The Toreando pass is the first guard pass I learned as a white belt in BJJ.

“Toreando” refers to the move bullfighters perform to avoid the bull as it rushes in.

With the toreando pass, you’re using this same motion to swing the bottom player’s legs out of the way so you can pass his guard.

The toreando pass works at the highest level of competition.

It’s a fantastic pass that I still use today as a purple belt.

And it’s the first pass I teach to my beginner students.

In this article, I’ll teach you my favorite variation of this pass in the gi.

Toreando Pass: Table Of Contents

• How To Do The Toreando Pass
• 3 Tips To Master The Toreando Pass
• How To Defend The Toreando Pass
• Final Thoughts & Discussion

How To Do The Toreando Pass

The toreando pass is one of the most popular guard passes for beginners.

Here’s how I use this move successfully during rolls.

1. Push Them Down To Their Back

While leaning forward, push the bottom player down to the ground.

Try and keep your lower body away from them so they can’t grip your legs.

Doing this will put them into a supine guard, where their pants are easier to access and their hands are farther away from you.

2. Get Your Grips On Their Pants

Establish the right grips by grabbing their pants.

If possible, quickly stick your thumb in, and then wrap your other four fingers around the edge of their pant openings to establish a stronger grip.

However, you can grab the pants in any manner as long as it’s by their ankles.

3. Lift & Push Them To The Small Of Their Back

Slightly lift and push the bottom player in so that they’re on the small of their back.

This will put them into more of a ball-like shape.

And thus, they’ll be much easier to spin.

4. Rotate Their Body & Legs Away

Using your grips, swing the bottom player’s legs from facing you to facing away from you.

You can point them out to the side or 180 degrees from you.

The key here is to make sure that their legs are out of the way.

5. Establish Knee On Belly

Once their legs are out of the way, you can pass.

From here, I like to quickly establish the knee on belly position.

And then I’ll take a grip on their collar and hips to control their movement — and begin setting up my next move.

3 Tips To Master The Toreando Pass

Here are three ways to increase your chance of success with the toreando pass.

1. Get Them On Their Back!

Trying to do the toreando pass while your opponent’s feet are on the ground is extremely difficult.

You might still be able to grip their pants by their ankles.

But rotating them will be tough if they’re still on their butt.

So, make sure to push them flat on their back into a supine guard before you attempt this pass.

It will make it harder for them to get their grips because they’ll be flat on their back, with their arms and hands farther away from you.

They still might be dangerous off their back, depending on who you’re rolling with.

But you’ll have a much easier time winning your grips and initiating the pass, forcing them to defend and retain their guard.

2. Push Them To The Small Of Their Back

Pay attention to step 3: lift & push.

Once you establish your grips, slightly push the bottom player in so they’re on the small of their back.

By small of their back, I mean the middle of their lower back where their spine starts to curve.

Why?

Rotating the bottom player is easier when you force them into a ball-like shape.

And it’s not easy to rotate them if they are super flat.

This is a key step. And it will make your toreando pass look like a true toreando.

You’ll feel like a bullfighter swinging their red cloth — but instead of a red cloth, you’ll be swinging the bottom player to pass their guard!

3. Specifically Train The Toreando Pass

If you want to get better at the toreando pass, you have to specifically train the toreando pass.

Here’s a challenge for you: in your next class, make it your focus during each roll to hit the toreando pass.

Trying to hit specific moves during sparring is called “specific training” — and it’s how Gordon Ryan masters BJJ techniques.

Then, after class, write down in your BJJ journal…

• What worked (example: “During one roll, I hit the toreando pass on the bottom player who was laying on their back.” )
• What didn’t work (example: “During another roll, I tried to hit the toreando, but the bottom player wouldn’t fall back.”)
• Questions or notes for next class (example: “Ask coach how to use the toreando pass when the bottom player refused to be laid flat on their back.”)

Ask your training partners if you can start from a standing position, with them in seated guard. This will make attempting toreando passes much easier.

Do this for 4 weeks, and I guarantee you’ll get much better at the toreando pass — and guard passing in general.

NOTE: I teach this specific training and journaling process in my BJJ Journal Of Champions Course.

How To Defend The Toreando Pass

Here’s how to prevent the top player from hitting this pass on you.

1. Try To Remain Seated

The top player wants you flat on your back.

Don’t let them.

When they try and push you, reach up and grab a 2-on-1 grip on their arm.

Or move yourself back away from them.

Or, stand up and start working your takedowns or throws.

Bottom line: if your training partners are hitting the toreando pass on you frequently, you’re letting them push you on your back.

They’ll have to use another guard pass if you refuse to lie down and play a supine guard.

2. Win The Grip Fight

Related to point number 1: win your grips before they can win theirs.

What does that look like?

• A 2-on-1 grip on their reaching arm.
• A collar grip so you can pull them down and attack.
• A pant grip to shin on shin so you can get into single leg X.

Their passing begins with winning their grips.

Win the grip fight — and get your grips first.

That means no toreando pass for the top player.

3. Attack With Sweeps

Guard passing is tougher for the top player when you’re attacking them.

• Win your grips.
• Try an off-balance them.
• Once you off-balance them, sweep them.

You won’t have to worry about the toreando pass when you’ve swept your opponent and are now looking to pass and submit them yourself.

Don’t be passive with your guard!

Be offensive. Make them suffer if they try to push you down.

If they get close to you, sweep them.

Best case scenario: you get on top.

Worst case scenario: you’re forcing the top player to start defending instead of passing.

Toreando Pass: Final Thoughts & Discussion

There you have it: one of the easiest ways to pass your opponent’s guard.

Push them down. Grab their pants. Swing their legs out of the way.

Get past their legs, and get on top.

It’s the essence of guard passing demonstrated in one simple pass. 

What do YOU like or dislike about the toreando pass? Does it work for you?

And if you hit it in class this week, leave a comment and let me know.

Happy rolling. 🤙

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Tsavo Neal

Tsavo is the founder of BJJ Equipment, author of BJJ For Beginners, creator of the BJJ Missions app, and a brown belt instructor at InFighting. He launched BJJ Equipment to help grapplers at every belt level train smarter, make faster progress, and find the best gear for their game.