What is Lucas Lepri Knee Cut System?
The Lucas Lepri Knee Cut System links knee-cut entries from open guards to adjustments for lasso grips, underhooks, and leg entanglements before establishing top control.
A familiar knee cut can feel different against each open guard because the entry grips and first obstruction change. Organize the practice around how you arrive at the cutting position and what stops you there. This makes a failed attempt easier to review than treating every guard as the same problem.
Precision Knee Cut Passes by Lucas Lepri is the matched instructional. Lepri covers entries from De La Riva and toreando movement, lasso responses, and adjustments against scoop grips and underhooks. The drills, sequence, and assessment criteria below are an original BJJGraph study plan; use them to organize practice alongside the course and feedback from a coach.
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Precision Knee Cut Passes
with Lucas Lepri
Who it suits: Gi practitioners with a basic knee slice who want to troubleshoot entry problems against established open guards. Begin with familiar variations before studying jumping entries.
Lepri covers entries from De La Riva and toreando movement, lasso responses, and adjustments against scoop grips and underhooks.
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Core Principles
- Check the entry grips before trying to finish the knee cut.
- Name the first obstruction instead of forcing the same movement.
- Treat a lasso grip and an underhook as different problems.
- Keep balance while changing the passing direction.
- Evaluate the landing as part of the knee-cut attempt.
Key Components
Entry from an open guard (Separate access to the position from the finishing movement.) Choose one De La Riva or toreando entry and pause when the cutting position is reached to check what control you actually have.
Lasso obstruction (Identify the obstruction created by the sleeve connection.) Let the defender retain a specified lasso grip and work only on the reviewed grip-and-position response before attempting the cut.
Underhook response (Keep the upper-body exchange in the passing decision.) From a stalled knee cut, give the defender an underhook attempt and compare continuing the pass with changing direction.
Clearance and control (Complete the pass through the final control exchange.) Continue the chosen cut until the leg clears, then ask the defender to recover a frame before resetting.
Implementation Sequence
- Entry from an open guard: BJJGraph study task: Choose one De La Riva or toreando entry and pause when the cutting position is reached to check what control you actually have. Key points:
- Separate access to the position from the finishing movement.
- Lasso obstruction: BJJGraph study task: Let the defender retain a specified lasso grip and work only on the reviewed grip-and-position response before attempting the cut. Key points:
- Identify the obstruction created by the sleeve connection.
- Underhook response: BJJGraph study task: From a stalled knee cut, give the defender an underhook attempt and compare continuing the pass with changing direction. Key points:
- Keep the upper-body exchange in the passing decision.
- Clearance and control: BJJGraph study task: Continue the chosen cut until the leg clears, then ask the defender to recover a frame before resetting. Key points:
- Complete the pass through the final control exchange.
- Connect and review: Link the first two practiced tasks in a constrained round, then add the next stage only when both partners can identify the cue and stopping condition. Record the earliest control failure and return to that stage for the next set.
Where to begin in the instructional
Start with De La Riva entries and the weave connection, then study the lasso and underhook responses that match your rounds.
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How to Measure Your Progress
Entry from an open guard: Separate access to the position from the finishing movement. Proficiency indicators:
- Can describe the starting condition for entry from an open guard.
- Recognizes the agreed defensive response without prompting.
- Can identify where the task broke down and select a relevant reset.
Lasso obstruction: Identify the obstruction created by the sleeve connection. Proficiency indicators:
- Can describe the starting condition for lasso obstruction.
- Recognizes the agreed defensive response without prompting.
- Can identify where the task broke down and select a relevant reset.
Underhook response: Keep the upper-body exchange in the passing decision. Proficiency indicators:
- Can describe the starting condition for underhook response.
- Recognizes the agreed defensive response without prompting.
- Can identify where the task broke down and select a relevant reset.
Clearance and control: Complete the pass through the final control exchange. Proficiency indicators:
- Can describe the starting condition for clearance and control.
- Recognizes the agreed defensive response without prompting.
- Can identify where the task broke down and select a relevant reset.
Take one idea into your next session
BJJGraph practice suggestion: Choose one De La Riva or toreando entry and pause when the cutting position is reached to check what control you actually have. Then connect it to lasso obstruction. Compare the first lost control point after each round.
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