Float Passing

Float Passing is a dynamic guard passing approach that emphasizes movement, timing, and minimal pressure to navigate around the opponent’s guard. Unlike traditional pressure passing, float passing relies on quick transitions, constant movement, and strategic positioning to bypass defensive frames and leg configurations. The technique is particularly effective against flexible opponents or those with strong retention games who excel at recovering guard under pressure. Float passing creates passing opportunities by forcing opponents to constantly adjust their defensive structures, eventually exposing gaps in their guard retention. This approach requires excellent balance, timing, and the ability to read opponent reactions in real-time, making it a favorite among competitors who prefer speed and athleticism over grinding pressure.

Starting Position: Open Guard Ending Position: Side Control Success Rates: Beginner 35%, Intermediate 50%, Advanced 65%

Key Principles

• Maintain minimal pressure to stay mobile and responsive
• Constantly change angles and directions to confuse guard retention
• Use quick transitions rather than static control positions
• Read opponent’s defensive adjustments and exploit openings
• Combine floating movements with precise timing
• Control distance while avoiding opponent’s grips and hooks
• Transition immediately when passing windows appear

Prerequisites

• Opponent in open guard with active leg frames
• Standing or combat base position established
• Strong grip control on opponent’s pants or ankles
• Good posture and balance to move quickly
• Distance management to avoid sweeps
• Awareness of opponent’s guard style and retention patterns

Execution Steps

1. Establish initial control: From standing or combat base, secure grips on opponent’s pants at the knees or ankles while maintaining proper posture. Keep your hips back and weight distributed to prevent off-balancing. Establish distance that allows you to control their legs while staying mobile. (Timing: Initial setup phase)
2. Begin floating movement: Start moving laterally around the opponent’s guard, using small quick steps while maintaining your grips. Keep your weight light and mobile, ready to change direction instantly. Your movement should be unpredictable, mixing clockwise and counterclockwise circles around their hips. (Timing: Continuous movement phase)
3. Control leg frames: As you circle, use your grips to redirect opponent’s legs away from your passing path. Push one leg down or across while stepping around the other. Your grip manipulation should complement your footwork, creating openings in their defensive structure. (Timing: During lateral movement)
4. Identify passing window: Watch for moments when opponent’s legs separate or when their frames momentarily collapse due to your constant movement. These windows appear when they adjust their guard retention or attempt to recover structure. Recognize the opening immediately through their hip position and leg configuration. (Timing: Recognition phase - occurs multiple times)
5. Execute passing transition: The instant you identify an opening, transition from floating to passing. Drop your weight forward while stepping your near leg past their bottom leg. Your chest should move toward their upper body as you establish shoulder pressure. This transition must be explosive and committed once initiated. (Timing: Explosive commitment - 0.5-1 second window)
6. Secure passing position: As you pass, immediately establish cross-face control with your near arm while your far arm controls their far hip or underhooks their far arm. Drive your shoulder into their face while keeping your hips low and heavy. Consolidate to side control by getting your chest perpendicular to theirs and securing dominant grips. (Timing: Final consolidation phase)

Opponent Counters

• Opponent establishes strong collar and sleeve grips (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Break grips immediately using two-on-one grip breaks or posture adjustments. Alternatively, transition to different passing approach that works well with those grips established, such as toreando passing.
• Opponent recovers guard with quick shrimping (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Anticipate the shrimp by maintaining connection with your grips and following their hip movement. Float to the other side as they recover, using their momentum against them to create new passing opportunities.
• Opponent sits up and pursues upper body control (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Use their forward commitment to change levels underneath them. As they sit up, circle behind their back or transition to a different passing angle. Their upright posture creates opportunities for back takes or alternative passes.
• Opponent times a sweep during your floating movement (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Maintain proper base and weight distribution throughout floating phase. If sweep is initiated, immediately post your free hand and sprawl your hips back while maintaining leg control to defend. Reset to standing if necessary.

Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Committing to pass too early before window fully opens
  • Consequence: Opponent easily recovers guard or sweeps during premature commitment
  • Correction: Maintain patient floating movement until you see clear separation in opponent’s leg frames. The pass should feel easy when the window is truly open. If you meet significant resistance, return to floating.
• Mistake: Using too much pressure during floating phase
  • Consequence: Loss of mobility and ability to change directions quickly, allowing opponent to establish stronger frames
  • Correction: Keep weight light on the balls of your feet with hips elevated. Think of floating above the guard rather than pressing into it. Your pressure should only increase during the final passing commitment.
• Mistake: Losing grip control during lateral movement
  • Consequence: Opponent re-establishes guard structure or attacks with sweeps and submissions
  • Correction: Maintain consistent grip pressure throughout floating movements. Your grips should control their leg positioning while allowing you to remain mobile. Adjust grip positions as needed but never release both grips simultaneously.
• Mistake: Moving in predictable patterns
  • Consequence: Opponent anticipates direction changes and times defensive responses
  • Correction: Vary your floating rhythm, speed, and direction unpredictably. Mix quick bursts with slower movements, sudden direction changes with sustained circling. Read opponent’s reactions and adapt your pattern to their defensive habits.
• Mistake: Failing to consolidate side control after passing
  • Consequence: Opponent escapes back to guard or recovers defensive frames
  • Correction: Immediately establish cross-face and hip control as you complete the pass. Drop your weight and get chest-to-chest positioning before they can create frames. Proper consolidation is as important as the pass itself.

Training Progressions

Week 1-2: Movement Fundamentals - Developing footwork and balance during floating movements Practice floating movements around static opponent. Focus on maintaining balance, proper posture, and grip control while moving laterally. Partner remains passive, holding guard structure but not actively defending. Work on smooth directional changes and staying light on your feet. (Resistance: None)

Week 3-4: Timing Recognition - Identifying passing windows during movement Partner adds light active guard retention, adjusting legs and frames as you float. Practice recognizing moments when their structure momentarily collapses or legs separate. Initially, partner signals when windows appear. Progress to recognizing windows independently without signals. (Resistance: Light)

Week 5-8: Commitment and Transition - Explosive passing when windows appear Combine floating movement with committed passing transitions. Partner provides moderate resistance with guard retention but allows passes when windows genuinely open. Focus on decisive commitment once you identify the opening. Drill the transition from floating to passing until it becomes reflexive. (Resistance: Medium)

Week 9-12: Counter Defense - Maintaining position against common counters Partner actively attempts sweeps, recoveries, and defensive reactions during your float passing. Practice defending sweeps while maintaining floating posture, breaking grips efficiently, and adjusting to opponent’s counter strategies. Focus on staying safe while creating passing opportunities. (Resistance: Medium)

Week 13+: Live Integration - Applying float passing against full resistance Full-speed positional sparring from open guard with float passing as primary strategy. Partner uses their best guard retention and offensive attacks. Work on reading different guard styles, adapting floating patterns to various opponents, and developing your personal float passing rhythm. (Resistance: Full)

Ongoing: Style Development - Developing personal float passing variations Experiment with combining float passing with other passing styles. Develop your signature movement patterns, grip configurations, and passing entries. Study high-level competitors who excel at float passing and integrate their concepts into your game. Continue refining against diverse opponents. (Resistance: Full)

Variations

Knee Cut Float: Combines floating movements with knee slice passing mechanics. As you float laterally and identify a window, transition directly into a knee cut pass by driving your knee across opponent’s thigh line. This variant works well when opponent’s bottom leg becomes separated from their top leg during floating phase. (When to use: When opponent’s legs separate horizontally, creating space for knee insertion)

Backstep Float: Uses floating movement to set up backstep passing sequences. As you circle one direction, opponent adjusts their guard to defend that angle. Suddenly reverse direction with a backstep, moving to the opposite side while they’re committed to the original defense. Particularly effective against De La Riva and Reverse De La Riva guards. (When to use: Against hook-based guards or when opponent commits heavily to one side)

Headquarters Float: Transitions from standing float passing to headquarters position when opponent sits up or attempts to engage upper body. As they sit up, drop your level and establish headquarters control with knee shield management. Continue floating patterns from this lower position. (When to use: When opponent sits up aggressively or pursues upper body grips)

