What is the Torreando Pass in BJJ?

The Torreando Pass, also known as the Bullfighter Pass, is a guard pass that serves as a speed-and-angle alternative to the knee cut. It utilizes pant-cuff or ankle grips to pin the bottom player's legs while the passer steps around to achieve side control or knee on belly.

What are the three key principles for executing the Torreando Pass?

First, the passer must remove the bottom player's hooks before stepping to avoid being swept. Second, the hips must be controlled by driving the feet wide and toward the floor, not toward the chest. Third, the step must travel laterally in a wide arc rather than forward into the legs.

How do modern practitioners vary the Torreando Pass?

Rafael Mendes uses a hopping variation to prevent grip recovery, while Marcus Buchecha employs a heavier, slower version emphasizing the cross-face. Tainan Dalpra and Mica Galvao integrate it into flows that switch to a knee cut if the opponent squares back up.

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TORREANDO PASS

Passagem Toreador

In Short

The Torreando Pass, or Bullfighter Pass, is a high-percentage guard pass that uses speed and angle rather than grinding pressure. It involves pinning the opponent's legs with double grips, removing hooks, and stepping laterally in a wide arc to finish in side control or knee on belly.

Also known as: Bullfighter Pass, Toreando

The torreando, or bullfighter pass, is the speed-and-angle answer to open guard. Named for the matador's pass-and-step around the bull's horns, the technique uses pant-cuff or ankle grips to pin the bottom player's legs to the mat while the passer steps around to side control or knee on belly. It is the natural counterpart to the knee cut: where the knee cut grinds through pressure, the torreando passes on speed and angle. Together they form the two-pillar foundation of modern competitive passing.

The technique starts with double-pant-cuff or double-ankle grips. The passer stands or postures to a high base, drives the bottom player's feet toward the mat to flatten the hips, and steps in a wide arc to one side while shoving both knees toward the floor and away from the passing direction. As the passer steps around, one hand releases the pant cuff to underhook the near-side armpit or grip the lapel, and the other hand maintains pin pressure on the leg until the body has cleared the legs entirely. The pass finishes in side control or knee on belly with the cross-face established.

The technique's effectiveness rests on three principles. First, the passer must remove the bottom player's hooks before stepping — any retained hook converts the torreando into a sweep. Second, the passer must control the bottom player's hips by driving the feet wide and toward the floor, not toward the chest, since hips-to-chest gives the bottom player elevation back into a guard. Third, the step must travel laterally rather than forward; passing forward into the legs invites a leg-lock entry or a re-guard. With these three principles in place the torreando works against nearly every open guard, including spider, lasso, De La Riva, and reverse De La Riva.

The modern game has elevated the torreando from a basic pass into a series of variations. Rafael Mendes built his competitive style around a hopping torreando that bounces the bottom player's feet repeatedly to prevent grip recovery. Marcus Buchecha used a heavier, slower torreando that emphasized the cross-face on landing. Tainan Dalpra and Mica Galvao have integrated the torreando into a flow that switches mid-pass to a knee cut if the bottom player squares back up. At every level it remains a high-percentage option, particularly against a fatigued bottom player.

KEY POINTS

01Establish double-pant-cuff or double-ankle grips and drive the feet toward the mat to flatten the hips.
02Remove all hooks before stepping — any retained hook converts the pass into a sweep.
03Step laterally in a wide arc, not forward into the legs.
04Release one grip to underhook the armpit or grip the lapel as you arrive on the side.
05Land in side control or knee on belly with cross-face established immediately.
06If the bottom player squares back up, transition mid-pass to a knee cut rather than reset.

COMMON MISTAKES

✕Stepping forward into the legs rather than laterally — invites leg locks and re-guards.
✕Failing to drive the feet down before stepping, leaving the bottom player's hips elevated and active.
✕Holding both grips for too long after the step, preventing the underhook and cross-face from establishing.
✕Stepping in a narrow arc that lets the bottom player track with their legs.
✕Standing too upright without forward chest pressure once the side has been reached.

TRAINING DRILLS

→Foot-pin drill: pin the partner's feet to the mat from standing and step laterally without finishing, 30 reps per side.
→Hook-removal drill: partner repeatedly establishes hooks; you remove them before each step.
→Torreando-to-knee-cut transition: partner squares up mid-pass; you flow into the knee cut without retreating.
→Cross-face-on-landing drill: every torreando finishes with cross-face and underhook explicitly established before disengaging.
→Live open-guard rounds with torreando-only pass: forces development of speed, hook removal, and angle.

NOTABLE PRACTITIONERS

Rafael Mendes · Marcus Buchecha · Tainan Dalpra · Mica Galvao

Frequently Asked

What is the Torreando Pass in BJJ?: The Torreando Pass, also known as the Bullfighter Pass, is a guard pass that serves as a speed-and-angle alternative to the knee cut. It utilizes pant-cuff or ankle grips to pin the bottom player's legs while the passer steps around to achieve side control or knee on belly.
What are the three key principles for executing the Torreando Pass?: First, the passer must remove the bottom player's hooks before stepping to avoid being swept. Second, the hips must be controlled by driving the feet wide and toward the floor, not toward the chest. Third, the step must travel laterally in a wide arc rather than forward into the legs.
Which guards is the Torreando Pass effective against?: The technique works against nearly every open guard, including spider, lasso, De La Riva, and reverse De La Riva guards.
How do modern practitioners vary the Torreando Pass?: Rafael Mendes uses a hopping variation to prevent grip recovery, while Marcus Buchecha employs a heavier, slower version emphasizing the cross-face. Tainan Dalpra and Mica Galvao integrate it into flows that switch to a knee cut if the opponent squares back up.