What the stack pass is
The stack pass lifts your partner’s hips off the mat and folds their legs back over their body, so their weight rests on their upper back and their legs can no longer frame or hook. You then pass around the legs to one side. It is one of the pressure passes in our guide to BJJ guard passing.
It is used against closed guard once the legs are open, and against open guards when your partner keeps their legs raised. Some instructors favor it against very flexible guard players, because folding the legs over the body takes away the range a flexible player relies on.
A common version is the double under, with both of your arms under your partner’s legs. Other versions start with one arm under one leg, or with the hands driving the legs back from the heels or knees.
Getting the legs onto your shoulders
Take the legs high. With your partner’s thighs on your shoulders, your body carries them. With the legs in the crook of your elbows, your arms carry them and you lose leverage. Check that both arms are under the legs before you drive; the first counter below shows what one arm between the legs gives your partner.
Stay low as you work for the grip. Drop your hips below your partner’s knees instead of standing tall, where their legs can push you away. Some passers also sit out to one side first, so the stack starts at an angle rather than straight in.
Gi gripsNo-gi grips
- Lifts the legsSame in no-giBoth arms go under the legs, one under each thigh.
- Brings the hips to youA hand on the belt or the pants near the hip pulls the hips in close.Your hands lock or cup around the thighs, or one hand holds the hip.
- Controls the upper bodyOnce the stack is set, one hand moves to the far collar.Once the stack is set, one hand reaches to the far side of the neck.
- Props the hipsSame in no-giSome passers set a knee against the lower back so the hips cannot drop back to the mat.
How the bottom player counters it
- TriangleWith one of the passer's arms between the legs and the other under a leg, the bottom player can lock a triangle.
- Posting on the hipsHands on the passer's hips keep them from driving in, until the passer strips the post.
- Sitting up and pushing the elbowPosted on their own elbow, the bottom player pushes the passer's elbow and slides a leg back in front before the stack settles.
- Rolling throughA stack driven straight toward the head gives the bottom player a direction to roll backward out of it.
Stacking and passing to one side
Drive forward from your feet and settle your chest onto your partner’s hips. Aim the stack toward one of their shoulders rather than straight down onto the head. The angle sets the side you pass to, usually the side of your collar or neck grip, and it keeps the pressure off your partner’s neck.
Then move around the legs gradually: step to the side, work your knee forward, release the legs slowly and settle in side control once the knees are clear. Instructors differ on pace. Some pass as soon as the hips are up, and others hold the stack longer because it tires the person underneath. Some also finish from the stack with a leg drag, pulling one leg across and pinning it on your hip. If your partner scoots their hips away from the stack, you can follow them or change to a pass that pins a leg with your knee. The mechanics are the same without the gi; only the grips change.
Common mistakes and neck safety
Flared elbows are the first mistake. Elbows away from your ribs give your partner room to frame, grip your arm or start a submission.
Diving in for the grip is the second. Shooting your arms under the legs of a partner who is settled and balanced puts you inside their guard without control. Work for the grip from a reaction instead, such as your partner posting a hand or being pushed flat.
Stacking loads your partner’s neck and upper spine, so apply the pressure gradually in training, and adjust when their neck bends under you. From the bottom, protect your neck before anything else.
What a reviewer looks for in your stack pass
On your footage, a black belt finds the point where your stack stopped moving forward and what held it there: a post on your hips, legs that slid down to your elbows, or a stack aimed straight at the head that your partner rolled out of. They also watch the end of the pass, when you let go of the legs, and whether your chest was on your partner at that moment or still in the air. In a roll review, a verified black belt marks those moments with timestamps and sets homework drills for the step that breaks down.