YR Sports Lab
The core of the long step pass is simple: take the lead leg back in one long step while switching your hips, whipping the leg the opponent has hooked free so you can run around both legs before they re-hook. It doesn't fight the opponent's strength; it moves toward space they aren't occupying, which is why it is often chained after Reverse De La Riva or X-Guard. This guide collects what teaching sources say about its attribution, the stepping and head-position mechanics, three entry timings, trade-offs and counters, and is upfront about which details are sourced and which can only be described qualitatively.
1. Origins: a pass that matured in the early 2000s, credited to Terere
The instructional site Attack The Back calls the long step "a staple in today's modern passing sequence" developed mainly by Terere. A second, independent site, Evolve MMA, says the technique came to prominence in the early 2000s, with Fernando "Terere" Augusto as a primary innovator whose "technical mastery, combined with his brand of dynamic BJJ, became one of the catalysts to what we see on the mats today." Both are instructional articles rather than historical research, so this article treats the claim as how teaching sources credit the move, not as a verified invention record.
Fernando "Terere" Augusto: from the favela to five world titles
The English and Portuguese Wikipedia articles agree on the following: Fernando Augusto da Silva was born on 15 November 1979 in Rio de Janeiro (both place the birth in the Cantagalo favela) and is a black belt in the Alliance lineage under Alexandre Paiva. His World Championship (Mundials) golds are blue belt 1997, purple 1998, brown 1999, and black belt 2000 and 2003; the English article lists both black belt titles at -82 kg. The two articles differ slightly on the purple belt year: the English one says the open weight division, while the Portuguese one summarizes that he won the world title in his own weight class at every belt from blue to black. This article therefore draws no conclusion there and uses only the years both share. The English article also lists his 2004 Pan American Championship results as gold in -82 kg and silver in absolute.
The author of BJJ Apprentice says they first encountered the long step through Keenan Cornelius's instructional videos, and quotes Rafael Mendes on forcing the defender onto their side; that is the author's own learning path, not an attribution or a record of how the move spread. As for exactly which match or moment Terere first used this stepping pattern, no reliable primary record could be found, so no story is invented here.
2. Mechanics: stepping, hip switch and head position
The step descriptions from Attack The Back and Evolve MMA complement each other:
| Stage | Key points |
|---|---|
| 1. Grip and stance | Grab the collar, back or near the neck; step the lead leg into the opponent's guard and use the opposite-side hand (right leg forward, left hand grips) |
| 2. Lower your base | Keep the grip and drop your base so the opponent's leg sits between your legs |
| 3. Long step and hip switch | Switch the hips quickly and whip the leg back, landing on the opposite hip with both legs extended to remove the opponent's hooks |
| 4. Plant the head | Plant your head against the opponent's shoulder, chest or hip to keep their hips neutral and stop them turning to follow |
| 5. Upper-body control | Control the upper body with a cross-face or collar grip, and push the top leg's pants outward with the other hand to open the hip |
| 6. Settle into side control | If the opponent recovers to their knees and scrambles, block the inside space with the arm near the hip, then stabilize |
Another coaching newsletter, BJJ Apprentice, adds head-position principles: lower yourself, use your head to block the knee shield, place your head above the defender's shoulder line, and don't face the ceiling. It describes moving from a north-south angle into a tripod position so the whole pass becomes a single movement without multiple transitions. Grip options include the collar in front, a sleeve grip, or a grip behind the back, which keeps you close and lets you drive the shoulder in immediately.
3. Entry timing and setups
First, from Headquarters when the opponent has been forced into half guard and their hips are neutral. Attack The Back describes HQ as a way to force half guard and keep the opponent's hips neutral, and BJJ Apprentice adds that the step works when the back-stepping leg is not fully hooked.
Second, when the opponent turns to their side. Evolve MMA says the best moment is when the opponent turns onto a side and opens the angle, because the hip switch and leg whip flow most easily then.
Third, after Reverse De La Riva, a knee cut or X-Guard. BJJ Apprentice lists Reverse De La Riva, knee cut and HQ as the most effective setups; Attack The Back adds that from X-Guard you first use your hands to weaken the hooks, then step out with the trapped leg. They also suggest pairing it with the folder pass, switching between the two to disrupt the opponent's anticipation.
4. Strengths and limitations
| Strengths | Limitations |
|---|---|
| Moves toward unoccupied space instead of fighting force against force like the knee cut or torreando | Evolve MMA notes it may be less secure than pressure passes because you turn your body away from the opponent instead of toward them |
| Works against many open guards: De La Riva, Reverse De La Riva, X-Guard | If the opponent re-hooks, frames, or returns to their knees, the pass becomes a scramble |
| Can be compressed into a single continuous movement, so the opponent has little time to react | Without the gi there is no collar grip; sources say it is less secure and needs head control or reverse scoop grips |
5. Common counters
BJJ Apprentice describes two main defender reactions: re-pummeling the legs and building frames with the hands so the passer's shoulders and head cannot settle on you. What they share is a short window: you must act before the hips switch and the head lands, because once the head is on your shoulder line a frame is hard to reopen.
