Knee Cut Pass

Pass

Also known as:

Knee Cut Knee Slice Knee Slice Pass Knee Slice From Half Knee Through Knee Slice With Underhook Cross Knee Through

The knee cut is the defining guard pass of modern jiu-jitsu: the passer slices one knee diagonally across the opponent's thigh toward the mat, splitting the guard down the middle while the upper body pins the escape routes shut. It is fast enough for scramblers, heavy enough for pressure passers, and available from nearly every guard, which is why it anchors more passing systems than any other single technique.

What is the knee cut?

From headquarters or any position with one leg between the opponent's legs, the passer drops their lead knee across the opponent's bottom thigh, cutting toward the far hip, while the trailing leg posts wide and back. The dive is only half the pass. The other half is upstairs: a crossface or collar grip flattening the opponent's shoulders, or an underhook denying theirs, so that as the knee slides through, the opponent cannot turn into the space and rebuild.

The finishing frames matter most in the last ten percent: windshield-wiping the trailing foot free of hooks, stapling the bottom leg, and settling chest-first into side control before celebrating.

The battle around it

Because everyone knee cuts, entire guard systems exist to punish it. The reverse De La Riva hook catches the lead leg mid-step; K-guard converts the cut's forward commitment into leg entanglements; knee shields and half guard frames stall the slide and hunt the underhook. The passer's counters to the counters, backsteps when the RDLR loads, arm weaves to kill the knee shield, smash sequences to flatten the frames, are half of modern passing theory. Learning the knee cut properly means learning this conversation, not just the dive.

Why it matters

The knee cut is often the first pass that makes passing feel like a system: it teaches the diagonal pressure line, the upper-body pin, and the timing of committing through a guard rather than around it. It converts takedowns and guard-opening sequences directly into points, and it remains a weapon at every level of the sport, from fundamentals classes to world finals.

Gi and no-gi

Fully bilingual, with different seasoning. In the gi, collar and pant grips slow the exchange and anchor the cut; the guard player's counter-grips do the same in reverse. No-gi knee cuts run faster, lean harder on the underhook and crossface, and must respect the leg entanglement counters that no-gi guards fire at a passing knee.

Where to start

Build the pass from headquarters with the crossface version first: knee through, head pressure, wiper the foot free. Then learn what the guard is doing back, starting with the knee shield and RDLR answers, so your pass matures against real resistance. The maps on this page show where the knee cut launches from, where it lands, and every counter you will meet.

Quick Reference

Key principles

· The cutting knee must angle diagonally across the opponent's thigh toward the mat, not straight forward, to pin their bottom leg and prevent hip movement.
· Cross-face pressure or an underhook on the far side controls the opponent's upper body and prevents them from turning into you to re-guard.
· Windshield-wipering the back foot free from any half guard hook is essential—keeping hips low and heavy accelerates this clearance.
· Anticipate the opponent's far-side underhook by stapling their shoulder to the mat with your chest or securing a whizzer/crossface before completing the pass.
· Hip pressure directed into the opponent's near-side hip pins them flat and eliminates their ability to create frames or invert.

Execution

1 Establish a controlling grip—collar and sleeve in gi, or crossface and wrist control in no-gi—while positioning your lead knee between the opponent's legs on their inner thigh.
2 Slide your lead knee diagonally across their thigh toward the mat while driving your chest into their far shoulder, flattening them and blocking their hip escape.
3 Clear your trailing foot from any leg entanglement by windshield-wipering it free or backstopping against their bottom leg.
4 As your knee clears to the mat, consolidate by switching your hips flat, settling into side control, or continuing the momentum into mount.

Common mistakes

× Staying too upright during the cut allows the opponent to frame on your chest and re-establish guard; you must drive forward with chest-to-chest pressure.
× Neglecting the crossface or far-side control lets the opponent secure an underhook and take the back as you pass.
× Failing to free the trailing leg quickly results in getting stuck in half guard or quarter guard, stalling the pass and giving the opponent time to recover.

Do it from

Positions and situations where the Knee Cut Pass shows up.

Collar Sleeve Guard Top De La Riva Guard Top Half Guard Top Headquarters Position Knee Shield Half Guard Top Open Guard Top Quarter Guard Reverse De La Riva Guard Top Shin-to-shin Guard Top Stack Pass pass Standing Guard

17 less common

Butterfly Guard Top Butterfly Half Guard Top Closed Guard Top Double Sleeve Guard Double Unders Feet On Hips Guard Inverted Guard Lasso Guard Top Leg Drag Position Leg Hook Leg Weave Reverse X-Guard Seated Guard Spider Guard Top Squid Guard Underhook Control Kneebar Control

Chains into

Where to go next when the Knee Cut Pass lands, or gets defended.

Armbar submission Darce Choke submission Triangle Choke submission

Where it lands

The position you end up in.

Mount Top

Common defenses

How opponents shut the Knee Cut Pass down.

Guard Retention escape

1 less common

K-Guard Entry From Knee Shield transition

Use it against

The Knee Cut Pass is an answer to these.

Half Guard Bottom Knee Shield Half Guard Bottom

1 less common

Reverse De La Riva Guard Bottom

Chains & Sequences

Commonly taught paths through the graph that feature this technique.

Knee Cut to Triangle

Knee Cut Pass Mount Armbar Triangle Choke

Knee Cut to Wristlock

Knee Cut Pass Side Control Top Wristlock

DLR Pass to Americana

De La Riva Guard Knee Cut Pass Mount Americana Lock

Knee Cut Smash Truck Back Take

Knee Cut Pass Smash Pass Truck Entry Back Control

Knee Cut to Anaconda

Knee Cut Pass Front Headlock Anaconda Choke