Become Fighter
The knee cut pass: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guide
Cutting your knee through the middle of the guard to land in side control.
The knee cut, or knee slice, is the most common pass at every level. You trap a leg, split their legs with your knee and slide through to side control with your weight on their chest.
It works because you are heavy on the thigh and the hips while they are trying to frame. Be slow at the start. Speed comes from clean mechanics, not from rushing.
Key points
- Start with one foot flat and the other knee on the floor, in a split stance close to their hips.
- Control the far knee or pants with one hand and the near shoulder or collar with the other.
- Cut the knee across their thigh, not around it. Your shin runs along the top of their thigh.
- Underhook the far arm to stop them turning into you or getting half guard.
- Finish with a crossface or a head control, with your hips low and your weight on their chest.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Passing with the hips high. Keep your hips low and heavy on their thigh. A high passer gets framed off and swept.
- Ignoring the underhook. Before you finish, kill the far arm. If it stays free they get half guard or turn to their knees.
- Cutting around the leg. Slide the shin across the thigh in a straight line, keeping their knee pinned.
Combinations that use it
- bjj-toreando-knee-cut: Toreando pass, Knee cut pass
Related techniques
The rest is in the app
The step-by-step breakdown, the timed drill with the coach calling the shots and the quiz are part of Become Fighter Pro, where this lesson sits in the Passing the guard module of Jiu-jitsu foundations.
Get it on Google Play. Coming soon to the App Store.
More from Passing the guard
- Posture, base and opening the guard: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guide
- Toreando and speed passing: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guide
- The stack pass and passing safely: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guide
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Combat sports training is hard on the body. Warm up, stay within your limits and check with a doctor first if you have a health condition. Practise in a clear space and stop if you feel pain or dizziness. Learn partner work only under a qualified coach.