Knee Cut Pass

What it is

The knee slide, also called the knee cut, is a pressure pass where your knee cuts across their thigh to the mat while your grips pin everything that could block it. It is the standard way to pass half guard and a common finish to many open-guard passes. Control comes first, the slide second.

When to use it

• You are in top half guard and have the crossface and an underhook.
• They are in open guard with their knees down and one leg between yours.
• You have pinned one leg from a leg drag or toreando and want a low, heavy finish.

How to do it

1. Step one foot up outside their hip and put the other knee on the mat between their legs.
2. Grip their collar or shoulder with the arm on the knee side, and control a sleeve or wrist with your other hand.
3. Drive your inside knee across their thigh, toward the mat, with your shin pressing down.
4. Win the underhook on the far side or crossface with your far arm, so they cannot turn in to you.
5. Slide the knee through to the mat as your hips move forward past their hip.
6. Free your trailing foot and settle your chest on theirs in side control.

Key details

• The knee drives at an angle, across the thigh toward the far hip, not straight down.
• The underhook or crossface keeps their shoulder flat. Their escape is always to turn toward you.
• Keep your hips low. If your hips rise, their knee shield comes back in.
• Control the near arm so it cannot frame on your hip or neck.

Common mistakes

• Mistake: sliding before the arms are controlled, so they frame and recover guard.
• Mistake: staying upright with high hips, so they slip a knee in and keep you at distance.
• Mistake: leaving the trailing leg inside, so they trap it and pull you back into half guard.

What they will try

• They get the underhook and come up to their knees or take the back as you slide.
• They frame on your hip and shoulder, then shrimp away to rebuild guard.

Gi and no-gi

Use a head control or an underhook instead of the collar grip and a wrist grip instead of the sleeve. The pass is the same.