Knee Cut Pass
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The knee cut, also called the knee slice or knee slide, is a pass where you drive one knee across the bottom player's thigh to the mat on the far side while you control their upper body, sliding past their legs straight into side control. It works in gi and no-gi, against half guard and most open guards.
The pass, step by step
Control the upper body first. If they can turn into you, the knee has nowhere to go.
- Control the far side
- Get an underhook on their far arm or a crossface, or in the gi a deep collar grip, so they cannot turn in toward you.
- Pin the bottom leg
- Grip the pants or knee of their near leg and keep your trailing leg back and heavy so they cannot recover half guard.
- Cut across the thigh
- Slide your lead knee diagonally across their thigh until it touches the mat on the far side, hips low, chest heavy on theirs.
- Free the trailing leg
- Pull your back foot out of their legs and settle into side control. The pass scores once the position is held.
When they defend
Drill these first.
- If they frame with a knee shield
- Bring your knee to the inside of the shield and drop your weight on it, or switch the angle and back step if the shield is too strong.
- If they win the underhook
- Their head comes up to dogfight. Whizzer and crossface to flatten them back down, or give up the cut and go to a different pass.
- If they trap your trailing foot
- You are stuck in half guard. Stay heavy, flatten them, and free the foot with your other leg before you cut again.
- If they turn away from you
- Their back is exposed. Take the seatbelt and follow to the back instead of finishing the pass.
- If they hook your lead leg from inside
- That's reverse De La Riva, which is made to stop the knee cut. Clear the hook before you cut, or switch to a leg drag.
How to defend the knee cut
Turn toward the passer and build your frames before their knee gets across: a knee shield across their hip, a frame on their neck or biceps, and an underhook if you can get it. If the knee is already past your thigh, block the near hip with your bottom hand and recover guard as they move.
Frequently asked questions
Is the knee cut the same as the knee slice?
Yes. Knee cut, knee slice, and knee slide are names for the same pass: your knee slides across their thigh to the mat while you control their upper body.
Does the knee cut work in no-gi?
Yes. Without the gi you use an underhook or a crossface in place of the collar grip and grip behind the knee instead of the pants. You'll see it all the time in no-gi.
Why do I get swept when I knee cut?
Usually because you cut before controlling their upper body, so they turn in, win the underhook, and come up. Get the crossface or underhook first and keep your weight on them through the cut.
How many points is a knee cut pass?
Under IBJJF rules any guard pass is 3 points once you hold side control, north-south, or another position past the legs for 3 seconds.
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