extended behind you as a base. As the knee travels, take the underhook on his far arm, hand high on the shoulder blade, drive your shoulder into his chest and keep your head low on the far side. Land the knee on the mat beyond his hip, free your foot with a hip switch and settle chest to chest. Win the underhook, win the pass. If he takes it, go to Flatten the Underneath Attacker; if he puts up a knee shield, the Long Step Pass.
How to do it
- Grip their collar deep with one hand and pin the near knee to the mat with your other hand or with your shin, so that leg cannot rise into a knee shield.
- Slide your knee across their thigh toward the mat on the far side: the shin lies diagonally over the thigh just above their knee, and your back leg stays extended behind you as a base.
- As the knee travels, take an underhook on the far arm: your arm goes under their armpit, hand high on the shoulder blade.
- Drive your shoulder into their chest and keep your head low on the far side, so your weight pins their upper back and they cannot turn toward you.
- Land the knee on the mat on the far side of their hip, then free the trapped foot with a hip switch and settle chest to chest in side control.
Key details
- The underhook stops them from turning into you: with your arm under their far armpit their shoulder stays on the mat.
- Head low and on the far side; a high head lets them push your shoulders back and get swept.
- The knee slides along the mat, not over the leg in the air: a knee in the air gives them room to bring their own knee back in.
- Win the underhook, win the pass: give it to them and they turn in and recover half guard.
- The knee cuts diagonally and lands on the mat on the far side of their hip, so your hips are already past their legs when you land.
- Keep them flat: the real defence is not the knee shield but turning onto the side. Four fingers deep inside the back of the collar let your forearm turn their face away from the side you pass to.
- On the finish slide your elbow between their arm and ribs into the armpit and keep your hips up against theirs, not sitting on the mat: letting go of the grip lands you straight in their underhook.
Common mistakes
- No underhook: the knee cuts through while their far arm is free. — They get their own underhook under your arm and come up on their side to a single leg. — Win the underhook before you finish the slice, so they cannot turn in.
- Posture too high: the chest is upright above their hips. — With space between your chests they bring a knee shield in front and push you away. — Drive your weight forward, chest over their chest and head low on the far side.
- Leaving the foot trapped after the knee has landed. — With your foot still between their legs they lock half guard again and the pass is undone. — Pull the foot free with a hip switch as you land, keeping the chest on them.
- Cutting the knee out, away from their body. — Even if you land, the space lets them turn in, bring the knees back and break the underhook. — Cut up toward their shoulder and land the knee on the mat between their hip and shoulder, close to the body.
How to drill it
Knee slice against a cooperative half guard, 10 each side; then passing rounds from knee shield.
What comes next
Where it comes from