Gustavo Gasperin: Knee Cut Finishes vs the Ankle Pinch

Gustavo Gasperin (@mmaleech), 4th degree BJJ black belt, maps the knee cut pass and the gi and no-gi grips used to flatten the bottom player and free a trapped ankle. From the video: https://youtu.be/I66SzufFJT0

Flow outline

  1. Initial Knee Cut Control

    • Control both legs with the forearm inside the inner thigh before entering the knee slice.
    • From Gustavo Gasperin (@mmaleech), 4th degree BJJ black belt, in the video "Top 6 Knee Cut Pass Variations - BJJ Fundamentals".
    • Grip: forearm runs inside the opponent's inner thigh
    • Grip: no-gi control at the floating ribs and hips
    • Grip: in the gi, control the lapel so the forearm is connected and harder to smash
    • Pressure: keep pushing the bottom foot closer to the ground

  2. Low Heel-Sit Entry

    • Stay low and sit by the heel to prevent the reverse De La Riva.
    • Weight: stay low, sitting on your heel as much as you can
    • Angle: keep the shoulder aligned with his knee
    • Frame: create a wall in front of his leg
    • Avoid Posturing up lets him throw the knee shield in front of you.

  3. Legs Wide Open

    • With the wall set, his legs are far apart and wide open for the pass.
    • Checkpoint: his legs are far apart and wide open
    • Grip: control the arm at the elbow and pull it up to turn him flat
    • Finish: knee slice and pass

  4. Opponent Pinches Ankle

    • The opponent pinches his knees together to trap the ankle and stop the pass.
    • Reaction: he pinches his knees together on your ankle
    • Checkpoint: your foot gets strapped

  5. Flatten The Torso

    • Turn the opponent's torso flat against the mat to weaken his ankle pinch.
    • The idea On his side he can pinch his knees and trap your foot. Flat on his back he can't pinch as well.
    • Pressure: turn his torso flat against the mat
    • Checkpoint: back flat, knees pointing away, spine twisted
    • Finish: it becomes much easier to free your foot

  6. Option 1: Elbow And Shoulder

    • Lift the elbow and drive the forearm against the top shoulder to flatten him.
    • Grip: forearm runs against his top shoulder
    • Grip: keep the arm control you already had and lift the elbow up
    • Pressure: press the forearm against the top shoulder to bring it to the ground
    • Finish: drive your body behind his tricep to pass

  7. Option 2: Bottom Collar

    • Control the bottom collar and open the elbow against the top shoulder to flatten him.
    • Grip: control the bottom collar
    • Pressure: open your elbow and forearm against the top shoulder
    • Weight: drop all your weight on top of that top shoulder
    • Checkpoint: make sure you are not sitting on top of his body
    • Finish: open your knee and bring your hip closer to the ground to free the foot

  8. Option 3: Control Bottom Arm

    • Control the bottom arm to stop him from getting up to his elbow.
    • Grip: control the bottom arm closer to his armpit
    • Pressure: push that shoulder down as you lift his arm up
    • Weight: put all your weight on that shoulder
    • Finish: open your knee and bring your hips closer to the ground to free your foot
    • Finish: cross the arm, chest behind the tricep, establish side control

  9. No-Gi: Ribs And Hip

    • In no-gi, control the floating ribs and hip and reinforce the forearm with the hand.
    • Grip: control closer to the floating ribs and hip
    • Grip: use your hand to reinforce your forearm
    • Pressure: keep opening your elbow to make it harder for him to close his leg

  10. No-Gi: Underhook And Cross Face

    • Use the underhook with a cross face to flatten his back and free the foot.
    • Grip: underhook runs your shoulder against his top shoulder
    • Pressure: add the cross face to turn his head away
    • Finish: free your foot and pass

  11. No-Gi: Underhook And Overhook

    • If he blocks the cross face, use head position and overhook to lift his arm and flatten him.
    • Head Position: get your head next to his head to cross face him
    • Grip: overhook helps lift his arm up
    • Pressure: drive your shoulder against his shoulder with the underhook

  12. No-Gi: Neck Tie

    • If you cannot get the underhook, neck tie and run the forearm in front of his shoulder to flatten him.
    • Grip: get a neck tie
    • Pressure: forearm runs right in front of his shoulder
    • Weight: put all your weight there and pick the bottom elbow
    • Finish: go scarf hold or drop your elbow to the ground to get the underhook
    • Key detail Less reliable than the underhook. Use it when you can't get the underhook.

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