How To Turn An Almost-Pass Into A Real Pass

17/05/2026

You know the feeling…

You almost passed someone's guard, but somehow they still manage to recover.

You cleared the legs, controlled the hips, and for a moment the pass feels close.

But then they turn back in, create space, and suddenly their legs are back between you again.

One detail that can help here is climbing your control higher instead of staying focused only on the hips.

We are talking about the moment after you already passed the legs and are trying to stabilize the position.

What many people do here is focus only on pinning the hips.

And of course, hip control is important.

But against good guard players, staying only at the hips often gives them enough freedom to frame, turn, shrimp, and recover their guard.

Further thoughts on training, coaching, and pattern recognition are available inside the Private Notes section.