Your opponent begins pumping their hips away as you attempt to extract your weaved leg - how do you maintain passing pressure?

Increase crossface shoulder pressure immediately and drive your weight forward into their upper body to counteract the hip escape direction. Your chest should chase their movement, not your legs. If their hips create distance, close it with forward pressure through your shoulder rather than pulling your leg back. The crossface anchor must track their upper body so the distance gained by their hips is negated by your forward drive.

What is the critical weight transfer sequence during leg extraction in the Complete Leg Weave Pass?

Weight must shift from distributed across your entire body to concentrated through your chest and shoulder onto the opponent's upper torso before any leg movement begins. This creates the upper body anchor that holds the opponent in place. During extraction, the weight transfers laterally as you rotate the leg free, then drops perpendicular as you establish side control. The sequence is: settle upper body weight, rotate leg free under lighter hips, then drop hips perpendicular for consolidation.

The bottom player inserts a knee shield just as you begin clearing your hook - what adjustment do you make?

Stop the extraction and address the knee shield immediately. Collapse the knee shield by driving your hip weight into it and angling your shoulder pressure toward their head to flatten their upper body. If the shield is only partially established, you can often smash through it by committing your hip forward through the shield. If fully established, consider switching to a knee slice finish that uses the shield as a wedge point rather than fighting it directly.

What grip must be maintained throughout the entire leg weave pass completion to prevent guard recovery?

The crossface shoulder pressure must be maintained uninterrupted from the initial leg weave position through the final side control consolidation. This is the primary anchor that prevents the bottom player from turning, sitting up, or following your leg movement during extraction. Secondary to this is the far hip control hand, which prevents knee insertion during the transition phase. Losing either grip creates a defensive window that skilled guard players will exploit immediately.

Your opponent grabs a deep underhook as you transition from leg weave to side control - how do you counter?

Immediately establish a whizzer over their underhooking arm and drive your weight forward to flatten them back to the mat. If you cannot establish the whizzer, switch your crossface to a heavy shoulder of justice pressure that makes their underhook uncomfortable and difficult to maintain. The worst response is to try pulling their arm out, which creates space. Instead, accept the underhook temporarily and use your superior top position weight to make it ineffective by flattening their body before they can use it to create a scramble.

What determines the optimal direction to extract the weaved leg during pass completion?

The extraction direction is determined by the opponent's hook positioning and their defensive frame orientation. If their hook is loose and low on your leg, a direct windshield wiper extraction outward works best. If the hook is tight and high, a knee slice angle that cuts the shin across their thigh is more effective. If they are framing heavily against forward pressure, a backstep extraction reverses direction entirely. Read where their defensive investment is concentrated and extract in the direction they are least prepared to defend.

Complete Leg Weave Pass Attacker | BJJ Technique Guide

The Complete Leg Weave Pass from the attacker’s perspective demands mastery of the critical transition between established leg weave control and consolidated side control. The passer must solve the core mechanical problem of extracting the threaded leg while maintaining enough pressure to prevent guard recovery. This requires understanding the interplay between upper body anchoring through crossface and underhook control, lower body extraction through hip angle and leg rotation, and the precise moment to commit weight perpendicular to the opponent’s torso. The attacker who masters this finishing sequence transforms every leg weave engagement into a high-probability path to dominant position, eliminating the common stalling pattern where passers maintain leg weave indefinitely without completing the pass.

From Position: Leg Weave (Top)

Key Attacking Principles

What are the key principles for executing Complete Leg Weave Pass?

Anchor the upper body before extracting the lower body—crossface shoulder pressure pins the opponent while you free the weaved leg
Extract the leg gradually through rotation rather than explosive pulling, which creates space the defender can exploit
Maintain constant forward hip drive throughout extraction to prevent the defender from following your movement
Transfer weight perpendicular to the opponent’s torso the instant the hook clears to establish immediate side control
Use the non-weaved leg as a posting base that adjusts dynamically to maintain balance during the extraction sequence
Commit to the pass completion decisively—half-measures during extraction allow hook re-insertion and position reset

Prerequisites

What do you need before attempting Complete Leg Weave Pass?

