The Leg Weave Pass is a highly effective pressure passing technique used to control and pass the half guard. This technique involves threading your leg between the opponent’s legs while maintaining heavy top pressure, creating a configuration that severely limits the bottom player’s mobility and defensive options. The leg weave creates a unique control position that combines elements of smash passing with positional control, making it particularly effective against modern half guard retention strategies. The technique is characterized by inserting your inside leg (the leg on the same side as the opponent’s lockdown or half guard) through and over the opponent’s bottom leg, creating a weaving pattern that traps their legs and prevents hip movement. This passing method has become increasingly popular in modern competition BJJ due to its effectiveness against knee shield and deep half guard variations. The leg weave pass represents a systematic approach to passing that prioritizes control and pressure over speed, making it an essential technique for practitioners who favor a methodical, pressure-based passing game.
Starting Position: Half Guard Ending Position: Side Control Success Rates: Beginner 30%, Intermediate 50%, Advanced 70%
Key Principles
- Maintain constant downward pressure throughout the entire pass sequence
- Thread the inside leg completely through the opponent’s guard to create the weave configuration
- Control the opponent’s far hip to prevent them from turning into you
- Keep your weight distributed primarily on your chest and shoulder pressure points
- Progress systematically through each stage of the pass without rushing
- Use shoulder pressure to flatten the opponent and prevent shrimping
- Transition to secure side control only after the legs are completely free
Prerequisites
- Established top position in half guard with opponent on their back
- Crossface control or underhook position secured
- Ability to generate forward pressure with your chest and shoulders
- Inside leg positioned close to the opponent’s bottom leg
- Head control or sleeve grip to prevent opponent from creating frames
- Hips positioned low and forward to prevent the opponent from recovering full guard
Execution Steps
- Establish heavy crossface pressure: From top half guard, drive your shoulder across the opponent’s face while securing a strong crossface with your near arm. Your weight should be distributed primarily through your chest and shoulder, creating downward pressure that makes it difficult for the opponent to turn into you or create effective frames. Keep your head positioned on the far side of the opponent’s head. (Timing: Initial control phase - establish before attempting the weave)
- Control the far hip: With your far hand, reach across and grip the opponent’s far hip or pants at the hip level. This grip is crucial as it prevents the opponent from turning into you or bridging effectively. Your elbow should be positioned tight to your body to maintain connection and prevent the opponent from creating space between your bodies. (Timing: Simultaneous with or immediately after crossface establishment)
- Thread the inside leg through: Begin threading your inside leg (the leg that’s between the opponent’s legs) by lifting your knee and driving it forward and over the opponent’s bottom leg. Your shin should slide across the opponent’s bottom thigh as you weave your leg through. This creates the characteristic weaving pattern that gives the technique its name. Maintain heavy pressure throughout this movement to prevent the opponent from shrimping away. (Timing: Once controls are secure - this is the defining movement of the pass)
- Complete the leg weave configuration: Continue threading your leg until your foot emerges on the far side of the opponent’s legs, with your shin positioned across both of their thighs. Your leg should now be weaved through in a figure-four-like configuration. Keep your hips low and forward pressure constant. The opponent’s legs should now be trapped and immobilized beneath your weaved leg. (Timing: Immediate continuation of the threading motion)
- Drive the opponent’s knees to the mat: Using the pressure from your weaved leg combined with forward hip pressure, drive the opponent’s knees flat to the mat. This completely removes their ability to create frames with their legs or recover guard. Your chest should be heavy on their upper body while your leg controls their lower body. Maintain the crossface and hip control throughout. (Timing: As the weave configuration is established)
- Extract your trapped leg: With the opponent’s legs controlled and flattened, begin extracting your previously trapped leg (the leg that was caught in half guard). Since their legs are now controlled by your weave, they cannot re-grip your leg. Pull your knee through smoothly while maintaining all other pressure and control points. Your hip should stay low to prevent them from inserting a knee shield as you extract. (Timing: Only after opponent’s legs are fully controlled and flattened)
- Transition to side control: Once your leg is free, swing it over and establish full side control. Your chest should drop onto the opponent’s chest, your hips should be low and heavy, and you should maintain the crossface control. Transition your hip grip to an underhook or establish knee-on-belly control. Ensure you have removed your weaved leg and established proper side control positioning before considering the pass complete. (Timing: Final phase - only after both legs are completely free)
Opponent Counters
- Opponent bridges explosively as you begin the weave (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Anticipate the bridge by keeping your base wide and your hips low. When they bridge, use their momentum to complete the weave more quickly, or transition to a knee slice pass if they create too much space.
