YR Sports Lab
The Over-Under Pass takes its name straight from the grip: one arm goes "over" the top of one of the opponent's legs, the other goes "under" the other leg, pinning both legs between your own knees before you drive your head into their belly and walk your way through. It's one of the oldest, least speed-dependent pressure passes in jiu-jitsu, relying on body weight and grip control rather than the angle changes of a standing pass. This entry breaks down its grips and footwork, three entry timings, strengths and limitations, common counters, and how a heavyweight world champion turned it into his signature weapon.
1. Origins: an "elder statesman" pass with no single inventor
Unlike many jiu-jitsu techniques with a clear inventor and a signature match, the Over-Under Pass reads more like a technique that's simply always been part of the system. Instructional platform Evolve University's teaching material notes that the name maps directly onto the grip structure, and that it's one of the most traditional approaches among pressure-passing systems, long a core part of every academy's fundamentals passing curriculum, with no single inventor attached to it.
A 5-time world champion's signature weapon: Bernardo Faria
In the modern competitive scene, Bernardo Faria is the figure most associated with mastering this pass. Two independent sources, Wikipedia and sports outlet Lowkick MMA, both report that he's a Brazilian heavyweight (around 100kg) competitor representing Alliance Jiu-Jitsu, with at least 4 IBJJF World Championship black belt gold medals across his career (2010, 2013, and a double gold in 2015 across the heavyweight and absolute divisions), and that he co-founded the instructional platform BJJ Fanatics. Lowkick MMA's report describes Faria as "renowned for his over/under pass, creating immense pressure and multiple passing options, switching between over and under passes until opponents concede the position," and the technique has become the centerpiece of several of his instructional releases, making him one of the figures most associated with the over-under pass in the BJJ community.
This kind of lineage, no single origin story but a competitor who came to define it, isn't unusual among jiu-jitsu's foundational techniques. Rather than being born in one legendary match, the Over-Under Pass looks more like a tool refined by generation after generation of practitioners until it was eventually systematized and taught by one particular champion.
2. Mechanics: from the grips to the finish in side control
Evolve University's technique breakdown splits the whole sequence into grips, weight distribution and footwork, three stages, with the core logic being "lock both legs down first, then drive your weight through":
| Stage | Key points |
|---|---|
| ① Establish the over-hook | Bring one arm "over" the outside of one of the opponent's legs, gripping their belt or pant leg to control the hip |
| ② Establish the under-hook | Thread the other arm "under" the opponent's other leg, gripping fabric or the leg itself |
| ③ Pin the legs | Pinch the controlled leg between your own knees so the opponent has no room to extract it and recover guard |
| ④ Head on the belly, toes up | Drive your head and shoulder into the opponent's belly to apply weight, while staying up on your toes for pressure and mobility |
| ⑤ Walk laterally to finish | Walk laterally on your toes to force the opponent's hips away from you, circling around the legs to finish in side control |
When the opponent tries to close their half guard back around your trapped leg, Evolve University's fix is to switch which arm holds which grip and increase the pressure turning the opponent further away, preventing them from fully locking the half guard back down. The whole sequence depends less on speed and more on "patiently maintaining pressure without rushing," since moving too fast through the walk often gives the opponent room to rebuild their guard.
3. Entry timings and setups
First, when the opponent traps one of your legs in half guard. This is the classic entry point: from knee-on-belly or a seated pin controlling the opponent's upper body, establish the over-hook and under-hook the moment their half guard hook hasn't fully tightened yet.
Second, when the opponent's open guard is still framing on both feet but their upper-body grips have released. As long as the opponent hasn't reconnected their hands to your hip or collar, closing the distance to lock down both leg grips is safe.
Third, when the opponent is flexible and relies on wrapping their legs to create angles. The core value of the over-under pass is using body weight to shut down that flexibility outright, taking away the space the opponent's legs need to generate force, which is why it works especially well against loose, inverting opponents.
4. Strengths and limitations
| Strengths | Limitations |
|---|---|
| Relies on body weight and grip stability rather than standing footwork and speed, so bigger, stronger heavyweight athletes tend to pick it up quickly | Requires sustaining close pressure for an extended time, a stamina profile closer to a grinding fight than a quick standing pass |
| Effectively shuts down flexible, inverting opponents by pinning both legs so they have almost no room to resist | If the opponent re-closes half guard around a trapped leg, passing progress stalls badly and grips need to be reset |
| High success rate in the gi, where you can grip the pant legs and belt directly to help control, making it a shared fundamental pass across every belt level | No-gi loses the fabric grips, usually forcing a switch to the hip or upper thigh, which demands more core and arm strength |
5. Common counters
The BJJ technique database Outlier Database frames the core defensive principle this way: don't just try to block the first grip, block the entire chain that follows. Two specific counters come up repeatedly:
First, before the opponent fully secures both grips, frame their head away or grab the arm on their scoop-grip side. The over-under pass depends on the head staying pinned tight to the opponent's hip, so framing the head away or trapping the scoop-grip arm delays them from winning that head position.
Second, once a leg is trapped, pull that foot back toward the armpit of the scoop-grip arm. Outlier Database records this as a way to block the opponent's next walking path and stall their passing progress.
Follow-up options once one leg is already trapped
If the opponent has already secured both grips and is walking on their toes, prioritize framing with your near arm to block their forward path while pulling your far foot back toward their scoop-grip armpit to reclaim the angle rather than trying to out-muscle the pressure.
If side control is already fully established, prioritize framing your bottom arm against the opponent's hip or shoulder to prevent an immediate transition to knee-on-belly, and pull your near-side arm back against your body to keep them from securing far-side control.
