So you want to learn to take your opponent’s back in BJJ. That’s fantastic because this is exactly what this article will be about; ways to obtain the Back Mount position effectively.
Taking control over your opponent’s back will give you a few things. However, the primary thing it’ll give you is endless finishing opportunities and control. Basically, these are the things that BJJ is all about, control and attacks.
Likewise, you’ll be granted 4 points in official competitions for getting into the Back Mount position, which is another great incentive to do so.
So there isn’t a reason why you wouldn’t want to obtain the back. But there’s a reason it’s so rewarding to do so, it’s hard. Getting control over your opponent’s back will be difficult, and there’s no denying that.
This article will examine 7 effective ways you can start learning TODAY to see results tomorrow. It won’t be long before you’ll be able to take the opponent’s back with ease and swift, so stay tuned for the following sections, and let’s dive in!
#7 – Arm Drag to Back Take
The first back take we’ll review will be done from the Closed Guard position using the Arm Drag sweep. If you’re unfamiliar with it, we’ll briefly review how to perform it in the next paragraph. So let’s examine the steps to perform this back take properly:
The first step is to start in Closed Guard and obtain a 2-on-1 grip on your training partner. Then, you want to pull him to your right while reaching over his back (with your left hand.) The next step is to shift your body to the side and get up by using momentum from your left leg.
Finally, you want to extract your knee and obtain the Back Mount. That’s the first way to obtain it. From there, you can go for the Rear Naked Choke, for example. And if that doesn’t work, you can go for the Short Choke.
A great tip to keep in mind here is to ensure you win the grip fighting when you’re in Closed Guard. As you know, the Closed Guard position is a highly effective one, allowing you many options, including sweeps and submission. In this case, you’ll transition into a more superior position, the back.
Therefore, you must learn and become comfortable with proper grip fighting. If you’re able to gain control over your opponent, this execution becomes much easier and plausible. So keep that in mind.
Here’s a visual aid of how this back take would look like:
#6 – Rolling Back Take From Turtle
This back take is perhaps the most fancy-looking one we’ll review in this article. It starts when your opponent is in Turtle Position, which is a defensive position in BJJ. Another option you have is to attack the opponent when he’s in turtle, which you can find out how you can do so by following the link.
Anyways, here’s how this back take goes:
You want your opponent to start in the Turtle Position. Then, you want to control your opponent’s upper body by locking your hands under his chest. The next step is to get on his back and rollover. Finally, you want to finish the execution on your back while hooking your opponent’s legs.
When you roll over, you want to place your head on the mat. Then, your opponent will follow because you’ll be pulling him with you, using momentum and leverage to work for you.
Another tip here is to ensure your grips on your opponent are solid. You want to lock your hands under his chest, and not lower than that. If you lock your hands lower than the chest, it’ll be much more difficult to pull the opponent with you.
#5 – Back Take from the Mount
This is the most complicated back take in this article, so make sure to watch the video at the end to ensure you understand it. Eventually, if you can manage to execute it, you can manage to execute every back take in this article, so that should be a fantastic challenge for you.
Anyways, you’ll start from the Full Mount position, which is hard to obtain. However, once you have it, you can advance to the next step, which will be to take the back. Let’s examine a great way to do so.
Start in the Full Mount position while shifting your body to the side and hooking your opponent’s leg. You then want to roll to the same side while reaching for his feet and hooking his arm. You finish the move by pulling his other arm toward you, which you can follow up with a Rear Naked Choke.
The hardest part will be to start the execution, as you need your opponent to try to hook your leg. If he tries to do so, as a part of his escape try, let him do that. Once he’s done, you can counter by hooking his leg back and starting to turn to the side.
Once you finish turning, you want to roll over and obtain control over his feet. The last step is to hook his arm and pull him in to get the back. Fancy-looking, complicated, and highly effective move you want to get comfortable with.
#4 – Back Take From Sprawl
The Sprawl position is one of the most popular and widely used in various grappling-based martial arts, such as Wrestling and Sambo. When your opponent gets in to take you down, you want to base yourself on your feet while obtaining an arm lock around his head and arm. Do that—and many options will open themselves up to you, as you’re now in the Sprawl position.
I’ll assume you know what the Sprawl position looks like, as you’re probably a fairly good grappler. And if you don’t, I encourage you to follow the link to learn more about it.