Low Floating Pass: Performs floating movements from combat base or kneeling rather than standing. Uses smaller, more controlled movements while maintaining the same principles of constant angle changes and minimal pressure. More conservative approach with better base but requires closer range movement. (When to use: Against strong sweepers or when standing passes feel too risky)

Test Your Knowledge

Q1: What is the fundamental difference between float passing and pressure passing? A: Float passing emphasizes minimal pressure, constant movement, and quick transitions to navigate around the guard, while pressure passing uses heavy weight, static control, and grinding force to collapse defensive structures. Float passing maintains mobility and lightness, whereas pressure passing prioritizes control and suffocating pressure. Float passing is more effective against flexible opponents with strong guard retention, while pressure passing works better against less mobile or less technical opponents.

Q2: What are the key indicators that a passing window has opened during float passing? A: Passing windows appear when opponent’s legs separate or frames momentarily collapse due to constant movement adjustments. Key indicators include: gap between their legs becoming visible, their hips flattening to the mat instead of staying on their side, their knee frames extending too far from their body, or their attention divided between defending multiple angles simultaneously. The window typically lasts only 0.5-1 seconds, requiring immediate recognition and commitment.

Q3: How should you adjust your floating pattern when facing different guard styles? A: Against hook-based guards (De La Riva, X-Guard), focus on circular movements that prevent hook establishment and create backstep opportunities. Against collar-sleeve guards, use more distance and larger circles to stay out of grip range while controlling the legs. Against butterfly guard, maintain higher posture and use smaller, quicker movements to prevent sweeps. Against seated guards, mix levels between standing and combat base to prevent them from establishing strong upper body control. Adapt your floating speed, distance, and direction based on the opponent’s primary defensive tools.

Q4: Why is grip control critical during float passing movements? A: Grip control during floating movements serves multiple purposes: it controls opponent’s leg positioning and prevents them from establishing strong frames, it provides stability and connection while you move laterally, it allows you to redirect their legs away from your passing path, and it prevents them from attacking with sweeps or submissions during your movement. Without consistent grip pressure, opponent can freely adjust their guard structure, establish stronger defensive positions, or time offensive attacks during your transitions.

Q5: What is the proper timing for transitioning from floating movement to committed passing? A: The transition should occur the instant you recognize a genuine passing window, characterized by separation in opponent’s leg frames or collapse in their defensive structure. The commitment must be explosive and decisive—hesitation allows the window to close. However, premature commitment before the window fully opens results in strong resistance and potential sweeps. The skill lies in patient floating until the window appears, then immediate explosive transition. If you meet significant resistance during the pass attempt, the window wasn’t truly open—return to floating rather than forcing the pass.

Q6: How do you maintain balance and prevent sweeps during lateral floating movements? A: Maintain balance by keeping weight on the balls of your feet with knees slightly bent, hips elevated and mobile, and torso upright with proper posture. Distribute weight evenly between both legs during movement, never crossing your feet or bringing them too close together. Keep hands active with grip control that provides both offensive manipulation and defensive posts if needed. Stay aware of opponent’s sweep timing—if they commit to a sweep, immediately post your free hand, sprawl your hips back, and maintain leg control to defend. Good base during floating comes from dynamic balance and constant micro-adjustments rather than static positioning.

Safety Considerations

Float passing is generally safe when practiced with proper control and progressive resistance. Key safety points: maintain awareness of your balance to avoid falling onto opponent with uncontrolled weight, control your speed when transitioning from floating to passing to prevent knee or ankle injuries to both partners, communicate with training partners about resistance levels during drilling phases, avoid explosive movements before proper warm-up to prevent muscle strains, be cautious when floating around leg lock positions—maintain distance from entanglements until you understand the threats, practice proper falling technique if you lose balance during floating movements to protect yourself and your partner. When consolidating to side control, apply pressure gradually rather than dropping full weight suddenly. Progress resistance slowly over weeks to build the physical conditioning needed for sustained floating movements without exhausting yourself and compromising technique safety.

