Roberto Gordo e Rafael Gordinho juntos na Start BJJ Academy. Foto: Reprodução

Professor na nossa GMI Start BJJ Academy, na Flórida, Roberto Gordo traz para o estudioso leitor de GRACIEMAG duas opções para contra-atacar a passagem escorregando o joelho, uma das opções mais básicas e comuns nos treinos e campeonatos.

Na posição, o faixa-preta mostra como anular a progressão da passagem, travando o joelho do oponente. Em seguida, com a perna oposta da passagem, ele projeta o professor Rafael Gordinho para frente, e faz o pêndulo para levantar e ganhar as costas. Na segunda opção, quando o adversário trava o braço, Gordo usa a pegada como vantagem para girar o eixo e terminar por cima.

Veja em detalhes no vídeo abaixo e utilize as opções para surpreender seus adversários no próximo treino. Oss!

Here are a few variations taught by a variety of people so you can decide what approach is best for you:

Easton Training Center shows this simple knee cut:

Rafael Mendes presents you this detailed knee slice pass:

New Breed Academy offers a knee slide variation:

Let us know which way works well for you!

Leandro Lo in knee slice pass position. Photo: Gustavo Aragao

Normally, a preteen teaching at an academy would be one to avoid, however this is a special case. 10-year-old Marissa is a white belt who knows the difference between Gracie Barra medium-heavy world champion Romulo Barral’s knee slice pass and Cicero Costha lightweight world champion Leandro Lo’s knee slice pass.

Kids today, like the Ruotulo twins under the Mendes brothers, show that the level of knowledge is increasing given the access available, high-level of instruction and the evolution of our sport.

Check out the video below let us know how she did:

Guilherme Mendes getting to leg drag position during his second match at the 2013 World Championship. Photo: Kristen Mendes

The Mendes brothers are known for their guards but also their passing which shows their ability to connect moves as well. After seeing a match online with a pass that seems to use three techniques in one then analyzing a certain grip that seems to help a passer prevent someone from recovering guard, we decided to ask Guilherme Mendes about this outside grip on the pants. Normally with knee slice positions we see a grip made on an opponent’s side and then the other hand grips the opponent’s arm or leg. But this grip is different.

Check out Guilherme’s second match from the 2013 Worlds and the grip he uses to make this knee slice, long step, leg drag pass possible and then read our interview him below for explanation:

GRACIEMAG: When you first get to that knee slice position what grips are you looking for?

I’m always trying to get a good control, my first try is always the under hook but when you fight against top level guys it is hard to get and we need to combine attacks until we achieve the position that we want.
We always tell the students that passing the guard is about combination, if you connect the techniques very well and explode you have great changes to pass the guard.

Why do you choose to grab the pants instead of gripping the person’s side/grabbing their gi there?

I always feel my opponents and I try to figure out what guard and grips they are looking for, when I fight against someone who likes the leg lasso or spider guard I use this grip on the pants because I control my opponent’s leg and it’s hard for them to step on my biceps or step on my hips.

Besides that long step pass when you switch your hips, what other passes can you get from that position/grip?

I tell the students that we need to have many attacks from the same grip, because once you get the grips during the fight you can keep attacking the opponent without changing any grip and it will make your pass very powerful. I use that grip for knee slide pass, long step, leg weave and shin slide pass.

Are you always looking to get into the leg drag position or does it depend on how the opponent reacts?

I’m always trying to stabilize in the leg drag position to have a better control. Also the leg drag position gives you the option to choose between back and side control.

It’s all about connecting techniques. I control the pants to prevent the spider guard or leg lasso and I grab the collar to prevent the deep half guard. Once I get my grips I start the knee slide pass, my opponent will push me away to defend and I connect to long step, he starts turning into a double leg to defend the pass and I keep the same grips and jump over his legs getting the leg drag position.

I would like to say thank you so much for all the fans for the amazing messages that we have been receiving on our social media, God is amazing to us and we are very blessed to live our dream. I would like to invite everyone to stop by Art of Jiu Jitsu Academy one day and train with us, our Academy has open doors to everyone! Also, if you wanna watch our classes online visit www.mendesbros.com, we upload every class that we teach and it has been helping a lot of people to learn our moves and concepts! Thank you everyone OSSS

Miyao vs. Morgan / Photo by Erin Herle

At the 2013 IBJJF San Francisco International Open, the international portion of the name was well represented as the Miyao brothers entered the tournament. Despite having competed internationally and winning world titles at the Long Beach Pyramid, the two are still becoming accustomed to the states and its language as they train with GMA academy Art of Jiu-Jitsu under the Mendes Bros.

The duo made their first appearance outside of the all-white, art gallery academy in Costa Mesa, Calif. to compete in the San Francisco Open with their current duo professors. They were able to close out their brown belt featherweight division as well as the brown belt open division but not before enduring some tough fights.

Here is a semi-final match in the featherweight division between Joao Miyao and Damon Morgan from Utah. In about five minutes in, Joao comes up to stand and pass, something we don’t see very often. Paulo Miyao tells GRACIEMAG.com that while in training and in their competition matches they attempt to take the back as many times as it takes to solidify the position.

How do you think he does with the knee-slice attempts? Will we see a new strategy from them moving forward?

In regards to the Mendes Bros patch, don’t worry; they haven’t strayed from their professor Cicero Costha. Guilherme Mendes notes, “he needed a different gi so he borrowed one of ours.”