Marcelo briefly advises Joel on how to engage when passing against a strong defensive guard: When trying to pass someone's guard and hold them down for pinning criteria to be met, it is important to give yourself as much of a chance as possible, right from the initiation of your attempt; pressure your opponent backwards so they can no longer keep their shoulders off the mat. Find a path for your lead hand to press down onto their hip or stomach to help keep them down while also giving yourself a point of base from which to off-weight your other limbs. Bring your shoulder tight and low against your hip-posting hand so that it is difficult for your opponent to find the space for their foot or knee to pummel back inside. If your opponent manages to set Lasso-Hook inside from a Foot-Wipe Recovery, immediately look to pummel your hand out and around so that you can press back inside and block a subsequent attempt. Don't stay above your opponent too long while splitting the middle, quickly work yourself around into your passing technique so that you don't give your opponent time to adjust and recover back a better defensive position.