This is my first review here in Oss and Roll. I’ve been working on my passing since the last quarter of 2012. Though I still haven’t morphed into a Rodolfo Viera, I still try to emulate some of Jiu jitsu’s finest passers. Based on my white belt notes, there are basically two types of passes. You can successfully hit a pass when you are fast or when you are putting pressure on an opponent. Switching from speed to pressure passes can tremendously increase the success rate of your passing game.
Here is a detailed passing concept instruciton
In this review, I will take a closer look at Rafael Lovato Jr’s Pressure Passing System. I was able to study bits of his Pressure Passing System in DVD, and I’ve been trying my best to implement his style on my game. I was also lucky enough to watch a webinar he did recently in Oklahoma.
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| Rafael Lovato Ultimate Pressure Passing System Seminar |
For those who do not know Rafael Lovato Jr, he is the most decorated American black belt today. The thing that I love about Lovato’s passing system is that you don’t have to be ultra athletic to hit his moves. You just have to be aware of your opponent’s anatomy as he demonstrates over and over again how a chiropractor position could hold an opponent down while putting pressure on his lumbar area. Jiu Jitsu Laboratory even thoroughly discussed Lovato’s smash pass game in great detail.
One of the things I noticed with Lovato’s passing game is that it was efficient especially with his smash pass. Unlike Mendes Bros’ passes that invest greatly on athletic prowess and transitions, Lovato tries to settle into a bottom guy’s collapsed leg in a more or less dying half guard position. According to him, weight distribution is the key in order to implement pressure in an opponent. It is all about placing your weight on top of the leg and across the upper body in order to make the head turn creating a chiropractor position. To him, it was as if you are a blanket on top of your opponent (though it’s more like a baby elephant pretending to be a blanket!).
The reason why I love the smash pass is that it doesn’t rush the guy to pass the guard. It lets you implement your game and become efficient with all the things that you have to do. It is also flexible in terms of progression as it could lead you to a mount, a back take, a side control or even in a leg drag position.
I’ve had the chance to apply the Lovato system on fancy guards. When they love to hook some Dela Riva’s and Reverse Dela Riva’s, I always make sure to stay in the head quarter’s position and work either an x-pass or a smash pass from there. The Lovato Pressure Passing System is definitely a great tool that would help develop BJJ practitioners both competitors and hobbyists in the long haul. It can be applied both to those who are athletic and to those who are trying to be efficient. Oh and of course, Lovato's passes are designed to both gi and no gi.
