5 Back Takes For Brazillian Jiu Jitsu That You Should Know

Having Your Opponent’s back is one of the best positions you can find yourself in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Having your opponent’s back is one of the best positions you can find yourself in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Having your training partner’s back opens him or her up to a nasty neck choke. The other major benefit about having the back is that you are relatively safe. If this were a street fight your opponent would not be able to throw punches. Your opponent is neutralized and you are in a position to control and submit them. Securing a back mount also awards you four points in IBJJF tournaments. No matter whether you are a beginner or a seasoned veteran, it is always going to be important to be finding new ways to take the back from different guards as well as a variety of other positions.

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Today we are going to explore 5 different back takes that you should know for Brazilian jiu jitsu. Are you ready? Let’s get started!

#1: Lasso to Arm Drag Back Take by Marcos Tinoco

In the world of competitive Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Marcos Tinoco, also known as Tinoco or “Lekinho,” is a living legend in a generation of super star grapplers. Tinoco is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under legendary Marcelo Garcia. Tinoco is also a member of the multiple world champion winning team Alliance, based out of New York in the United States.

This is a great series by Marcos Tinoco, showing how to move through fundamental positions in order to get to your opponent’s back. By first working for his lasso guard Marcos opens up the opportunity to take the back. He uses his feet in his opponent’s hips to control this distance before establishing his lasso. It can be a little tricky when you roll with a guy who has more experience defending against the lasso guard. Because of this, often times you will end up in a situation where there is too much space and you no longer have the connectivity needed to sweep your opponent. By hitting the arm drag you can easily get to the back instead. As soon as Marcos gets to the back he locks up his seat belt grip and starts working his submission.

#2: Back Take vs Turtle

One of the reasons some high level BJJ practitioners see the turtle position as a weak defensive position is because it gives your back to your opponent. A smart attacker will often look to use this to their advantage. You can hit a back take on a turtled opponent in only three simple steps. Place your hips directly next to your partner’s hips. You should be square against your partner. Now from here, simply reach with your near arm around his waist and grab your training partner’s gi lapel. Pull your training partner towards you using your knee to block his knee and establish your seat belt grips. From here you can begin to work your submissions.

#3: Kickstart Back Take by Mike Palladino

Mike Palladino, is a World Champion Grappler, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Player, and Founder of Evolution Grappling Academy. In October of 2017, Palladino represented the U.S. in the Combat Wrestling World Championship, held in Honjo, Saitama, Japan. Mike is a BJJ Black belt under the tutelage of 3x IBJJF World Champion and Soul Fighters Co Founder, Rafael “Formiga” Barbosa and Submission Grappling Wizard and Sambo Master Vladislav Koulikov.

The kick start back take starts from side control against his opponent who is in the turtle position. The key detail here is to use your heel of your foot the rip up your opponent’s leg so you can take his back and sink your hooks in. Mike also demonstrates how to take the back using a roll through. Here his knee is right in between his opponent’s knees. He is hip to hip and then goes to his harness, picks the leg and rolls all the way through. In that transition is where you want to look for the setup for a submission.

#4: Yuri Simoes Butterfly Cradle To Back Take

Yuri is well known for incorporating his wrestling backround into the world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. But the crazy thing about Yuri is that he has never wrestled. He simply sees wrestling as an effective way to pass, and therefore uses popular wrestling and catch wrestling passes. This is a really unique back take. Starting from butterfly guard what Yuri likes to do in this position is pull his training partner’s head down and threaten the guillotine choke. Yuri uses his arm and body weight to move away from his training partner. This breaks down his training partner’s posture, putting him on his side and making his butterfly guard completely ineffective.

From here get your arm under your opponent’s head to trap his arm, giving you access to take his back. A lot of the time, simply closing the seat belt grip will not work. By going all the way around your opponent’s neck and arm you secure a rear naked choke on his elbow. From here you can set your hooks and take your opponent’s back.

#5: Gordon Ryan, Brunswick BJJ - Side to Knee on Belly to Back

Gordon Ryan is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt from the United States who specializes in submission only grappling. Gordon is an ADCC World Champion and a four time EBI (Eddie Bravo Invitational) Champion. Ryan began training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the age of 15 under Miguel Benitez.

Gordon Ryan starts from side control. From there you see him lift his opponent getting him up on his side rather than flat on his back. Then Ryan gets a tight grip on his training partner’s lower back. You might want to pause the video right and notice how tight and connected Gordon Ryan is to his opponent. He has tight control behind the neck, and back with his left leg and foot tight at the hips. He is basically taking all opportunities away from the guy on bottom to attack. Gordon maintains his tight connectivity in the transition. He drags his knee straight across his opponent’s belly and now dominates his back side, still giving no opportunity for an attack or an explosive movement to bump him off. The head clinch that he still has as well as his knee on the mat give him the leverage to lift his opponent up get his hip and leg around, lock up and take the back. Now he is in the perfect position to finish with a tight neck choke submission.

If you are struggle against a bigger, stronger, more aggressive opponent, just remember there is always a way you can find a way to his back. So be sure to remember these 5 excellent back takes for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu the next time you are on the mats!

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