BJJ Graph

Knee Cut Position

Jun 15, 20257 min read

Knee Cut Position

bjjstatepassinghalfguardtop

State Properties

  • State ID: S061
  • Point Value: 1-2 (Transitional advantage)
  • Position Type: Passing position
  • Risk Level: Low to Medium
  • Energy Cost: Medium
  • Time Sustainability: Short to Medium

State Description

The Knee Cut Position represents a dominant transitional control point during the guard passing process, where the top player has successfully begun to cut their knee across the defender’s hip line but has not yet fully established side control. This position occupies the critical space between guard engagement and guard passing completion, offering strong control mechanics while maintaining mobility for adjustments. The knee cut creates a bisecting effect that limits the bottom player’s hip mobility and defensive framing options, while providing the top player with multiple pathways to positional advancement. While technically a transitional state, skilled practitioners can maintain and control this position while systematically dismantling defensive resources, making it a crucial component of modern passing methodology.

Key Principles

  • Control opponent’s bottom leg to prevent guard recovery
  • Apply downward pressure through cutting knee to limit hip mobility
  • Establish effective upper body control through grips and frames
  • Maintain strong base and weight distribution to prevent sweeps
  • Create progressive advancement through incremental pressure increases
  • Neutralize opponent’s defensive frames through strategic pressure
  • Anticipate and counter specific defensive reactions
  • Maintain connection between upper and lower body control mechanisms

Prerequisites

  • Successful initiation of guard passing sequence
  • Control of opponent’s bottom leg
  • Prevention of defensive frames
  • Proper angle creation for knee placement
  • Weight distribution awareness

State Invariants

  • Knee positioned across opponent’s hip line
  • Control of opponent’s bottom leg
  • Strong upper body control (crossface, underhook, etc.)
  • Weight predominantly on opponent’s torso
  • Cutting leg extended through opponent’s guard
  • Non-cutting leg positioned for base and mobility

Defensive Responses (When Opponent Has This State)

Offensive Transitions (Available From This State)

Counter Transitions

Expert Insights

  • Danaher System: Views the Knee Cut Position as a critical control point where passing success is largely determined by the practitioner’s ability to systematically eliminate defensive resources before attempting to complete the pass. Emphasizes precise mechanical details like the exact angle of the cutting knee, the depth of knee penetration relative to the hip line, and the relationship between upper body control and bottom leg immobilization. Creates mechanical frameworks for addressing each potential defensive reaction from this position.
  • Gordon Ryan: Utilizes the Knee Cut Position as a primary control point in his passing system, focusing on creating dilemmas for the defender through strategic weight distribution and grip configurations. Emphasizes maintaining a “floating” quality in the position that allows for rapid adjustments based on defensive reactions while still applying significant pressure. Particularly focuses on connecting the knee cut to back-taking sequences and submission opportunities rather than just positional advancement.
  • Eddie Bravo: While less emphasized in his system, has adapted the knee cut concepts for no-gi application with modified upper body controls and greater focus on creating quick transitions to specialized 10th Planet positions. Emphasizes the dynamic aspects of the position, using it as a launching point for scramble-generating movements rather than a prolonged control position.

Common Errors

  • Insufficient control of bottom leg → Guard recovery opportunity
  • Poor upper body control → Defensive framing options
  • Incorrect knee angle → Limited passing pressure
  • Disconnected upper and lower body control → Compromised structure
  • Premature advancement attempts → Position compromise
  • Overcommitment to single technique → Predictability
  • Neglecting defensive awareness → Sweep vulnerability
  • Poor weight distribution → Base compromise

Training Drills

  • Knee cut position maintenance against increasing resistance
  • Transitional flows between related passing positions
  • Grip/control configurations against various defensive structures
  • Pressure application development with feedback
  • Defensive recognition and counter drills
  • Position recovery exercises when control is compromised

Decision Tree

If opponent establishes knee shield:

Else if opponent secures underhook:

Else if opponent turns away:

Else if opponent creates space with frame:

Position Metrics

  • Success Rate: 75% pass completion (competition data)
  • Average Time in Position: 15-45 seconds
  • Pass Completion Probability: 70%
  • Submission Opportunity Probability: 40%
  • Position Loss Probability: 20%

Optimal Paths

Standard passing path: Knee Cut Position → Control and Flatten → Complete Knee Cut → Side Control

Back-taking path: Knee Cut Position → Opponent Turns Away → Knee Cut to Back Take → Back Control

Submission path: Knee Cut Position → Kimura Trap from Knee Cut → Kimura Control → Won by Submission

Competition Context

The Knee Cut Position has become increasingly prominent in competition over the past decade, particularly as passing strategies have evolved to address the proliferation of complex guard systems. Its effective application across rule sets and weight divisions has made it a cornerstone technique at all levels of competition. The position is especially valuable in points-based formats, where the controlled transition to dominant scoring positions offers significant strategic advantage. In submission-focused competitions, the knee cut serves as an effective control position from which various submission entries can be initiated.

Training Progression

Developing effective Knee Cut Position control typically follows this learning progression:

  1. Basic position awareness and maintenance (static position)
  2. Fundamental mechanical details (pressure, angle, weight distribution)
  3. Response to common defensive reactions (problem-solving)
  4. Integration with broader passing systems (strategic application)
  5. Dynamic application against resistance (live implementation)
  6. Competition-specific refinements (tactical considerations)

Historical Context

The Knee Cut Position, while present in traditional BJJ, gained significant prominence in the late 2000s and early 2010s as passing methodologies evolved to counter the increasingly sophisticated open guard systems. Competitors like Lucas Lepri, Rodolfo Vieira, and later Gordon Ryan helped popularize systematic approaches to the position, transforming it from a transitory movement to a distinct control position. The position’s evolution reflects broader trends in BJJ toward more nuanced understanding of transitional control points and incremental positional advancement rather than all-or-nothing passing attempts.

Conceptual Framework

The Knee Cut Position exemplifies the BJJ principle of incremental advancement through positional control. It demonstrates how creating specific positional constraints (limiting hip mobility and defensive framing) can systematically reduce an opponent’s defensive options until a path to a dominant position becomes available. This position illustrates the concept of “progressive control establishment,” where passing success comes not from a single explosive movement but through methodical elimination of defensive resources while maintaining mobility for tactical adjustments.

Computer Science Analogy

The Knee Cut Position functions as a “constraint satisfaction problem” in the BJJ state machine, where the passer seeks to systematically reduce the defender’s degrees of freedom until only a single state transition (to bottom side control) becomes available. This resembles how constraint propagation algorithms progressively eliminate possible values from a solution space until only viable solutions remain. The position implements a form of “greedy best-first search,” where the passer makes incremental positional improvements that maximize control while maintaining the flexibility to adjust course based on defensive reactions, similar to how adaptive pathfinding algorithms balance immediate gains with strategic flexibility.

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