Another common answer is to turn to face the passer at the moment of the long step and return to your knees. Evolve MMA describes exactly that scenario, with the passer then having to block the inside space. In other words, the defender's first goal isn't to keep the old guard shape, but to deny a clean settle into side control.
Follow-ups when the opponent recovers (passer's view)
If the opponent blocks the long step with frames or a re-hook, Attack The Back suggests chaining to the leg drag, the knee cut, or another A-B passing sequence.
If the opponent returns to their knees or turns their back, BJJ Apprentice mentions switching to the knee cut, changing sides with a windshield wiper, or taking the back. These follow-ups are teaching-source suggestions; real success rates depend on body types and reactions.
6. Frequency in competition
The IBJJF and ADCC only publish placings and brackets, not usage statistics for individual passes, and no figure specific to the long step pass turned up in the teaching and data sources checked (accessed 2026/10), so no percentage is offered here. What can be said qualitatively is that teaching sources treat it as a standard tool in modern passing, listed alongside the torreando and knee cut.
On scoring, according to a rules summary from the BJJ outlet BJJEE (it does not state the rulebook version; accessed 2026/10), a successful guard pass earns 3 points, but the final position must be held for 3 seconds, with the referee counting by hand. So after the long step, the points depend on stabilizing side control, not on the step itself.
7. Safety notes
The long step pass is not a submission and doesn't directly compress a joint or the airway; this article cites no medical literature, so it gives no injury rates. The mechanical point is Evolve MMA's observation that the move turns away from the opponent. My inference is that your back and neck stay exposed longer after the step, so there is more risk of getting your back taken or your shoulders and neck grabbed than with pressure passes. Drill slowly and confirm head and hip position before adding speed. For overall passing data see our guard-passing efficiency ranking.
・Drill the step and hip switch slowly first, and make sure the landing foot is stable before speeding up, to avoid losing balance and twisting a knee or ankle
・Don't face the ceiling; keep the head above the opponent's shoulder line to lower the chance of getting grabbed around the neck
・If the opponent returns to their knees and a scramble starts, don't force the pass; chain into a knee cut or leg drag
・Tap early if a joint feels stressed or you get caught in a partner drill
FAQ
How is the long step pass different from the knee cut or torreando?
It differs in where the energy goes. Teaching sources describe the knee cut and torreando as force against force, while the long step moves into space the opponent isn't occupying and switches the hips to whip the leg free. The price is that your body turns away, so it is less secure than a pressure pass.
Can I use the long step pass without the gi?
Yes, but it is less secure. With no collar to grab, the common approach is head control or a reverse scoop grip in place of the collar grip, and teaching sources note that this version gives less control than the gi version.
What if the opponent comes back to their knees after my long step?
Block their inside space, then settle into side control. Teaching sources describe the opponent often recovering to their knees and starting a scramble; the passer uses the arm near the hip to block the inside gap, then stabilizes. If the pass stalls, chain into a knee cut or leg drag.
How do I defend when someone long steps me?
The key is to keep the passer's head from landing. Teaching sources list re-pummeling the legs and building hand frames so the passer's shoulder cannot settle on you. The earlier you act, before the hips switch, the better your chance of keeping guard.
References
1. Attack The Back. Long Step Pass. attacktheback.com (accessed 2026/10; supports the "developed mainly by Terere" attribution, the step and head-position mechanics, HQ and X-Guard setups, and chaining to leg drag and knee cut)
2. Evolve MMA. How To Perfect The Long Step Pass In BJJ. evolve-mma.com (accessed 2026/10, independent of the previous source; supports the early-2000s prominence and Terere as a primary innovator, the grip and hip-switch steps, blocking inside space after a return to knees, the security limitation of turning away, and the no-gi version)
3. BJJ Apprentice. Long step, the highly effective gi passing system. bjjapprentice.substack.com (accessed 2026/10; supports the head-position principles, grip options, Reverse De La Riva / knee cut / HQ setups, the re-pummel and frame defenses, and the author's self-described learning source, Keenan Cornelius's videos, plus a Rafael Mendes quote)
4. Wikipedia contributors. Fernando "Tererê" Augusto. en.wikipedia.org (accessed 2026/10; supports birth on 1979/11/15 in Rio, Alliance and Alexandre Paiva, World Championship golds in 1997 to 2000 and 2003, and the 2004 Pan American record)
5. Wikipedia colaboradores. Fernando Tererê. pt.wikipedia.org (accessed 2026/10, cross-checked against the previous source; supports the Cantagalo birthplace and the world title years)
6. BJJEE. IBJJF Three-Second Rule for Guard Passes and Points. bjjee.com (third-party rules summary, rulebook version not stated, accessed 2026/10; supports the 3-point guard pass and 3-second stabilization)