Learn To Tie Your Opponent in Knots With Braulio Estima’s Pretzel Pass

In a new video released by Stuart Cooper, Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Braulio Estima shares the details of one of his slickest techniques. The aptly named “pretzel pressure pass” leaves his opponents tied in knots, and now you can learn how to do it just like Braulio.

The beauty of the pretzel pass is that it seems to break so many cardinal rules of jiu-jitsu. Working from inside his opponent’s guard, Estima extends his body forward, reaching for an underhook as he smashes his weight on his opponent’s head. At first glance, Estima appears to be giving his opponent the sweep as he leans forward inside the guard. The key, says Estima, is the hip positioning. Only with the proper position will the bottom man be unable to sweep.

Gradually, Estima passes his opponent’s leg across his body to complete the painful-looking pass. With the pass complete and his opponent tied up, Estima can transition directly to a triangle. Check out all the finer points and training footage in the video below.

Estima is one of the best jiu-jitsu competitors of all time. He is an ADCC weight and absolute champion, as well as a three-time IBJJF world champion. Estima is widely known for his dangerous triangle game, particularly his inverted triangle.

Ben Coate

Ben has been involved with grappling, whether through wrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu, essentially his entire life. After wrestling throughout his childhood, Ben found Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a young adult and quickly fell in love. He has been training for over ten years and currently holds the rank of brown belt, and remains involved in both the MMA and BJJ scene. Ben has been writing about combat sports since 2017. He has interviewed and profiled some of MMA's biggest stars, including multiple UFC champions.

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