Deep leg weave established with knee past the opponent’s hip line, disrupting their guard retention structure
Crossface or strong underhook control preventing the bottom player from sitting up or turning into you
Far hip controlled with your hand to block knee re-insertion and prevent rotation
Hips low and driving forward with weight distributed across the opponent’s torso
Bottom player’s remaining half guard hook is the only defensive connection preventing pass completion

Execution Steps

How do you execute Complete Leg Weave Pass step by step?

Consolidate upper body anchor: Drive your crossface shoulder deep into the opponent’s jaw, turning their head away from you. Secure your far hand on their hip or belt line. This upper body connection becomes the immovable anchor that holds the opponent in place while you work the lower body extraction. Without this anchor, any leg movement creates space the defender will exploit.
Shift weight to chest and shoulder: Transfer your weight from being distributed across your body to concentrated through your chest and shoulder onto the opponent’s upper torso. This deliberate weight shift pins their shoulders to the mat and frees your lower body for the extraction movement. Your hips should feel lighter while your upper body feels heavier on the opponent.
Begin leg extraction with hip angle: Angle your hips slightly away from the opponent while keeping your chest pressure constant. Begin rotating your weaved leg’s foot outward in a windshield wiper motion, using the rotational force to peel your shin free from the hook. The angle change is subtle—no more than fifteen to twenty degrees—just enough to create the rotational pathway without opening escape space.
Clear the remaining hook: As your foot rotates free, drive your knee toward the mat on the far side of the opponent’s legs. Use your non-weaved leg to post and provide base during this transition. The hook clearance should feel like your leg is sliding along the mat rather than lifting over—any vertical movement creates space the defender can exploit for guard recovery attempts.
Establish perpendicular alignment: The instant your leg clears the hook, swing your hips perpendicular to the opponent’s torso and drop your weight. Your chest should make contact across their sternum with your body forming a T-shape. This perpendicular alignment maximizes your control surface area and prevents any late-stage guard recovery. Speed matters here—the gap between hook clearance and side control consolidation must be minimal.
Secure hip-to-hip contact: Drop your near hip into contact with the opponent’s far hip, eliminating the space between your bodies at the hip line. This connection prevents knee insertion for half guard recovery and creates the heavy, uncomfortable pressure that defines effective side control. Your near hand transitions from hip control to an underhook or crossface reinforcement.
Consolidate side control: With perpendicular alignment and hip contact established, settle your weight and adjust your base. Sprawl your far leg back for stability, post your near leg with knee tight to opponent’s hip. Maintain crossface pressure and begin evaluating submission and advancement options. The consolidation phase should feel like sinking into the position rather than fighting to maintain it—if you are muscling control, your alignment is off.

Possible Outcomes

Result	Position	Probability
Success	Side Control	55%
Failure	Leg Weave	25%
Counter	Half Guard	20%

Opponent Counters

How might your opponent counter Complete Leg Weave Pass?

Hip escape and knee shield re-insertion before leg extraction completes (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Increase crossface pressure and drive your shoulder into their jaw to prevent the hip escape. If the knee begins entering, collapse it with your hip weight and re-establish the weave depth before reattempting extraction. → Leads to Leg Weave
Deep half guard entry during weight transfer phase (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: When you feel the opponent diving under you, immediately sprawl your hips back and drive your weight down through your chest. If they secure deep half, backstep over their body to reverse the guard before they establish sweeping position. → Leads to Half Guard
Underhook recovery and dogfight transition as chest pressure shifts (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Maintain your crossface as the primary anchor and use your far hand to block the underhook by controlling their elbow. If the underhook is secured, switch to a whizzer and drive forward to flatten them back down before they can come to their knees. → Leads to Half Guard
Bridge and hook re-engagement during leg extraction (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Absorb the bridge by lowering your center of gravity and widening your base with your posting leg. Wait for the bridge to exhaust, then immediately resume extraction before they can generate a second bridge. Timing the extraction between bridge attempts is critical. → Leads to Leg Weave

Common Attacking Mistakes

What mistakes should you avoid when executing Complete Leg Weave Pass?

1. Lifting hips to extract the weaved leg rather than using rotational extraction

Consequence: Creates significant space under the chest that allows the bottom player to insert frames, recover knee shield, or shoot for deep half guard, resetting the passing sequence entirely
Correction: Keep hips low throughout extraction, using a windshield wiper rotation of the foot and shin to peel free rather than lifting. Your hips should slide along the mat surface, never rising above the opponent’s hip line.

