The Long Step Around Ringworm is a specialized guard passing technique designed to circumvent the complex lapel configurations that define ringworm guard. When an opponent establishes ringworm—typically involving multiple lapel wraps around your legs and arms—standard pressure passing becomes ineffective because the fabric barriers prevent hip contact and create persistent mechanical obstacles.
This technique employs an exaggerated long step to change the passing angle dramatically, allowing you to step completely around the lapel configuration rather than fighting through it. The key insight is that ringworm guard’s strength lies in controlling specific passing lanes; by taking a wide arc with your passing leg, you exit those controlled lanes entirely. The long step creates distance from the lapel wrap while simultaneously closing the gap to a dominant passing position.
Strategically, this pass is most effective when you recognize that direct clearing of the ringworm configuration would require excessive energy expenditure. Rather than engaging in a prolonged grip-fighting battle to remove multiple lapel wraps, the long step accepts the configuration’s existence and navigates around it. This approach preserves energy and catches opponents who have invested heavily in establishing complex lapel systems, as they often don’t anticipate passes that simply bypass their control structure.
From Position: Lapel Guard (Top) Success Rate: 58%
Possible Outcomes
| Result | Position | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Success | Side Control | 55% |
| Success | Half Guard | 10% |
| Failure | Lapel Guard | 20% |
| Counter | Back Control | 15% |
Attacker vs Defender
| Attacker | Defender | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Execute technique | Prevent or counter |
| Key Principles | Step wide enough to completely exit the controlled passing l… | Follow the passer’s movement with your hips immediately—do n… |
| Options | 6 execution steps | 4 defensive options |
Playing as Attacker
Key Principles
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Step wide enough to completely exit the controlled passing lanes created by the ringworm configuration
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Maintain forward pressure throughout the long step to prevent opponent from adjusting their lapel configuration
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Use your lead hand to control their far hip, preventing them from following your movement with their hips
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Keep your hips low during the step to avoid getting swept by elevation attacks
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Commit fully to the direction change—half-measures leave you exposed to both the original guard and back takes
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Time the long step when opponent is focused on maintaining their lapel grips rather than their hip movement
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Connect the long step directly to your passing sequence without pausing in neutral positions
Execution Steps
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Assess configuration: Identify all lapel wraps and determine which passing lanes are blocked. Recognize that the ringworm …
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Establish hip control: Place your lead hand on opponent’s far hip, using a cupping grip to prevent them from following your…
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Initiate long step: Take an exaggerated step with your outside leg, arcing wide around the lapel configuration. The step…
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Drive forward pressure: As your stepping foot lands, immediately drive your shoulder into their torso while maintaining the …
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Extract trailing leg: Pull your trailing leg free from any remaining lapel entanglement by using your forward momentum. Th…
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Consolidate position: Complete the pass by establishing side control or knee on belly. Use your chest pressure to pin thei…
Common Mistakes
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Taking too small of a step that remains within the controlled passing lanes
- Consequence: The lapel configuration still blocks your passing attempt and you’ve wasted energy on an incomplete direction change
- Correction: Commit to a truly exaggerated step—your foot should land completely past their far hip, not just to the side
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Failing to establish hip control before initiating the long step
- Consequence: Opponent simply follows your movement with their hips, maintaining guard angle and potentially taking your back
- Correction: Always secure far hip grip before stepping, using it as an anchor that prevents their hip chase
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Pausing between the long step and forward pressure application
- Consequence: Gives opponent time to sit up for back take or reconfigure their lapel system to the new angle
- Correction: The long step and shoulder drive must be one continuous movement with no pause in between
Playing as Defender
Key Principles
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Follow the passer’s movement with your hips immediately—do not remain static when they change angle, as your ringworm configuration only works against specific passing lanes
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Maintain at least one sleeve or collar grip that limits the passer’s ability to drive forward pressure after landing the step
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Use the passer’s directional commitment against them—their wide arc creates back exposure if you can sit up and pursue before they consolidate
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Keep your legs active throughout the defense rather than relying solely on the lapel wrap to hold position
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Recognize the long step initiation early by watching for the cupping grip on your far hip, which signals the passing direction
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Convert failed long step attempts into immediate offensive opportunities—the passer is often out of position after an incomplete arc
Recognition Cues
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Passer places a cupping grip on your far hip with their lead hand—this is the anchor grip that precedes every long step attempt and signals which direction they will step
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Passer’s outside leg begins lifting and arcing wide rather than stepping forward or laterally—the exaggerated stepping motion is visually distinct from normal passing footwork
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Passer stops engaging with your lapel configuration and instead focuses on creating a wide arc—the shift from grip fighting to footwork indicates they’ve chosen to bypass rather than clear
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Passer’s weight shifts dramatically to their inside leg as the outside leg extends—you can feel this through the lapel connection as pressure changes direction
Defensive Options
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Hip chase—immediately rotate your hips to follow the passer’s stepping direction, maintaining the angle that keeps your ringworm barriers in their passing lane - When: As soon as you recognize the long step initiation, before the passer’s foot lands past your hip
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Sit-up to back take—release your primary lapel grips and aggressively sit up toward the passer’s back as they commit to the wide arc, using their directional momentum against them - When: When the passer commits fully to the long step and their back becomes exposed during the arc—most effective mid-step when they cannot reverse direction
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Leg pummel and hook reinsertion—use active leg movement to reinsert butterfly hooks or half guard as the passer steps around, converting the position to a standard guard exchange - When: When the passer has partially completed the step but hasn’t yet driven forward pressure—the window between foot landing and shoulder drive
Position Integration
The Long Step Around Ringworm occupies a specific niche within the guard passing hierarchy—it’s a solution for complex lapel configurations that resist simpler approaches. This pass integrates with the broader lapel guard passing system by providing an option when standard pressure passing, backstep techniques, and direct lapel clearing have proven too energy-intensive. Successful execution typically leads to side control or knee on belly, from which your standard top game attacks apply. The technique shares mechanical principles with toreando passing (circular direction changes) and leg drag passing (hip control emphasis), making it accessible if you have foundations in those systems. Against sophisticated lapel guard players, the long step often works best as a change-up after establishing threat from other passing directions, catching them committed to defending lanes you’ve already attacked.