Knee Cut Pass

Manage injuries →Position map Connects to 11 positions across 2 relationshipsOpen in the map →1234567←Enters from

The knee cut — also called the knee slice — drives the top player’s knee across the bottom player’s inner thigh, cutting through the guard and landing in side control. The knee does not jump over the bottom player’s leg; it slides through, maintaining continuous contact and pressure throughout the movement. It is effective from half guard top, from a standing approach against a seated guard, from toreando grip control, and from a stalled butterfly engagement after one hook is cleared.

The knee cut is the most widely used guard pass in no-gi grappling for a direct reason: it works in both directions and against most guard configurations. A top player with a reliable knee cut has an answer to half guard, to butterfly guard (after clearing one hook), to seated guard, and to most open guard positions. It is not a specialist tool for one specific guard — it is a universal passing mechanism built around a single mechanical action: the knee driving across the inner thigh at an angle.

The pass is available without collar grips, without sleeve grips, and without requiring the top player to drop to the mat for a full wrapping entry. In no-gi, where grip availability is limited and the bottom player’s guard is often mobile and varied, the knee cut provides reliable mechanical output from a wide range of starting positions.

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 knee cut clears the feet by cutting through them, not around them. The passing knee drives across the bottom player's inner thigh — exactly the path the foot would use to hook the passing leg — and arrives there first. The cut itself is the clearing mechanism: the knee occupies the space before the foot can, and the hip drive behind it keeps the foot from re-entering. Stepping forward without cutting hands the bottom player's top leg the chance to catch the advancing knee and re-establish half guard or a butterfly hook.

See full invariant page → The knee cut clears the feet by cutting through them, not around them. The passing knee drives across the bottom player’s inner thigh — the very path the foot would use to hook the passing leg — and by being first to that space, prevents the hook from forming. The cut itself is the clearing mechanism: the knee moves into the space before the foot can occupy it, and the hip drive behind the knee keeps the foot from re-entering. If the top player attempts to advance without cutting — just steps forward — the bottom player’s top leg catches the advancing knee and re-establishes half guard or hooks for a butterfly sweep.