Blue belt · Defense · Core
Knee cut defense: knee shield and underhook
How to stop the knee cut: get on your side, knee shield, and win the underhook. Use it as soon as they start slicing across your thigh.
Step by step
- Prevent it: don't lie flat. Stay on your side with your knees up so they can't pin a knee to the mat.
- As they cut their knee across your thigh, turn onto your side facing them and get your other knee or shin in front of their hips (knee shield).
- Frame on their head or shoulder with your far arm to keep their chest off yours.
- Dig your near arm under their armpit for the underhook.
- Lock half guard on their cutting leg, then come up on the underhook or recover full guard.
Details that make it work
- The underhook is the race. If they get it first, they crossface and pass.
- Knee shield in front of their hips, not on their belly.
Common mistakes
- Lying flat while they slice across.
- Framing with your hands but leaving the underhook to them.
Drill it
Partner knee cuts at 50%: 10 reps, 5 each side. Then 3 × 1 min pass-and-retain.
If it fails, or what comes next
- Half guard bottom: knee shield & underhook Guard · Half guard
- Underhook to dogfight to single leg Sweep · Half guard
- Recover full guard from half Guard · Half guard
This defends against
Track it in JitsFlow
Rate how well you know the Knee cut defense: knee shield and underhook, add it to your review queue and see where it fits on the flow map with every attack and escape.
Open in JitsFlowFree. Works offline at the gym. Add it to your home screen.