Change Direction to Pass

PassingAdvanced

passing

Grapplers Collective, Change Direction to Pass. 5-6 min rounds.

Problem

Speed-passing footwork, misdirection, and chain-passing combinations.

Tell the room

Top stays on their feet and passes the open guard, changing direction at least once every attempt. Hold the pass chest-to-chest for 3 seconds.

Setup

Start standing at the knees. Top standing, both hands gripping the pants at the knees or shins. Bottom plays any open guard with free grips.

Score

Hold chest-to-chest for 3 seconds.

  • Top — side control, mount, or north-south
  • Bottom — sweeps to top, submits, or stands to neutral
  • Bottom — resettles guard after the passer commits and retreats without pressure

Rules

  1. Stay on your feet. Dropping to both knees resets the attempt.
  2. Change direction every attempt. Show one side, then pass to the other.
  3. No submissions from the top. Top scores by passing only.
  4. Work inside 3m × 3m. Neither player leaves the area to reset distance.

Adjust

Easier

Top passes toreando only. Bottom uses feet on hips — no de la Riva or lasso hooks — in a 4m × 4m area.

Harder

Drop the direction-change rule, add a 60-second limit where the bottom player wins, and allow leg locks from the bottom.

If it stalls

If the top player keeps dropping to their knees, cue: “Stay standing — reset your distance and change the angle.”

Build a class from this

TOP PLAYER

POSITION

Top standing, both hands gripping the pants at the knees or shins. Bottom plays any open guard with free grips.

OBJECTIVE

Top stays on their feet and passes the open guard, changing direction at least once every attempt. Hold the pass chest-to-chest for 3 seconds.

CONSTRAINTS

Stay on your feet. Dropping to both knees resets the attempt. Change direction every attempt. Show one side, then pass to the other. No submissions from the top. Top scores by passing only. Work inside 3m × 3m. Neither player leaves the area to reset distance.

WIN CONDITION

side control, mount, or north-south


BOTTOM PLAYER

POSITION

Top standing, both hands gripping the pants at the knees or shins. Bottom plays any open guard with free grips.

OBJECTIVE

Top stays on their feet and passes the open guard, changing direction at least once every attempt. Hold the pass chest-to-chest for 3 seconds.

CONSTRAINTS

Stay on your feet. Dropping to both knees resets the attempt. Change direction every attempt. Show one side, then pass to the other. No submissions from the top. Top scores by passing only. Work inside 3m × 3m. Neither player leaves the area to reset distance.

WIN CONDITION

sweeps to top, submits, or stands to neutral; resettles guard after the passer commits and retreats without pressure