If there’s one type of training that is physically demanding but brings huge benefits, it’s drilling.
Besides the gains from repeating the same movement over and over, drills improve your agility, precision and conditioning.
In this article I explain 6 drills to build agility in your guard passing, and I hope they help you surprise that annoying guard player at your next training session.
Ready to drill?
Video lesson – 6 drills to build agility in your guard passing!
Drill 1 - Gorilla movement
This movement is known as the Gorilla Drill: you place one hand on the mat and the other on your partner’s knee. Starting on her right side, your left hand goes on the mat and your right hand goes on her left knee.
Keep the hand on the mat closed in a fist and put your weight on your hands so you have support and can move faster.
I recommend starting slowly to get used to switching hands, then gradually picking up the speed.
Drill 2 - Leg drag entry
Moving your opponent’s leg to the other side of your hips is one of the hardest moments of the leg drag pass. By drilling just the entry of the leg drag, we build the agility to perform this movement better.
If you don’t know the leg drag pass yet, the goal is to throw my partner’s leg to the opposite side of my hips, making it hard for her to recover guard. It’s important to keep my torso upright when I want to move her leg to the other side; this keeps her foot from getting caught in my gi and also reduces the pressure of her foot on my hips.
Drill 3 - Moving from side to side
In this drill the goal is to increase your agility and work on your coordination. With my hands on both of my partner’s knees, I move my body from one side to the other until I get to her side.
Notice that one leg always stays between her feet while the other steps out to the side. Pay attention to this footwork and avoid taking more than one step.
Drill 4 - Leg drag pass
Continuing from the leg drag entry, after bringing my partner’s right leg to the left side of my hips, I put my right knee over her leg and reach for her left lapel with my right hand. It’s very important that my elbow doesn’t leave any space for her to bring her leg back and recover guard. The next step is to grip her belt or pants with my left hand and finish the leg drag guard pass.
Drill 5 - Toreando
The toreando pass is the first guard pass students learn at my academy, and although it’s a simple and intuitive movement, it has a few details that are essential to finishing the pass efficiently.
Basically, you push your partner’s legs forward, making her bend at the hips and reducing her resistance to the movement. Then you just push her legs to one side, toreando-style, and pass to the other, finishing in knee on belly.
Drill 6 - Stomp pass
This is a guard pass that may look hard to pull off, but when it’s well drilled and used at the right moment it’s very effective.
The key to this movement is catching the exact timing as your partner comes up, because it’s when she sits up to reach for my lapel that I can bring my leg over and land in knee on belly.
A very important detail is to bring your leg over the top, lifting it and stepping down next to her hips. Avoid swinging your leg around the side, because she can open her leg and put you back in her guard.
Questions
So, did you like these 6 drills to build agility in your guard passing too?
If you have any questions about any of the movements, just leave a comment and I’ll do my best to help.
Now don’t waste any time: grab your training partners and let’s drill!
Good training!
OSSSS
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