Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Gordon Ryan recently shared his insights on one of the most fundamental guard passing techniques: the toreando pass. In a detailed instructional session with his training partner Dominic, Ryan broke down the key mechanics that make this pass effective, particularly in no-gi situations.
“When you’re working nogi, you don’t have the luxury of grabbing your partner’s pants, which means that the grips that you make aren’t going to be grips that you hold for a long time. They’re going to be more of touchandgo grips,”
This limitation shifts the entire focus of the technique.
“What’s most important when we’re looking at Noki Toryandos is the footwork,”
Rather than relying on prolonged grip control, the passer must master precise foot placement and movement patterns.
The cornerstone of Ryan’s toreando methodology revolves around understanding and conquering what he calls the “hip line” – an imaginary line connecting the opponent’s two hips. This concept is fundamental to creating genuine passing pressure.
“When I take a cross step with my right foot, I make sure that it’s past my partner’s hip line, the line that draws his two hips together. If I step to his hip line, it puts no pressure on him whatsoever. The second I step past Dominic’s hipline, now he’s in real jeopardy of having his guard passed,”
This positioning creates a dramatic shift in the guard dynamic.
“If I don’t step past his hip line, his guard is maintained still by pushing me away with his legs. The second I step past his hip line, he can only maintain guard by pulling his knees to his chest.”
Ryan breaks down the toreando into a specific three-step sequence:
1. Small Outside Step: Begin with a controlled outside step with the lead foot
2. Cross Step Past Hip Line: Take a big cross step that clears the opponent’s hip line completely
3. Pivot: Rotate so the knee points toward the opponent’s far hip
“When I pivot and I point my knee towards his far hip, when he goes to enter my legs, it’ll be much harder for him to do, and my hands are right here to catch his ankles,”
This positioning provides both defensive security and offensive opportunity.
Ryan’s approach creates a metabolic advantage through positioning.
“Every time we get past that hip line, we are putting massive amounts of pressure and strain on his abdomen by pulling his knees to his chest, trying to maintain guard from here,”
This forced defensive posture is
“inherently a lot weaker of a position for him and a lot more taxing as far as fatigue goes. Gets a lot more tiring for Dominic to maintain guard by pulling his knees to his chest rather than pushing his feet away from his chest.”
The technique involves constant lateral movement, switching sides when met with resistance. Ryan demonstrates this flow:
“We play this footwork game where every time we pass from one side to the other, we immediately get past his hip line and ready to go to pass his side control pass to north south or move across on the opposite side.”
The rhythm becomes:
“One here, two here, three pivot. Now he goes in, he goes to bring his knees in. One, two, three. He brings his knees in. One, two, three.”
Ryan’s toreando instruction emphasizes several critical points:
– Footwork precision trumps grip strength in no-gi situations
– Crossing the hip line is non-negotiable for effective pressure
– Touch-and-go grips are sufficient when combined with proper positioning
– Continuous side-to-side movement maintains offensive momentum
– Proper knee positioning provides both attack and defense
“The grips in the legs and the feet, the knees aren’t as important. What’s important is my footwork. I make sure that with every step I’m past my partner’s hipline on one side or the other,”
This systematic approach to the toreando pass demonstrates why Gordon Ryan has achieved such dominance in competitive grappling, turning fundamental techniques into highly refined systems through attention to mechanical details and strategic positioning.