- Opponent secures a deep underhook on the near side (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: If they get the underhook before you establish the weave, abandon this pass and transition to addressing the underhook first. Use a whizzer, switch to the opposite side, or establish a different passing approach. Never fight the weave against a deep underhook.
- Opponent shrimps away repeatedly as you thread the leg (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Follow their hip movement while maintaining pressure. Each time they shrimp, advance your position slightly and reset your pressure. The key is not to chase with just your legs, but to move your entire body forward while keeping them pinned.
- Opponent rolls for a leg lock as you establish the weave (Effectiveness: Low) - Your Response: Your weaved leg position actually provides excellent defense against most leg attack attempts from bottom half guard. Keep your leg woven and maintain heavy top pressure. If they commit to rolling, you can often take the back or establish a more dominant position.
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: What is the primary purpose of threading your leg through the opponent’s guard in the leg weave pass? A: The primary purpose is to create a configuration that traps and immobilizes the opponent’s legs beneath your shin, preventing them from using their legs to create frames, shrimp away, or recover guard. This control position combines the benefits of pressure passing with leg control, making it extremely difficult for the bottom player to escape.
Q2: Why is maintaining constant pressure on the far hip critical throughout the leg weave pass? A: Controlling the far hip prevents the opponent from turning into you or creating angular movement that would allow them to escape. Without this control, they can bridge away from the weave or turn to face you, which would give them access to better defensive positions like deep half guard or the ability to re-guard. The hip control acts as a tether that keeps them flat and unable to create effective angles.
Q3: When should you extract your trapped leg during the leg weave pass sequence? A: You should only extract your trapped leg after the opponent’s legs are completely flattened to the mat and controlled by your weaved leg. Attempting to extract too early allows the opponent to re-grip your leg and return to half guard. The key indicator is that you should feel no resistance from their legs - they should be pinned and immobile before you begin extraction. Patience in this phase is crucial for pass completion.
Q4: How should you respond if the opponent secures a deep underhook before you complete the weave? A: You should abandon the leg weave pass and address the underhook first. A deep underhook gives the opponent too much control and leverage to effectively execute the weave. Instead, you should either establish a whizzer to control their underhook, switch your passing direction to the opposite side, or transition to a completely different passing approach. Fighting the weave against a deep underhook is a common mistake that leads to getting swept or submitted.
Q5: What are the key differences between the standard leg weave and the lockdown counter variation? A: The lockdown counter variation uses the same leg threading mechanics but serves a dual purpose: it both breaks the opponent’s lockdown structure and establishes the passing position simultaneously. In the standard version, you’re threading through an open half guard configuration. In the lockdown counter, you’re threading through their locked ankles, which requires slightly different positioning and timing. The lockdown version is more defensive in nature initially but transitions to the same offensive passing position. The threading must be more forceful to break through their ankle connection.
Safety Considerations
When practicing the leg weave pass, maintain control of your weight distribution to avoid placing excessive pressure on the opponent’s neck or spine. The crossface should create control without cranking the neck laterally. When your partner is defending, be aware that attempting to forcefully extract your trapped leg before proper control is established can lead to knee strain for both practitioners. Communication is essential during drilling - the bottom person should tap if they feel uncomfortable pressure on their neck or if they cannot breathe properly. When threading the leg through, move deliberately rather than explosively to avoid accidentally kicking or kneeing your partner. In competition or advanced training, be aware that aggressive bridging attempts from bottom can create injury risk if you’re not properly based, so maintain wide base and low hips throughout.
