Toreando / Standing Passer
Controls the legs from range and shuffles around them like a matador.
The toreando passer controls your legs from range and moves around them like a matador around a bull. Instead of engaging your upper body, they take the ankles or pant legs, pin your feet to the mat, and shuffle laterally past the knee line before you can turn to face them. The whole game happens standing, at arm's length, where your guard has the least reach. A match against one feels like chasing. Every time you turn in they have already shuffled the other way; your legs feel pinned and useless, and the pass lands the instant your hips fall behind their movement. Good ones bait you into committing to one side, then cut back and slice through the opening. It suits mobile, light-on-their-feet grapplers who read direction well and stay relaxed in motion, people who would rather out-position than out-muscle. Any body type can play it, but quick footwork and good posture matter more than strength. The catch is that standing keeps you upright and exposed: a passer on their feet is reachable by sweeps, X-guard entries, and leg attacks, so a guard that times your level-change can drag you down before the shuffle finishes. Start with the double-ankle grip: pin both feet to the mat and shuffle side to side to clear the knees, staying just out of grip range. Then add the knee-slice finish for when the guard turns to face you and you cut through to side control. Range control first, knee-slice to close. Lucas Lepri and Felipe Pena are known for this style.
Key weapons
- Double-ankle gripsPins both ankles to the mat, killing the legs so they cannot re-frame or recover guard.
- Bullfighter shuffleSteps the legs side to side like a matador, moving the hips past the guard.
- Knee-slice finishDrops a knee across the thigh to cut through and settle into side control.
Where it breaks
The toreando is played from the feet, so the passer is upright and light while the opponent still has their hips and legs free underneath. That standing posture is exactly what X-guard, single-leg-X, and collar-drag sweeps are built to attack, and a missed shuffle invites a leg entanglement. Stay standing too long against active legs and you get elevated or swept before the pass finishes.
The grappler type behind this style
The MatadorElegant, mobile passing — never where your grips expect, always a step ahead to the pin.TSCAWho to watch
Lucas Lepri · Felipe Pena
Is this your style?
Take the Style Finder →Gear for a Toreando / Standing Passer's game
As an Amazon Associate, The Grappler's Map earns from qualifying purchases.
- Competition-weight giA durable, IBJJF-legal gi that survives hard grip fighting and makes weight.View on Amazon →
- Ranked rash guardKeeps skin protected and mat rash down through long no-gi rounds.View on Amazon →
- Knee sleevesSupport and warmth for the knees under leg-lock and heavy guard pressure.View on Amazon →
- Mouthguard with caseCheap insurance for your teeth in scrambles, stack passes, and takedowns.View on Amazon →
- Antifungal body/mat soapPost-training wash to keep ringworm and staph off your skin.View on Amazon →
Related styles
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Toreando / Standing Passer in BJJ?
- Controls the legs from range and shuffles around them like a matador. The toreando passer controls your legs from range and moves around them like a matador around a bull.
- What are the main techniques of the Toreando / Standing Passer?
- Core weapons include Double-ankle grips, bullfighter shuffle, knee-slice finish.
- What is the weakness of the Toreando / Standing Passer?
- Standing = exposed to sweeps, X-guard, and leg attacks.
- Which grapplers are known for the Toreando / Standing Passer style?
- Lucas Lepri, Felipe Pena.
As an Amazon Associate, The Grappler's Map earns from qualifying purchases.