The first step is to start in the Sprawl position and obtain a solid, firm arm lock around your opponent’s head and arm. Then, you want to pull the arm you have locked toward you while sweeping your right knee across the opponent’s body. Once you do that, you want to wrap your arm around his back and drop your right knee aside your opponent, so you’re in line with him. Finally, you kick your right leg under your opponent’s right side while wrapping your right arm across his right biceps. Finally, you pull him back and take the Back Mount.
Fairly look explanation, but I promise it’s an easier execution than all the other back takes we’ve reviewed thus far. For the sake of clarity, here’s a solid video that explains what this back take looks like in real-time. Definitely give it a watch!
#3 – Guard Pass to Back Take
This back take will start from a Guard Pass move. As you can imagine then, your opponent will be in Bottom Guard, which some will argue is superior. However, I’d argue that if you know this move, you’ll be able to transition from a relatively inferior position to an exceptionally superior position, which is what BJJ is all about!
The first step is to pass your opponent’s guard, which you do by hooking your hand around his thighs (same side grip), lifting his left leg, pinning his right leg, moving closer, cupping his hips (his right side, your left side) with your right arm, and drive forward while rolling your opponent so he’s on his chest.
That’s the first part of this execution. Let’s take a breather! You’ve now passed the opponent’s guard and have his back wide open. That’s fantastic news for you, as you have endless options to go for from this position, the primary one being taking his back. However, you also have attacking and finishing the fight as an option, a more complicated and difficult one, though.
Let’s now dive into the second part of the execution:
Keep your upper body grips tight and shoot your right leg between your opponent’s legs. Then, once your opponent brings his right knee inside, you turn to the side, catch the opponent’s left arm, pull him toward you, and obtain the Back Mount position.
Here’s a video showcasing this move step-by-step. Give it a watch.
#2 – Back Take From Half Guard
Half Guard is one of the most useful positions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, so you definitely want to familiarize yourself with it. If you’re serious about improving your Half Guard, follow this link. You also have many options from it, including attacking or attaining a superior position.
What we’ll do now is explain how you can do the 2nd option, and attain a more superior position. What I love about the Half Guard is that both the top and bottom positions are useful, which means it’s a neutral position.
Anyways, here’s how this back take goes:
You want to start in the Top Half Guard position, open your opponent’s lapel while pinning it to the side of his armpit, and grab it with your other hand. Then, you want to get closer to your opponent and trap his arm by hooking it and trapping it with your chest. Finally, you pressure your opponent from the side, place your knee on his back, pull your opponent back using your lapel grip and knee, and obtain the Back Mount.
When grabbing his lapel, you want to stretch it by grabbing at somewhat the top and pulling it down. Then you pass it under his armpit and grab it with your other hand.
If you want to learn about submissions from both the top and bottom Half Guards, follow this link.
#1 – Knee Cut Back Take
Alright. We’re already on the final back take for this article. Hopefully, you’ve been able to understand how each move goes and why it’s effective. And now, let’s dive straight into the last back take, which is going to begin with a Knee Cut guard pass, which you can follow the link to learn more about.
The first step is to pass your opponent’s guard using the Knee Cut while your opponent underhooks your arm. Then, you shift your body weight to the left and underhook his right arm while locking a C-Grip. Now, you want to squeeze your opponent to the floor, step your leg over his arm, and obtain the Back Mount.
This is a simple-to-understand, straightforward move. You might even want to learn it as the first one you’ll learn.
The seven ways I mentioned in this article are definitely not the easiest ones, which might make it less attractive to white belts. However, I guarantee that if you take the time and invest some effort into learning these back takes, you’ll never regret it, as you’ll start getting the back more often than you currently think.
This article is more suitable for grapplers who are blue, purple, brown, and black belts. However, if you’re a white belt and are reading this line right now, you can begin by learning this back take (#1) and advance from there. It won’t be long before your grappling skills will skyrocket!
Final Words
Obtaining the Back Mount in BJJ—can be difficult. However, it can also be one of the most rewarding moves in the grappling world. Therefore, it’ll be worth it to learn the ways I’ve mentioned in this article.
Your next step is to get on the mat and get to work. The earlier you begin gaining actual experience, the earlier results will come, and the more motivated you’ll be. However, if you postpone training, you’ll get demotivated real soon!
So get to work!
If you want to learn all about the Back Mount position, including tips to retain it for longer periods while submitting your opponents with ease, follow this link.
Here are other articles you’d enjoy reading:
BJJ’s 9 Best Back Submissions – Behind Enemy Lines!
9 Most Effective Submissions From Mount (Must-Know)
The 9 Most Effective Takedowns & Throws in BJJ
11 Tips to Win More BJJ Competitions