Position Integration
The leg weave pass represents a crucial component of modern pressure passing systems, particularly effective against contemporary half guard retention strategies. This technique fits into the broader guard passing hierarchy as a specialized tool for dealing with opponents who rely heavily on leg-based guards and frames. The leg weave integrates seamlessly with other half guard passing approaches, creating a cohesive passing system where you can transition between the weave, knee slice, and smash pass based on opponent reactions. When combined with proper grip fighting and pressure application, the leg weave becomes part of a multi-layered passing attack that makes it extremely difficult for opponents to maintain half guard. The technique also connects to submission opportunities, as the heavy pressure and control positions can lead to kimura attacks, arm triangles, or collar chokes depending on the opponent’s defensive reactions. Understanding the leg weave pass enhances your overall passing game by adding a high-percentage option specifically designed to neutralize the leg-based defensive structures that have become prevalent in modern BJJ.
Expert Insights
- Danaher System: The leg weave pass represents a biomechanically superior approach to controlling the opponent’s lower body during half guard passing. The fundamental principle at work here is the creation of a structural trap - by threading your leg through their guard configuration, you establish a mechanical advantage where their legs become liabilities rather than assets. The weave creates a lever system where your single leg controls both of their legs simultaneously, a two-to-one mechanical advantage that is extraordinarily difficult to overcome through strength alone. The key to mastering this technique lies in understanding the relationship between upper body pressure and lower body control. Your crossface and hip control must be synchronized with the leg threading motion to create what I call ‘total body immobilization’ - a state where the opponent has no effective avenue for escape. When executed with proper timing and pressure distribution, the leg weave becomes not merely a passing technique but a control position in itself, one from which numerous attacking opportunities emerge. The systematic approach to this pass requires patience and methodical progression through each control stage without rushing to the completion phase.
- Gordon Ryan: The leg weave has been absolutely instrumental in my competition passing game, especially against high-level opponents who have sophisticated half guard retention systems. What makes this pass so effective in competition is that it doesn’t rely on speed or explosiveness - it’s a grinding, pressure-based pass that exhausts the opponent while you remain relatively fresh. I’ve finished matches where my opponent was completely gassed just from defending this pass for several minutes. The key competitive insight is recognizing when your opponent is vulnerable to the weave versus when they have adequate defensive frames established. In my experience, the best time to initiate the weave is immediately after passing through their knee shield or when they’re transitioning between half guard variations. The pressure you generate during this pass also creates excellent submission opportunities - I’ve hit numerous kimuras and arm triangles from the control positions you establish during the weave sequence. Against elite-level opponents, the leg weave’s greatest strength is that even if they defend the pass initially, the defensive effort required is so taxing that it sets up your subsequent passing attempts. It’s a cumulative pressure technique that compounds over time.
- Eddie Bravo: From a 10th Planet perspective, the leg weave is fascinating because it’s essentially using our own lockdown mechanics against traditional half guard players. We developed extensive lockdown systems specifically to control the top person’s leg, but the leg weave counters this by creating a superior leg control position where you’re the one doing the trapping. What I love about teaching this pass is how it opens students’ minds to three-dimensional leg control - instead of thinking about passing as simply moving around the legs, you’re thinking about moving through and over them to create configurations that immobilize. The innovation potential here is huge. We’ve been experimenting with combining the leg weave with electric chair setups when the bottom person tries to roll or create scrambles. There’s also interesting potential for transitioning to the truck position if they defend the weave by turning away from you. The leg weave represents the evolution of pressure passing - it’s not just about being heavy, it’s about creating geometric traps with your body positioning. For no-gi especially, where you can’t rely on gi grips for control, the leg weave gives you incredible control through pure positioning and pressure mechanics. I encourage students to explore all the submission possibilities from the various stages of the weave - there are darce opportunities, guillotines if they fight the weave aggressively, and unique back-take options if you read their defensive movements correctly.