Leg drag control from the top position represents one of the most dynamic and effective passing positions in modern Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. This position serves as a critical transition point in your passing sequence, where you have successfully compromised your opponent’s guard structure but have not yet achieved a fully consolidated position. The power of leg drag control lies in its versatility—from here, you have direct pathways to side control, mount, back control, and various submission attacks, while maintaining strong positional dominance that limits your opponent’s defensive options.
The fundamental mechanics of establishing leg drag control involve isolating one of the opponent’s legs, pulling it across their body, and using it as a control point to dominate their hips. Your grip on their leg, combined with pressure on their upper body (typically the shoulder or head), creates a control system that prevents guard recovery while forcing the opponent into defensive positions. The crossed leg configuration naturally limits their hip mobility and creates mechanical disadvantages that you can exploit. Your body positioning must be dynamic rather than static—you are constantly adjusting angles, pressuring different control points, and threatening multiple advances to prevent your opponent from stabilizing their defense.
The strategic value of leg drag control comes from the multiple high-percentage options it provides. Unlike some passing positions where you have one clear objective, the leg drag creates a decision tree where you can flow between different attacks based on your opponent’s reactions. If they turn away to protect their guard, you take the back. If they stay flat, you transition to mount or side control. If they attempt to sit up, you can secure a crucifix or attack the exposed arm. This multiplicity of options creates what advanced practitioners call a ‘dilemma system’—every defensive choice the opponent makes opens a different offensive pathway for you.
From a competitive perspective, mastering leg drag control has become essential for any guard passing system. The position is particularly effective in no-gi grappling where traditional gi-based passing techniques are unavailable, though it remains highly effective in the gi as well. High-level competitors use the leg drag not just as a passing technique but as a complete position with its own retention principles, submission attacks, and counter sequences. The key to success is understanding that you must constantly be advancing—leg drag control is never a resting position, but rather a dynamic transition that you drive toward a dominant endpoint.
Position Definition
- Top player maintains control of bottom player’s near-side leg, typically with their arm threading under or around it and gripping the hip, pants, or belt. This leg control is pulled across the bottom player’s body, creating the characteristic crossed-leg position that defines the leg drag and serves as the primary control mechanism.
- Top player’s chest or shoulder applies constant pressure to the bottom player’s near hip, driving them onto their side and preventing them from facing directly into the top player. This hip pressure is critical—it prevents the bottom player from using their legs effectively for defense and creates the threat of back exposure that dominates the position’s dynamics.
- Top player’s free hand controls the bottom player’s far shoulder, head, or establishes a crossface that prevents rotation back toward the top player. This upper body control completes the system by limiting the bottom player’s ability to sit up, turn in, or create effective frames for escape.
Prerequisites
- You have entered opponent’s guard space and secured control of one leg
- Opponent’s guard structure has been compromised sufficiently to pull leg across their body
- You have established at least one upper body control point (shoulder, head, or collar)
- Your base and posture allow you to drive pressure while maintaining balance for transitions
Key Offensive Principles
- Leg drag control is transitional—never stop moving toward consolidation or submission
- Hip pressure is your primary control—drive continuously into opponent’s hip with your chest
- Threaten back take constantly to limit opponent’s defensive options
- Shoulder control prevents opponent from facing you or sitting up to recover guard
- Create angles rather than driving straight—diagonal pressure is harder to defend
- Be prepared to transition immediately when opponent creates space or turns
- Weight distribution must be dynamic—shift between control points based on opponent’s movement
Available Attacks
Leg Drag Pass to Side Control → Side Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 45%
- Intermediate: 65%
- Advanced: 80%
Leg Drag to Back Take → Back Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 35%
- Intermediate: 55%
- Advanced: 75%
Leg Drag to Mount → Mount
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 30%
- Intermediate: 50%
- Advanced: 70%
Leg Drag to Knee on Belly → Knee on Belly
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 40%
- Intermediate: 60%
- Advanced: 75%
Leg Drag to North-South → North-South
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 25%
- Intermediate: 45%
- Advanced: 65%
Leg Drag to Crucifix → Crucifix
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 15%
- Intermediate: 35%
- Advanced: 55%
Leg Drag to Inside Ashi → Inside Ashi-Garami
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 20%
- Intermediate: 40%
- Advanced: 60%
Leg Drag to Kimura Control → Kimura Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 18%
- Intermediate: 38%
- Advanced: 58%
Leg Drag to Technical Mount → Technical Mount
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 22%
- Intermediate: 42%
- Advanced: 62%
Leg Drag to Darce Setup → D’arce Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 12%
- Intermediate: 30%
- Advanced: 50%
Decision Making from This Position
If opponent turns away to protect guard and exposes back:
- Execute Leg Drag to Back Take → Back Control (Probability: 75%)
- Execute Leg Drag to Technical Mount → Technical Mount (Probability: 25%)
