Body Lock Pass

Manage injuries →Position map Connects to 5 positions across 2 relationshipsOpen in the map →12345←Enters from

The body lock pass wraps both of the bottom player’s legs together — between the top player’s arms — and uses that lock to drive through or around the guard. By controlling both legs together as a single unit, the hooks are neutralised: neither butterfly hook nor single hook can function when both legs are pinched together and elevated. The bottom player cannot steer a leg to re-hook, cannot spread the legs to create space, and cannot insert a knee shield because the legs are locked.

In no-gi grappling, the body lock is a critical passing tool because there are no collar or sleeve grips to control the guard from a distance. Without fabric, the passing game must control the hips and legs directly. The body lock does this at close range: the top player’s arms replace the grip-based control that a gi collar or sleeve would provide, wrapping the hips and legs and removing the guard’s mechanical function before the pass proceeds.

The body lock pass is also the mechanical foundation for the over-under pass — a pass that applies the same wrapping principle but with one arm over and one arm under the legs instead of both arms outside. Understanding the body lock first makes the over-under immediately accessible.

Ruleset context This technique is legal in all major competitive formats.

INV-P01Invariant "The top player must clear the line of the feet before advancing. Attempting to pass while the feet are active is attempting to pass through the guard rather than around it."

Why it works hereThe body lock fulfils the foot-clearing requirement by wrapping both legs together above the knees and compressing them into the chest. Hooks cannot generate elevation when the legs cannot spread, so the lock renders both feet simultaneously inert without removing them. The clearing happens at lock-establishment rather than as a separate step before passing — the lock is what gets the feet out of the way.

See full invariant page → The body lock pass fulfils clear the feet by design. The lock itself clears the feet — by wrapping both legs together and compressing the lock against the top player’s chest, the hook feet are rendered inoperative. They are still physically present, but they cannot generate elevation or direction because the legs cannot spread. The lock is the clearing mechanism. The top player does not need to separately clear each foot before advancing; the lock clears both simultaneously as the advance begins.