Over-under Pass
Pass
Also known as:
BJ Penn Pass
The over-under pass uses asymmetric grips—one arm over and one arm under the opponent's legs—to split their guard and drive laterally with heavy chest pressure. It is highly effective from butterfly guard, closed guard, or leg weave positions and works in both gi and no-gi by relying on body positioning and pressure rather than grips alone.
Quick Reference
Key principles
- · The underhook arm drives deep under one thigh while the overhook arm controls the opposite knee, creating a split that prevents guard re-consolidation.
- · Heavy chest-to-thigh pressure on the underhook side pins the opponent's hip and kills their ability to hip escape or re-guard.
- · Your head stays tight to the hip on the overhook side, blocking the opponent from turning into you or creating frames.
- · Anticipate the opponent pummel-kicking the underhook leg free by maintaining a tight elbow clamp and driving forward at an angle rather than straight ahead.
- · Lateral movement toward the overhook side completes the pass; walking your feet in an arc prevents stalling in the middle.
Execution
- 1 From inside the guard, thread one arm deep under the opponent's thigh (underhook side) while your other arm controls over the opposite knee, clasping your hands together or connecting grips.
- 2 Drop your chest heavily onto the underhook-side thigh, pinching your elbow tight to trap the leg, and place your head on the opposite hip.
- 3 Begin walking your feet laterally toward the overhook side in an arc, keeping constant forward pressure to flatten the opponent's hips to the mat.
- 4 As the opponent's legs separate and you clear the underhook-side leg past your hip, release the grip and settle into side control, securing crossface or an underhook.
Common mistakes
- × Keeping hips too high instead of sprawling heavy—this lets the opponent re-guard or invert underneath you.
- × Clasping hands too shallow on the underhook side, allowing the opponent to pummel their leg free and recover butterfly hooks.
- × Driving straight forward instead of angling laterally, which stalls the pass and exposes you to guillotine or loop choke attempts.
Do it from
Positions and situations where the Over-under Pass shows up.
3 less common
Chains into
Where to go next when the Over-under Pass lands, or gets defended.
Where it lands
The position you end up in.
Back Control Top
Half Guard Top
Side Control Top
Common defenses
How opponents shut the Over-under Pass down.
Chains & Sequences
Commonly taught paths through the graph that feature this technique.
Double Stack to Over-Under Pass
Over-Under to Pressurized Half Guard Pass
