Combat Sports
Grappling-Dummy Knee-Slice Pass
The Grappling-Dummy Knee-Slice Pass is a solo guard-passing drill that builds coordinated hip movement, upper-body control, and positioning as you move past the dummy’s legs.
- Intermediate
- Compound
- Moderate injury risk
- Rest 45 sec
How to do it
- Lay the dummy on its back with its legs bent enough to leave space between them.
- Place your lead foot between the dummy’s legs, with your other foot outside the thigh you will cross.
- Anchor your hands on the dummy’s upper torso.
- Slide your lead knee diagonally across that thigh toward the mat beside the dummy’s hip.
- Shift your hips forward until your lead foot clears the thigh.
- Bring your trailing leg around the outside of the dummy’s legs.
- Settle beside the dummy with your chest across its upper torso.
Form cues
- Keep your chest low.
- Keep your elbows close.
- Move smoothly, without bouncing.
Common mistakes
- Sliding straight between the legsAim your knee across one thigh toward the outside rather than forward between both legs.
- Leaving the lead foot trappedKeep moving your hips through the pass until your entire lead leg is beyond the dummy’s thigh.
- Reaching too far for controlMove your body closer so you can maintain upper-body contact without stretching your arms.
Safety
Turning your hips while your foot is trapped can strain your knee. Dropping onto firm dummy limbs or an uncovered floor can injure your knees or ribs.
- Use a continuous mat surface with enough clear space to finish on either side.
- Arrange the dummy’s limbs within their intended range before each set.
- Stop to reposition a caught foot rather than twisting it free.
- Lower your weight gradually instead of landing on rigid joints or seams.
If kneeling or rotating through the pass causes knee or hip pain, use a smaller, pain-free range and seek advice from a physiotherapist before progressing.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Combat Training Mat
- Grappling Submission Dummy
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 2–3
- Target
- 5–8 reps per side
- Rest
- 45 sec
Treat this as positioning practice rather than a speed drill.