Half-Guard x High Knee Shield

HG001 - passing this bullsh!t efficiently

Author

BJJ All Day
March 17, 2025

Half Guard Passing: Murder the High Knee Shield

🚀 Why This Pass is So Effective

✅ Works against strong knee shield players – kills leverage
✅ Prevents bottom player from escaping – hip control = no shrimping, no guard retention
✅ Eliminates reliance on upper-body pins – avoids getting stuck battling frames
✅ Creates a smoother, systematic progression – breaking the angle first makes the actual pass repeatable

Instead of forcing a pass / burning energy, Meregali first disassembles what makes the high knee shield effective [the defensive structure], and then builds the attack sequence from there.

🧠 angle bottom player from 45 to flat > control ineffective knee shield > control hips > build to upper attacks = today the mount ☠️

Read time: ~5 minutes [seriously, if you can’t in 5, quit]

Step 1: Forget the Upper Body [at first]

Goal Simplified:

  • get bottom player to commit to high knee shield

  • keep weight connected to hips, not upper body

  • keep hips back behind opponents hips [don’t commit weight forward yet]

  • walk opponents hips / back flat at an angle

Step 2: Breaking the Angle First

Goals Simplified:

  • kill HKS by getting opponent flat

  • isolate hip

  • The bottom player uses a high knee shield and strong frames to keep their structure intact

  • your goal is to kill that

  • how? flatten the opponent = removes their ability to use the knee shield effectively

  • Using hip pressure to turn their lower body

  • drives weight into their hips

  • hey look, it’s isolated.

  • now get that annoying a$$ knee out of the f*ing way = knee drag

Step 3: chest to chest with that b*ch

Goals Simplified:

  • knee drag

  • feel each other’s heart beat [you’re so gay for reading that]

  • pull the knee through

  • get chest to chest and cook a sec to admire your work

1

2

3

Bonus Step: transition to mount

1

pummel hand inside

2

3

4

crossface + post

5

walk knees away

6

push knee down and get ¾ mount

7

get underhook

8

tilt hip weight off to the side but keep hips elevated

9

pummel butterfly hook and mount up

Final Recap

Take your time. This pass is a cycle of breaking structure, shifting weight, and isolating limbs and then working to mount.

1️⃣ Condense weight onto the hips 
2️⃣ Flatten opponent 
3️⃣ Knee drag, Re-condense
4️⃣ Work Upper body grips to pass into ¾ mount

Rep it out this week. BJJALLDAY, OUT.