Knee Cut Pass from De La Riva Guard

Knee Cut Pass from De La Riva Guard is a passing sequence that clears the legs built around a handful of repeatable controls. The passer is standing in front of the bottom player who has a De La Riva hook, with the trapped leg loaded and the free leg posted. Another common starting shape: the passer has dropped the inside knee on the De La Riva pass but the bottom player's knees crowd the shoulder, blocking the drop into side control; or the opponent has long legs that threaten to close the guard. The ideas that hold it together are knee crosses the centerline, upper body controls before legs follow, and walk knee back for space.

The knee cut pass chain is a sequence of small controls, not one athletic burst. Dump the DLR hook to the inside. Drive the trapped knee across the bottom player's hip. Post on the head or shoulder for base. Shift weight forward and slide into side. After dropping the inside knee, slide the same knee back along the mat to open space between the chests. Against long-legged opponents, dig for the underhook or thread the head under the armpit to prevent guard recovery. Look toward the legs and push the bottom player's elbow up while ducking under the armpit. Apply chest pressure and windshield-wipe the trailing leg around to side control. The passer has driven the trapped knee across the bottom player's centerline, pinning the legs and arriving in side control.

Later in the knee cut pass, head under armpit beats elbow lift, low base, and kill the hook then cut tend to decide whether the position stays on track. Watch for these mistakes: Lifting the knee instead of driving it across. Forgetting the upper body crossface. Leaving the trail leg behind. Trying to fall into side control with no space, getting caught back in guard. The high-percentage version of knee cut pass from de la riva guard is the one you can still chain when the bottom player recovers a hook.