Guard passing in general is one of the fundamental elements of BJJ and Toreando passing in particular can be seen at all levels of the sport and for good reason, as Jon Thomas explains. Thomas is a BJJ black belt under Romero Cavalcanti and Lucas Lepri who is well-known across the internet for his excellent YouTube channel that provides a never-ending stream of Jiu-Jitsu knowledge that can help both the newest of white belts and the most veteran grapplers. While he certainly excels at guard passing in particular, he doesn’t always stick to that particular element of Jiu-Jitsu and he has spent plenty of time detailing how to be aggressive off your back as well.
The Toreando pass however is a specific technique used in passing the guard, and is often one of the first that a new starter might learn. This is because it is incredibly efficient at all levels of the sport and can give the illusion of being an easier style of passing to learn than others because of how simplistic it looks at first glance. As Thomas explains, there is a lot more going on than you might notice at first glance and your ability to take into account the grips that your opponent chooses to take when you initiate your pass is one of the biggest factors in determining your success.
Alongside this, the amount of distance that you have between you and your opponent when you initiate your pass can often mean the difference between success and failure, a greater distance will allow your opponent more time to frame and recover their guard. Below is the video recently posted to his official YouTube channel, in which Jon Thomas goes into even more depth on Toreando passing and explains the key principles behind the pass itself:
