The MOST Important Guard Passing Principle

Summary

Hip stapling is a powerful principle in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) that focuses on pinning the opponent's hips to the floor to limit their movement and improve guard passing. By controlling the pelvis and locking the tailbone down, practitioners can prevent escapes, reduce guard recovery, and create more opportunities for submissions. This technique applies to various guard passes, such as the toriondo and knee cut passes, and has defensive benefits as well, making it harder for opponents to attack submissions or use hooks like daily hiva. Understanding hip stapling is essential for both offensive and defensive BJJ strategies.

Takeaways

• 😀 Hip stapling is a powerful principle in guard passing that focuses on immobilizing the opponent's hips to limit their mobility.
• 😀 Instead of memorizing countless guard passes, understanding the principle of hip stapling can help you make faster, more effective decisions during guard passing.
• 😀 There are two types of pins: the shoulder blade pin (upper body control) and the hip pin (tailbone and pelvis control). Hip pinning is essential in neutralizing your opponent's movement.
• 😀 Locking the opponent’s hips to the floor prevents them from rotating their legs, making guard retention much more difficult.
• 😀 Hip stapling is often the first step before shoulder blade pinning, especially when transitioning to dominant positions like side control.
• 😀 When passing the guard, focusing on pinning the hips to the floor limits the opponent's ability to recompose guard or defend effectively.
• 😀 In techniques like the Toriando pass and knee cut, locking the hips down early in the process makes it easier to bypass the legs and maintain control.
• 😀 The north-south position can be used to force the opponent's hips to the floor when hip pinning from a traditional guard pass is difficult.
• 😀 Understanding hip stapling helps with both offense and defense, as it also reduces the opponent’s ability to create offensive momentum or chase submissions.
• 😀 Hip pinning reduces the effectiveness of techniques like the Daily Hiva hook, as the opponent’s ability to create angle and leverage is limited when their hips are controlled.
• 😀 Defensive benefits of hip pinning include preventing your opponent from executing submissions like triangles, omoplatas, and armbars, as these require the opponent’s hips to be elevated.

Q & A

What is hip stapling in guard passing?

Hip stapling is a principle where you pin your opponent’s hips or pelvis to the floor, locking their tailbone down. This makes it difficult for them to rotate or recompose their guard, and is essential for successfully passing open guard.

How does hip stapling help when passing the guard?

By pinning the opponent's hips to the floor, you limit their ability to move their legs freely, making it harder for them to fight off your pass or bring their knee in between you to escape side control.

What is the difference between shoulder blade pinning and hip pinning?

Shoulder blade pinning locks both of your opponent’s shoulder blades to the mat, restricting their upper body and making it easier to attack upper body submissions. Hip pinning, on the other hand, focuses on locking the opponent's pelvis and tailbone to the floor, limiting their mobility and making it harder to defend guard passes.

Why is the hip pin often applied before the shoulder blade pin?

The hip pin is applied first because it addresses the core and hips, which are crucial in defending guard passes. By controlling the hips, you prevent the opponent from repositioning or using their legs effectively, making it easier to transition to shoulder blade pinning later.

How does locking the tailbone to the floor affect guard retention?

Locking the tailbone to the floor significantly limits the guard player's mobility, especially in terms of leg movement. This can make it much harder for them to move their legs to defend or attack, helping the passer to clear the guard more easily.

Can hip stapling be useful for guard players as well?

Yes, understanding hip stapling can benefit guard players as well. By keeping their own tailbone down and maintaining core tension, guard players can make their guard much more difficult to pass, especially for beginners who often struggle with their hips and core position.

What is the purpose of controlling the opponent’s shins or pants in a toriondo pass?

Controlling the opponent's shins or pants in the toriondo pass helps to stabilize the opponent's lower body while you work to pin their hips to the floor. This action limits their ability to recompose guard and makes it easier to pass their legs.

What should you do if your opponent’s tailbone is not easily pinned during a pass?

If the tailbone is difficult to pin, you can transition to a north-south position and use your hands to drive the opponent’s hips down towards the floor. Once the hips are controlled, you can continue with the pass or transition to side control.

How does the knee cut pass benefit from hip pinning?

In a knee cut pass, pinning the opponent's hips to the floor reduces their ability to defend by elevating their legs or bumping you with their bottom leg. By locking their tailbone to the floor, you restrict their movement, making it easier to cut through and control the pass.

What are some of the defensive advantages of hip pinning?

Defensively, hip pinning makes it harder for the opponent to execute submissions such as triangles, omo platas, or armbars, as these require the tailbone to lift off the floor. It also reduces the effectiveness of daily hiva hooks and shuts down the opponent's ability to create momentum, especially when they are using a collar grip.