Chest Over Chest Passing Concept
Josh McKenny Seminar
Back in April I went to the Bjj Mental Models Spring Jiu-Jitsu Camp, where one of the scheduled classes was Josh McKinney’s Chest Over Chest Concept.
As I watched him discuss the process I thought two things. One was, damn this man is engaging. He was funny and witty. You could tell he had been teaching a while. Two, I thought, it can’t be that simple.. could it?
I would categorize myself as a guard passer with a heavy emphasis on pressure passing. So as I was sitting there watching Josh demonstrate his approach, it went against a lot of what or the way I was taught to pass.
Since getting back to San Diego, I’ve been been implementing the Chest Over Chest Concept in each of my rolls. Previously, I used to be very specific about how I approach passing, maybe even overly technical if I’m going to be honest.
Since diving into this concept, it’s really simplified my passing.
Things I’ve Learned To Keep In Mind
Pass The Feet - Early on I noticed that it was important to get past the feet. Making sure that they weren’t hooking, lifting, or pushing. The soles of my opponents feet are not allowed to press against any part of my body.
Create An Angle - I still approach my passing at an angle, similar to when I would force the Knee Cut or Half Guard. Instead, now I stay standing until I can make that chest to chest connection.
Eco Approach - What I like about this approach is that I can actually turn it into a mini game pretty easily. I can choose to stay standing or hovering over my opponent and fend off the guard.
My Favorite Passing Position
Half Guard - I like to initiate this position when people who have intricate guards. It allows me to shut down half of their weapons while catching my breath. What I will often do now is start to get tall, often even standing and leaning over the knee shield to create the angles I want for the passing.
Headquarters/Split Squat - This is by far has been my favorite passing positions for the last few years. It allows me to create pressure, forcing the Knee Cut or Sprawl Pass, and even initiating the floating passing.
Destroying Frames To Get Chest Over Chest
Josh McKinney Teaches Chest Over Chest
Related Guard Passes
While the Chest to Chest Concept might not be classified as a pass, many other named passes fall into the family of passes that use very similar approaches.
Josef Chen Tripod Passing | B-Team
Gordon Ryan’s Float Passing
Thank you,
David Figueroa-Martinez
Founder, DFM Coaching
Coach | Writer | Grappler
DFM Coaching is dedicated to helping you overcome mental hurdles and achieve your full potential in BJJ. Whether through in-person instruction, seminars, private lessons, remote coaching, or video analysis, I provide personalized support tailored to your needs. Keep pushing forward, and let’s grow together!
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