# Body-Lock Pass

> A close-range no-gi pass that locks around the torso or hips to compress seated guards, pin the knees, and climb to upper-body control.

- **Canonical page:** https://www.ossmeta.com/techniques/body-lock-pass
- **Markdown:** https://www.ossmeta.com/techniques/body-lock-pass.md
- **JSON:** https://www.ossmeta.com/api/public/techniques/body-lock-pass
- **Category:** pass
- **Format:** no-gi
- **Level:** intermediate
- **Aliases:** double-under body lock, locked-hands pass
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-25

## What it is

Body-lock passing closes distance against seated and butterfly guards. The passer connects the hands around the waist or hips, keeps the head and shoulders aligned, and uses chest pressure to prevent the guard player from freely extending hooks.

The pass is a system of incremental wins: flatten the hips, clear one knee line, occupy the half-guard channel or step around the legs, then climb to shoulder control. The lock is valuable because no-gi offers fewer durable cloth grips.

## Key principles

- Connect the hands low enough to control the hips.
- Keep the elbows inside the guard player's knees.
- Use head position to stop the shoulders from turning freely.
- Clear one knee at a time while maintaining chest pressure.

## Common entries

- **Butterfly guard:** Pummel inside the hooks and lock around the waist as the guard sits upright.
- **Seated guard:** Close distance behind head position before the opponent establishes frames.
- **Half guard:** Connect around the hips once the knee shield is collapsed.


## Productive next actions

- **Half-guard pass:** Flatten the hips and free the trapped knee with upper-body control intact.
- **Side control:** Walk past the knees and climb the lock toward the shoulders.
- **Back exposure:** Follow the far hip when the guard player turns to prevent the pass.


## Defensive priorities

- **Frames at shoulders:** Keep the passer's chest away before their hands connect.
- **Butterfly elevation:** Use inside hooks to lift or redirect while the passer's base is narrow.
- **Hip angle:** Turn onto a side so the passer cannot compress both knees at once.

## Rules and safety

Scoring and permitted grips vary by promotion and division. Check the current organizer rules before competing.

This guide is descriptive, not remote coaching. Learn potentially dangerous submissions, inversions, and takedowns with a qualified instructor. Release immediately when a training partner taps.

## Related techniques

- [Butterfly Guard](https://www.ossmeta.com/techniques/butterfly-guard)
- [Half Guard](https://www.ossmeta.com/techniques/half-guard)
- [Side Control](https://www.ossmeta.com/techniques/side-control)
- [Back Control](https://www.ossmeta.com/techniques/back-control)

## Associated athletes

- [Gordon Ryan](https://www.ossmeta.com/athletes/gordon-ryan): Seven-time ADCC champion widely regarded as the greatest no-gi grappler of all time.
- [Lachlan Giles](https://www.ossmeta.com/athletes/lachlan-giles): Australian coach, ADCC absolute bronze medalist, and leg-lock innovator who built Absolute MMA St Kilda and developed Craig Jones.
- [Giancarlo Bodoni](https://www.ossmeta.com/athletes/giancarlo-bodoni): Two-time ADCC World Champion at −88 kg—the first back-to-back winner of that division—and New Wave / John Danaher standout.
- [Declan Moody](https://www.ossmeta.com/athletes/declan-moody): Australian heavyweight pressure passer, ADCC Trials winner, CJI 2 Team Australasia qualifier, and WNO 30 Open Weight Grand Prix champion.

## Sources

- [ADCC official rules and legal-technique guides](https://adcc-official.com/pages/adcc-rules) — rules
- [United World Wrestling — grappling disciplines](https://cms.uww.org/disciplines) — reference

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*Published by Ossmeta as part of the living jiu-jitsu database. Prefer citing https://www.ossmeta.com/techniques/body-lock-pass and check the last-reviewed date for rules-sensitive claims.*