If opponent stays flat on back and fights upper body control:
- Execute Leg Drag to Mount → Mount (Probability: 60%)
- Execute Leg Drag Pass to Side Control → Side Control (Probability: 40%)
If opponent attempts to sit up or turn into you:
- Execute Leg Drag to Crucifix → Crucifix (Probability: 50%)
- Execute Leg Drag to North-South → North-South (Probability: 50%)
If opponent rolls to turtle to escape:
- Execute Leg Drag to Darce Setup → D’arce Control (Probability: 55%)
- Execute Follow to Back Control → Back Control (Probability: 45%)
If opponent defends upper body strongly but you maintain leg control:
- Execute Leg Drag to Inside Ashi → Inside Ashi-Garami (Probability: 65%)
- Execute Leg Drag to Knee on Belly → Knee on Belly (Probability: 35%)
Optimal Submission Paths
Leg Drag to Back Attack
Leg Drag Control Top → Leg Drag to Back Take → Back Control → Rear Naked Choke
Leg Drag to Mount Finish
Leg Drag Control Top → Leg Drag to Mount → Mount → Armbar from Mount
Leg Drag to Darce
Leg Drag Control Top → Opponent Rolls to Turtle → Darce Choke → Won by Submission
Leg Drag to Crucifix
Leg Drag Control Top → Leg Drag to Crucifix → Crucifix → Choke from Crucifix
Leg Drag to Leg Lock
Leg Drag Control Top → Leg Drag to Inside Ashi → Inside Ashi-Garami → Inside Heel Hook
Success Rates and Statistics
| Skill Level | Retention Rate | Advancement Probability | Submission Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 50% | 55% | 15% |
| Intermediate | 70% | 75% | 30% |
| Advanced | 85% | 90% | 45% |
Average Time in Position: 3-7 seconds before transition to side control, back control, mount, or opponent escape
Expert Analysis
John Danaher
The leg drag control position represents one of the most elegant expressions of guard passing mechanics in modern jiu-jitsu. What makes it particularly effective is the control fulcrum it creates—by pulling the opponent’s leg across their body, you create a single control point that allows you to manipulate their entire lower body structure with relatively minimal effort. The biomechanics are fascinating: the crossed leg creates a mechanical disadvantage where the opponent cannot effectively use their legs for defense or mobility, while simultaneously creating natural pathways to multiple dominant positions. Your control system must operate on two levels—the primary control through the crossed leg and hip pressure, and the secondary control through shoulder or head positioning that prevents compensatory movements. The position teaches an important lesson about transitional passing: you don’t need to completely shut down your opponent’s movement, you need only to channel it in directions that benefit you. When they turn away, you take the back. When they turn in, you secure north-south or a crucifix. This creates what I call a ‘forced choice’ system where every defensive option leads to your advancement. The key to mastery is developing the sensitivity to recognize which defensive reaction they’re choosing within the first second, allowing you to flow immediately to the appropriate response. Practice your transitions until they become reflexive—hesitation in this position allows escape.
Gordon Ryan
The leg drag is one of my highest percentage passing positions because it gives you so many good options while the bottom guy has basically nothing. In competition, once I get to leg drag control, I’m thinking about it like I’ve already passed—now it’s just a matter of which dominant position I’m going to take. The biggest thing people mess up is they treat it like a static position and try to hold it, but that’s completely wrong. You should be moving to back, mount, or side control within 2-3 seconds maximum. The longer you stay there, the more chance they have to escape. My personal preference is always threatening the back take first because that creates the most panic in opponents. Even if they defend the back well, that defense usually opens up the mount or side control pass. The hip pressure is absolutely crucial—you need to be driving your chest into their hip constantly so they can’t square up to you. If they can face you, the leg drag doesn’t work anymore. Another detail that’s really important is which leg you’re controlling and how that relates to your body position. You want diagonal pressure across their body, not straight down. That diagonal angle makes it impossible for them to effectively frame or create space. I see a lot of people get the leg drag control but then they square up too much, and the bottom guy just shrimps out. Keep that diagonal pressure, stay mobile, and be ready to take whatever they give you. Don’t force one specific transition—read what they’re defending and attack the opening.
Eddie Bravo
The leg drag is interesting from a 10th Planet perspective because it’s not traditionally part of our system, but it’s become essential for modern no-gi grappling, so we’ve had to integrate it. What I like about the position is how well it combines with our back taking approaches and leg lock entries. When you’ve got someone in leg drag control, you’re basically in a choose-your-own-adventure situation—you can go to their back using techniques from our truck system, you can drop down to their legs and enter our leg lock game, or you can go traditional with the mount or side control. The versatility is what makes it so powerful. One thing we emphasize that’s maybe different from traditional approaches is staying very aware of the leg entanglement option. If the opponent is good at defending the back take and the mount, you can often catch them by transitioning to inside heel hook position because they’re not expecting that direction of attack. Their leg is already compromised from the leg drag, so it’s a natural entry point. The other detail I really like is using the leg drag to set up the crucifix when they try to sit up—that’s a position we work a lot in 10th Planet, and the leg drag creates a perfect entry if you’re ready for it. The key is keeping your mind open to all the different paths and not getting locked into one specific finish. The leg drag is a hub position—treat it like a crossroads where you can go in multiple directions based on what your opponent gives you. Stay creative, stay fluid, and don’t be predictable.