A no-gi passing roadmap that ties body locks to half and butterfly solutions with stable control.
The Bottom Line
You will learn to generate waist exposure, lock the body lock, and convert it to passes from half and butterfly. The shin-pin and top head-and-arm sequences keep you stable while opponents scramble. You will not get speed-based cartwheel passing; everything favors pressure and positional wins.
⚡️ Quick facts
Best for: Pressure passers
Skip if: You hate body locks
Tech focus: Body Lock, Shin Pin, Half Guard Passing, Butterfly Half, Knee Slide, Three Quarter Mount, Head And Arm
Biggest takeaway: Control beats agility here
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What You'll Learn
This four-part passing course connects body lock entries to half guard and butterfly half guard solutions. It focuses on structure, shin-pin control, and top head-and-arm mechanics for stable, high-pressure passes.
If you favor no-gi passing without fancy agility, this is a practical blueprint that scales to bigger athletes especially well.
Primary Techniques You'll Drill
- Body Lock
- Shin Pin
- Half Guard Passing
- Butterfly Half
- Top Head And Arm
- Three Quarter Mount
- Knee Slide
Format & Level
- Instructional style: System Based, Conceptual, Drill Heavy
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Format: No-Gi
- Volumes: 4
- Released: 2024
Should You Buy It?
Wait for daily deal. I like how the shin-pin and head-and-arm transitions make body lock passing feel secure even when opponents invert or underhook.
Why Dan Manasoiu?
Manasoiu trains under John Danaher at New Wave in Austin. He has wins at Sub Hunter Pro and EBI appearances, plus multiple ADCC Open golds. He is known for crushing top pressure and clean leg entanglement knowledge. As a coach, his instruction is concise and sequence-driven.
Community feedback
Here’s a summary of common feedback from platforms like Reddit’s r/bjj.
😍 Why People Love It
- People praise his technical passing for a big guy; smooth and mobile.
- Community threads often point big athletes to watch him for top pressure ideas.
- Seen as a tough matchup; opponents try to avoid him in brackets.
🤔 Common Criticisms
- Body lock heavy style is not everyone’s taste, especially guard players.
- Some see heavy marketing around New Wave releases.
- Skeptics think his success leans on size more than transferable mechanics.
Free Preview Lesson
Smart Alternatives
- Efficiently And Effectively Passing The Guard by Luke Griffith – Another New Wave perspective on body lock and pressure. (Price: $147.00)
- Polish Power Passing by Adam Wardzinski – Heavy pressure game with clear lap-by-lap passing ideas. (Price: $127.00)
- The Stack Pass by Andre Galvao – Classic over-the-legs solution to pair with body locks. (Price: $97.00)
Sources & References
Video Breakdowns
Official listing: View Milk the System: Power Passing – Body Locks, Half Guard & Butterfly Half Guard on BJJ Fanatics
Additional References
Your next step
You have the breakdown, community feedback, and my final thoughts. Now it’s your move.
