Smash Pass from Pressure Passing

Smash Pass from Pressure Passing is a passing sequence that clears the legs built around a handful of repeatable controls. Top player is in butterfly guard top with the bottom player loading a hook to elevate. Another common starting shape: player has come up on the trapped leg from the De La Worm X and the opponent is on their side defending. The ideas that hold it together are use the elevation moment as a smash trigger, smash the shield first, and convert to half guard then pass.

The smash pass chain is a sequence of small controls, not one athletic burst. Shoot one underhook and one overhook on the bottom thigh as the lift starts. Drive forward and to the side to smash both legs to the mat. Walk the hips around to consolidate the pass once the legs are pinned. Drive the chest across the opponent's stacked legs. Use the lead arm to pin the top knee down. Walk the hips to side control as the legs are flattened. Underhook the bottom player's far arm and use the shoulder to drive the knee shield down toward the mat. Once the knee shield collapses, settle into top half guard with the cross-face deep. Top player has shot an over-under, smashed the bottom legs to one side, and settled in a stacked passing position.

Later in the smash pass, weight precedes pummel, smash creates the conditions for the underhook, and hips forward of knees tend to decide whether the position stays on track. Watch for these mistakes: Standing tall to defend the lift, losing the over-under window. Smashing without first stacking the legs on top of each other. Letting the head drift away from the chest pressure. Trying to step over the knee shield instead of smashing it down. The high-percentage version of smash pass from pressure passing is the one you can still chain when the bottom player recovers a hook.