2. Releasing crossface pressure during leg extraction to use the arm for base

Consequence: Bottom player turns into you, re-establishes frames, and recovers guard positioning. The crossface is the primary anchor—without it, the opponent has full head and shoulder mobility to escape.
Correction: Maintain crossface throughout the entire extraction sequence. Use your far hand and non-weaved leg for base adjustments. The crossface shoulder never lifts until side control is fully consolidated.

3. Rushing the extraction without consolidating upper body control first

Consequence: The extraction fails because the opponent moves with your leg rather than being pinned in place. Each failed extraction attempt gives the defender data about your timing and direction.
Correction: Spend two to three seconds settling your upper body pressure before beginning any leg movement. The opponent should feel maximum weight and discomfort before the extraction starts, ensuring they cannot follow your lower body movement.

4. Failing to immediately establish perpendicular alignment after hook clearance

Consequence: The brief window between hook clearance and side control establishment allows the bottom player to insert a knee, recover half guard, or begin framing for a more complete guard recovery.
Correction: Drill the hook-clearance-to-perpendicular-drop as a single explosive movement. The moment the hook clears, your hips swing perpendicular and drop. There should be no pause or adjustment phase between these two actions.

5. Extracting the leg by pulling backward away from the opponent

Consequence: Creates distance that the bottom player exploits for guard recovery. Backward movement is the opposite of what pressure passing requires and surrenders the positional advantage built during the leg weave.
Correction: All extraction movement should be lateral or forward, never backward. The leg peels free through rotation while your body continues driving forward into the opponent. Think of sliding along the mat toward their head, not retreating from their legs.

6. Neglecting far hip control during the transition to side control

Consequence: Bottom player inserts their far knee between your bodies during the alignment transition, recovering half guard and forcing you to restart the passing sequence from a less advantageous position.
Correction: Your near hand must block the far hip throughout the transition. As you establish perpendicular alignment, the hand transitions from active blocking to settling your near hip into contact with their far hip, creating continuous hip control without a gap.

Training Progressions

How do you train Complete Leg Weave Pass (Attacker)?

Phase 1: Extraction Mechanics - Developing smooth leg extraction patterns without resistance Partner holds static leg weave position while you practice windshield wiper extraction, knee slice finish, and backstep completion. Focus on maintaining chest contact throughout each extraction method. Perform 20 repetitions of each variation per side to build muscle memory for the rotational mechanics.

Phase 2: Pressure Maintenance Under Movement - Maintaining upper body anchor while lower body moves Partner provides light resistance with frames and hip movement while you execute the full pass sequence. Focus on keeping shoulder pressure constant through the crossface while your legs work independently. Partner provides feedback on pressure gaps they feel during extraction.

Phase 3: Counter Recognition and Response - Identifying and defeating specific defensive reactions Partner cycles through specific counters: knee shield re-insertion, deep half entry, underhook recovery, and bridging. You practice the appropriate response to each counter before completing the pass. Build pattern recognition for the four to five most common defensive reactions.

Phase 4: Chain Passing Integration - Connecting leg weave completion with alternative passes Start from open guard engagement, work through leg weave establishment, and complete the pass using whichever finishing variant the partner’s defense opens. If direct completion is blocked, chain to backstep, knee slice, or leg drag. Develop the ability to read and react rather than committing to a single passing path.

Phase 5: Live Positional Sparring - Full resistance application from established leg weave Begin in established leg weave with full competitive resistance. Top player must complete the pass within sixty seconds. Bottom player uses all available defensive tools. Track completion rate and identify which defensive responses cause the most difficulty for targeted drilling.

Safety Considerations

What are the safety concerns for Complete Leg Weave Pass?

The Complete Leg Weave Pass involves significant pressure on the bottom player’s hips and lower back through the threading mechanics. Avoid explosive cranking of the weaved leg through the guard, as this can strain the bottom player’s knee or hip joints. When drilling, communicate pressure levels and allow your partner to tap to excessive pressure on their legs. Release immediately if your partner signals discomfort in their knee, hip, or lower back. During live sparring, be mindful that the combination of heavy crossface pressure and leg extraction force can compress the cervical spine if the opponent’s head is trapped at an angle.

Complete Leg Weave Pass Attacker

Outcomes