6. Competition frequency
Neither the IBJJF nor ADCC publishes usage rates for specific passing techniques, only placements and bracket results, so the over-under pass has no technique-specific statistic of its own; the only available reference is BJJ Heroes' third-party analysis of overall passing frequency. BJJ Heroes' editorial analysis covers 1,089 adult black belt matches from the 2016-2019 IBJJF World Championships and the 2018-2019 Pan Championships (accessed 2026/09): on average, matches saw only 0.2 successful passes each, meaning most matches end without anyone completing a single pass; but once a pass does land, the passer's win probability jumps to 99.6%, far above the 64% win rate that follows a successful sweep. The same analysis also notes that in modern competition, close-pressure passes as a group, the over-under pass included, are used less overall than speed-based passes like the knee slice, making them a "rare but nearly match-sealing when they land" category most common among heavyweights and pressure-style competitors.
On the rules side, the over-under pass is a standard guard pass involving no joint manipulation or compression submission, and as of the 2026 IBJJF rule set, it's legal across every belt and age division, in both gi and no-gi competition, with no additional restrictions.
7. Safety notes
The over-under pass itself isn't a submission and doesn't put direct pressure on an opponent's joints or airway, so its overall injury risk sits lower than most joint locks and chokes. But keeping your head low near the opponent's hip for an extended time during the walk does carry a specific risk: instructional platform ProgressJJ's guillotine choke material notes that "the arm-in guillotine is best applied when your opponent is trying to pass your guard and exposes an arm," meaning the moment your over-hooking arm is briefly exposed while fighting for control is exactly the window where an opponent is most likely to counter with a guillotine. Stay alert during drilling and competition, and tap early the moment you feel your neck getting wrapped up. For a fuller look at guard passing as an overall injury category, see our other article: BJJ Guard Passing Efficiency Rankings: Top 10 Techniques, Counter Data and Black Belt Chains (Chinese only).
・While keeping your head on the opponent's belly, tuck your chin slightly and avoid leaving your neck fully relaxed within reach of their arms
・If you feel your neck getting wrapped up and your breathing restricted, stop immediately and tap; don't try to grind through it
・Beginners should slow down the pace of establishing both grips and walking, confirming the leg pin is solid before speeding up
・Extended close pressure loads the knees and lower back more than speed passes, so pay attention to whether soreness there lingers past the normal range after training
FAQ
Can white belts learn the Over-Under Pass right away?
Yes. It's one of the most traditional pressure passes in jiu-jitsu, involving no joint manipulation and relying on grips and body weight instead, so it's a staple of most academies' fundamentals passing curriculum. For white belts, the priority is drilling the structure first, head heavy on the opponent's belly with your toes up, before adding walking speed.
Does the Over-Under Pass still work in no-gi?
Yes, but the grips change. In the gi you can grip the pant legs or belt directly and use fabric friction; without fabric to grab in no-gi, the usual substitute is gripping the hip or upper thigh directly, which demands more core and arm strength than the gi version.
How do I escape someone's Over-Under Pass?
The earlier you react, the better. Before your opponent fully secures both grips, frame their head away or grab the arm on their scoop-grip side to stop them from winning head position. If one leg is already trapped, pulling that foot back toward the armpit of their scoop-grip arm is a common way to reclaim the angle.
How is the Over-Under Pass different from Knee Cut or Torreando?
All three are guard passes, but they draw energy from different places. Knee Cut and Torreando rely on speed and angle changes, so smaller, more agile athletes can run high success rates with them too. The Over-Under Pass relies on close body pressure, pinning both of the opponent's legs between your knees so they have no room to resist, which is why bigger, stronger heavyweight athletes tend to favor it.
Is the Over-Under Pass risky to drill? What should I watch for?
Overall injury risk is lower than most joint locks and chokes, since the pass itself doesn't put direct pressure on a joint or the airway. The main risk comes from keeping your head low near the opponent's hip for an extended time, since your over-hooking arm can get briefly exposed to a guillotine counter; tap early if you feel your neck getting wrapped up, and also watch for cumulative knee and lower-back strain from prolonged close pressure.
References
1. Evolve University. BJJ Over-Under Guard Passing. evolve-university.com (accessed 2026/09; supports the grips, weight distribution and footwork mechanics of the over-under pass, and the fix for when an opponent re-closes half guard)
2. Wikipedia contributors. Bernardo Faria. en.wikipedia.org (accessed 2026/09; supports Bernardo Faria's nationality, Alliance Jiu-Jitsu affiliation, IBJJF World Championship black belt gold medals in 2010/2013/2015, and his co-founding of BJJ Fanatics)
3. Lowkick MMA. Bernardo Faria. lowkickmma.com (accessed 2026/09, cross-checked against the previous source; supports Bernardo Faria's birthplace, heavyweight division, 2010/2013/2015 World Championship gold medals, and his description as "renowned for his over/under pass")
4. BJJ Heroes. Modern Day Guard Passing By The Numbers. bjjheroes.com (third-party statistical analysis covering 1,089 black belt matches from the 2016-2019 IBJJF World Championships and 2018-2019 Pan Championships, accessed 2026/09; supports the average of 0.2 successful passes per match, the 99.6% win rate following a successful pass, and the note that close-pressure passing overall trails speed-based knee-slide passing in usage)
5. Outlier Database (Outlier Mat Minute). Over Under Guard Retention. outliermatminute.substack.com (accessed 2026/09; supports the counters of framing the head away, grabbing the scoop-grip arm, and pulling a trapped foot back to the opponent's armpit)
6. ProgressJJ. Mastering the Guillotine Choke: Techniques & Counters. progressjj.co.uk (accessed 2026/09; supports the note that the arm-in guillotine choke is best applied when an opponent attempting to pass guard exposes an arm, used here as the basis for the neck-safety note during the over-under pass)