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Toreando Pass

Quick Introduction​

The toreando pass — Portuguese for "bullfighter" — is the most fundamental open guard pass in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Named after the matador who redirects the bull and steps aside, the toreando works on the same principle: redirect your opponent's legs to one side and circle your body to the other. It is one of the first open guard passes taught to beginners and remains a staple at the highest levels of competition.

The toreando is effective because it addresses the core problem of open guard passing: the opponent's legs are between you and them. Rather than fighting through those legs, the toreando moves them out of the way entirely. Andre Galvao, Leandro Lo, and Rafael Mendes all built world-class passing games around the toreando and its chains.

Technique Overview​

From: Standing vs open guard, seated guard, spider guard, De La Riva | Best against: Open guard, spider guard, DLR, seated guard, lasso guard | Leads to: Side control, knee on belly

Classic Double-Leg Toreando (Fundamental)​

  1. Stand facing your opponent in their open guard — posture upright, knees slightly bent
  2. Establish grips on both legs — in gi, grip the pants at knee level; in no-gi, cup behind both knees
  3. Take a small step back to create tension in their legs — load the spring
  4. Explosively redirect both legs to one side (e.g., push their legs to your left)
  5. In the SAME motion, circle your body to the opposite side (to your right)
  6. Your feet move in an arc around their guard, not a straight line
  7. As you clear their leg line, release your grips — holding on anchors you in place
  8. Drop your chest onto their upper body immediately
  9. Establish crossface with your near arm, underhook with your far arm
  10. Settle into side control or knee on belly

Key detail: The throw and the circle must happen as one explosive movement. If you throw their legs first and then try to circle, they recover guard before you get around. Think of it as redirecting and stepping past simultaneously — like the matador who moves the cape and sidesteps in one motion. The moment you feel your body has cleared their knee line, release the grips and collapse your weight onto them.

Single-Leg Toreando​

  1. Stand facing opponent's open guard
  2. Control one leg — grip below their knee with your same-side hand
  3. Your other hand controls their collar, sleeve, or wrist (gi) or posts on their chest/shoulder (no-gi)
  4. Push the controlled leg across their body toward the opposite side
  5. As the leg crosses their centerline, circle toward the now-open side
  6. Step past the remaining leg using circular footwork
  7. Release the leg grip and drive your chest down
  8. Establish side control with crossface and underhook

Key detail: The single-leg toreando works when you can't get double grips or when one of their legs is particularly active. The upper body control hand is what prevents them from turning into you as you circle. Without it, they simply follow your movement and recompose guard. This variation is especially useful against De La Riva and spider guard where one leg is already committed to a hook or grip.

Toreando to Knee Cut Transition​

  1. Begin the standard double-leg toreando — throw legs to one side, circle to the other
  2. Opponent recovers halfway — they get one leg back in front of you (half guard or quarter guard)
  3. Instead of retreating and resetting, immediately drop your inside knee between their legs
  4. Establish headquarters position — inside knee up, outside knee on mat
  5. Secure crossface with your near arm
  6. Drive your knee across their thigh to complete the knee cut pass
  7. Slide through to side control

Key detail: This transition is why the toreando and knee cut complement each other so well. The toreando forces them to move their legs. If they fully clear, you pass. If they half-recover, you're already in position for the knee cut. The opponent can't defend both passes — blocking the toreando opens the knee cut, and vice versa.

Core Principles​

  1. One explosive motion — The throw and circle happen together. Two separate movements are too slow. Practice until the redirection and sidestep feel like a single action.
  2. Circular footwork — Your feet trace an arc around their guard. Linear movement (straight forward through the legs) gets you caught. Move like you're circling a campfire, not charging through a door.
  3. Grip timing — Grips redirect their legs, then you release them. Holding grips too long after the throw anchors you in place and slows the pass. Release the moment you clear their legs.
  4. Full commitment — The toreando is a speed pass. It works at 100% effort or not at all. Medium-speed toreando gets your legs caught every time. If you're going, go hard.
  5. Chain with other passes — Toreando into leg drag, toreando into knee cut, toreando into X-pass. Never throw the toreando once and stop. Chain 2-3 passing attempts together.

Common Mistakes​

MistakeFix
Throw and circle as two separate actionsPractice until it's one explosive motion — redirect and sidestep together
Linear footwork (pushing straight through)Circle around the guard with arcing steps
Holding grips after clearing the legsRelease grips the moment you pass the leg line — weight drops onto them
Half-speed attemptCommit fully or don't start — medium pace gets your legs caught
Stopping after one failed attemptChain 2-3 passes together — toreando to leg drag to knee cut
No upper body control after passing legsImmediately crossface and underhook — don't reach back for their legs

Next Steps​

  1. Knee Cut Pass - Natural chain from toreando when they half-recover
  2. Side Control - Primary position after the pass
  3. Knee on Belly - Alternative finish from toreando