What is the Leg Weave Pass?
The leg-weave pass threads your near arm under the bottom player’s top thigh from half guard, connecting to a weave that kills the knee shield and lets you drive hips through to side control. It rewards tight elbows, chest pressure, and patience against Z-guard frames.
Win Half-Guard Control
Do not weave from a losing underhook battle.
- Establish chest pressure and a cross-face or far underhook
- Pinch elbows to shrink the knee shield
- Keep your free knee ready but do not yank it early
- Feel the shield soften
Insert the Weave
- Thread the near arm under their top thigh
- Connect the weave so the shield cannot re-form
- Drive hips toward the cleared side
- Extract your trapped knee as their frame collapses
Clear to Side Control
Finish the pass on the mat.
- Settle into side control with cross-face and underhook
- Sprawl hips to kill bridges
- Clear any remaining half-guard hooks
- Stabilize before mounting or attacking
Key Grips & Control Points
- Near arm woven under their top thigh / knee shield
- Far underhook or cross-face to stop their sit-up
- Chest pressure flattening the shield
- Hips ready to free the trapped knee once the weave locks
Timing & Movement Cues
- Weave when the knee shield softens or they reach for underhooks
- Drive as their shoulders leave the mat
- Free your knee when the weave has already killed the frame
Pressure & Weight Distribution
- Connect the weave before blasting the pass
- Keep the cross-face honest so they cannot reverse
- Walk hips toward the head as the shield collapses
Typical Counters to Expect
- Recovering a stiff knee shield and framing your neck
- Old-school or deep-half entries if your underhook is weak
- Back takes when you overcommit the weave without head control
Follow-Up Options
- Side control with cross-face once the leg clears
- Mount if they keep turning into you
- Body-lock pass chains if they re-lock half guard loosely
Setups & Entries
- Flatten Z-guard with chest pressure, then weave
- Fake knee slide to make them over-extend the shield
- Win the underhook battle before inserting the weave
Training Drills
- Half-guard weave inserts with cooperative shields
- Weave-to-side-control pressure rounds
- Pass consolidations against intentional re-lock attempts
Coaching Notes
- Weave plus head control — the arm alone is not enough
- Free your trapped knee only after the shield dies
- Stay heavy; floating weaves get reversed
Related Study
Connect this movement with complementary positions and attacks.
Summary
Leg-weave passes kill half-guard shields by threading under the thigh and driving through. Win head control, lock the weave, free your knee, and settle in side control.