Position Integration

Float passing serves as a primary guard passing strategy that integrates seamlessly with other passing systems in a comprehensive BJJ game. It works particularly well as the initial passing approach, using movement to identify opponent’s defensive tendencies before switching to pressure passing or other styles if needed. Float passing naturally chains into toreando passing, leg drag passing, and backstep sequences as the opponent adjusts to your floating movements. It complements standing guard opening sequences and transitions smoothly between standing and kneeling positions. When combined with strong grip fighting and distance management, float passing creates a complete guard passing framework that adapts to various opponent styles. The technique also develops essential attributes like timing, balance, and reaction reading that improve all areas of your guard passing game. Many high-level competitors use float passing as their primary approach against flexible opponents with strong guard retention, while maintaining pressure passing as a secondary option against less mobile opponents.

Related Techniques

• Toreando Pass - Complementary technique—shares lateral movement concepts
• Leg Drag Pass - Follow-up option when floating creates leg drag opportunities
• Knee Slice Pass - Alternative pass when floating creates knee insertion windows
• X Pass - Complementary technique using similar grip and movement principles
• Long Step Pass - Alternative approach using similar distance management
• Headquarters Position - Transition position when opponent sits up during floating
• Combat Base - Alternative starting position for lower-level float passing
• Side Control - Primary ending position after successful pass
• Knee on Belly - Alternative ending position for maintaining mobility after pass
• Guard Passing - Foundational concepts underlying float passing strategy
• Grip Fighting - Essential skill for maintaining control during floating movements
• Base Maintenance - Critical principle for preventing sweeps during lateral movement

Expert Insights

• Danaher System: Float passing represents a fundamental understanding of guard passing as a problem of angles and timing rather than force application. The biomechanical advantage comes from exploiting the inherent limitations of the human body to defend multiple angles simultaneously. When you create constant angular changes through floating movements, the opponent’s nervous system must continuously recalculate defensive positioning. This creates processing delays—moments where their physical structure lags behind their mental adjustments. These micro-moments are your passing windows. The key is understanding that every defensive structure has a recovery time, and float passing exploits this by never allowing full recovery. Your movement tempo must exceed their recovery rate. The technique requires exceptional proprioception and balance, as you’re operating in a state of controlled instability. Develop this by drilling floating movements with various resistance levels while maintaining awareness of your center of gravity and weight distribution. The pass itself is merely the logical conclusion of superior angle creation—if you’ve moved correctly, the pass should feel effortless.
• Gordon Ryan: Float passing is one of the highest percentage approaches against modern guard players who spend years developing retention systems. In competition, I’ve found that trying to pressure pass elite guard players is often a low-percentage strategy—they’re too comfortable defending pressure and have trained specifically for those scenarios. Float passing forces them out of their comfort zone by creating problems they can’t solve with frames and structure alone. The critical factor is commitment timing. Average competitors float too long without committing, allowing opponents to adjust and reset. Elite passers recognize windows instantly and attack them explosively. I look for the moment when their hips flatten or their knees separate—that’s when I transition from floating to passing with maximum speed and pressure. The other key is combining float passing with other styles. I’ll float to identify their defensive pattern, then switch to pressure passing or leg drags based on what they show me. Don’t be predictable. Use floating as reconnaissance and pattern recognition, then exploit what you discover with the appropriate finishing technique.
• Eddie Bravo: Float passing is beautiful because it’s pure flow and creativity—there’s no rigid structure, just constant movement and adaptation. In the 10th Planet system, we emphasize this type of passing against rubber guard and other flexible guards where traditional pressure doesn’t work. The key insight is that movement creates opportunities that static pressure can’t. When you’re floating, you’re in a flow state, reading their adjustments in real-time and responding with your own counter-adjustments. It’s like a dance where you’re leading and they’re always reacting. One thing I emphasize is mixing levels—don’t just float standing. Drop to combat base, pop back up, drop again. These level changes combined with lateral movement create three-dimensional problems they can’t solve. Also, don’t be afraid to fake commitments. Show like you’re passing one direction to get a reaction, then float to the other side when they over-commit to the defense. The more unpredictable your movement pattern, the more windows you’ll create. Float passing rewards creativity and athleticism—study movement artists in other sports and bring those concepts to your guard passing. Make it your own style.