Craig Jones has just released his latest instructional, focusing specifically on Higher Tripod Passing. In his social media promotion he has also jokingly made reference to some of the content being ‘stolen’ from one of his B-Team Jiu-Jitsu teammates Jozef Chen. It isn’t an exact copy of Chen’s releases on a similar topic, although Jones is open about the fact that he took inspiration from him and developed some of his ideas. He also credits Shawn Williams for early use of the near-side underhook and explains why this combines with other things to make a fantastic way to pass butterfly guard.
Click here to purchase Craig Jones: Higher Tripod Passing instructional on BJJ Fanatics.
Craig Jones: Higher Tripod Passing Review
Jones is one of the biggest names in the sport and although much of that comes from his successful competition career, he’s also known as a fantastic coach as well. That shines through in many of his instructionals and in this one specifically, he structures it very well. Craig Jones starts out by outlining the main concepts that come in to play when trying to do Higher Tripod Passing, before moving on to specific techniques that can be used. It’s a great way to teach Jiu-Jitsu to people in general really, because it allows people to keep core principles in mind while they develop the skill and eventually add in specific movements.
Concepts
The key concept that Jones explains is to pin the upper body first, before attempting to beat the opponent’s legs and pass guard. This is one of the key elements that makes tripod passing work so well, and it’s something that Jones continually references back to. Jones breaks down every single part of the perfect high tripod passing position and this is actually one of the most valuable parts of the whole instructional. He explains what every single limb needs to be doing in great detail and just by virtue of understanding this, anyone will immediately be able to use the specific techniques that Jones goes through later on.
Jones also advocates setting up the perfect higher tripod passing position and practicing the ability to balance there while pinning an opponent. It’s an excellent point that many instructionals gloss over, but in any technique there’s ways of practicing it for the greatest improvement. Jones points out exactly how to do that for higher tripod passing and it’s something that anyone should take note of, regardless of how long they’ve been training. He also points out that this specific style of passing has a very steep learning curve, so nobody should expect to be able to replicate any of this perfectly right from the start.
Techniques
Jones then goes in to explain the specific leg movements that allow you to finish the higher tripod pass, including dealing with ashi garami entries from the opponent. He also explains other routes, like forcing your way through to butterfly half guard instead. Jones repeatedly references the idea of sending an opponent one way in order to take advantage of their counter-pressure throughout the instructional, and this is incredibly helpful in the section on kneeling entries in particular. One of the longest sections is focused on the near-side underhook itself, and his explanation of how to switch to it from the far-side is excellent.
Craig Jones troubleshoots common problems encountered when Higher Tripod Passing but also shows a very unique counter to the position from the bottom as well. That finishes off his focus on that specific passing method and the final section of the instructional actually breaks down bonus techniques. Jones shares some great duck-unders from common Jiu-Jitsu positions in the ground, along with a popular catch wrestling technique known as the Cowcatcher. The two techniques actually go together very well as opposite sides of the same battle and although they’re only a smaller section of the instructional, they’re very useful for BJJ competitors who might not be too familiar with them.
Craig Jones: Higher Tripod Passing Conclusion
Craig Jones has genuinely done an excellent job with his Higher Tripod Passing instructional. He’s put together an in-depth explanation of a situation that is rising in popularity in the sport right now, giving anyone at any level the ability to develop that passing style. It’s useful to understand it from the other side as well, and his unique counter sweep is something that everyone will need to have in their arsenal. Although the passing is what anyone buying this instructional would be focused on, it’s worth noting that the bonus section on duck-unders and cow-catchers also presents some very useful options for grappling in general.
Click here to purchase Craig Jones: Higher Tripod Passing instructional on BJJ Fanatics.
