Hide Your Back… Roberto Jimenez is Coming

Roberto Jimenez has yet again proved that he is one of the most talented and worthy up and comers in BJJ with his performance at this past weekend’s Vegas Open.

Jiminez brought home 4 gold medals finishing all of his fights and with ZERO points scored against him through the entire event. An impressive accomplishment for the young brown belt, who will not be slowing down anytime soon. The 19-year-old Alliance athlete has been ripping his way through the competition scene, showing more than impressive skill, and proving that he is a force to be reckoned with. 

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Jimenez has enjoyed a string of successful competition endeavors, undoubtedly fueled by tons of hard work, and is becoming more and more well known for his incredible ability to take the back. Being capable of taking the back at will is a skill that requires a lot of focus and experimentation. Obtaining, maintaining, and finishing from the back on a game opponent is no easy task, yet Jiminez makes it look easy. He masterfully navigates the body and sniffs out the back, and once he arrives, it seems it’s only a matter of time before the submission comes to fruition. 

Let’s take a look at some techniques from Jimenez and see if we can absorb a bit of his back taking magic. 

The collar drag is an incredibly valuable skill. Based on great timing and body movement, this technique is an essential for any BJJ tool box. IN this video Jimenez demonstrates a variation of the collar drag and ultimately achieves the back. There are lots of important micro details here that should be taken into account. Have a look!

Jimenez begins from a standing position. He first addresses the grip break. I really like how he chooses to break the grip. It seems very powerful and effective. Breaking grips can be a nightmare, especially with bigger stronger opponents.

With a common neutral set of grips in place, Jimenez switches to a cross collar style grip. He then secures his partners sleeve, while simultaneously stepping back with his left leg and dropping his forehead. With the grip broken, Jimenez now beings to sidestep and then drives his leg up the middle of his partners legs as he allows his hips to drop down to the floor. Hooking the leg and creating an angle, Jimenez begins to come up in the style of a single leg. Halfway through the motion, he bails out and travels toward the back. 

Achieving double under hooks and lapel grips, Jimenez extends his arms forward and walks all the way to the other side of his partners body. Hugging his partner tight, he weaves his first hook through and behind his partners legs (think broomstick takedown) and uses this entanglement to off balance his partner and ultimately bring the exchange to the floor. 

Jimenez uses his knee to push his partner’s hips down and sets the second hook. He’s now poised to attack the neck. Jimenez can settle in and get the points or begin to get to work on the finish. For the choke, he advises us to acquire the collar grip in transition. As he begins to take his partner to the opposite side, he feeds the collar into the opposite hand. As he arrives at the other side, Jimenez lands on his elbow and begins to secure the choke, slicing in to his partners neck with his hands like a knife and commanding the tap. 

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I love the idea of attacking in transition. As Jimenez takes his partner to the other side, a lot of the focus is probably on trying to escape the back, meanwhile he’s setting up a submission during the ride. Great stuff!

Jimenez launches his next back attack in his video from the closed guard. Check it out!

Beginning with double sleeve grips, Jimenez circles his hands to the inside of his partners arms, and then pulls him forward with his knees, achieving double under hooks. He chooses a side to attack and then plants his palm on his partner’s lat muscle, sinking it into the armpit. Using his free hand to acquire the collar, Jimenez then begins to hip to his left and shucks the arm over his head. He now feeds the collar in to his top hand, gets up on his elbow, and transfers his weight in to his top leg to climb up on to the back. With both collars controlled, Jimenez slides his hip in, opening his partner up and finding a pathway to the second hook. As he sets the second hook he continues to roll toward the opposite side, securing the seat belt and completing the back take. 

Working to answer the De La Riva guard with a back take is the subject of this next video. Here Jimenez shows us how to turn a DLR attack into an opportunity to get on the back. Take a look at this!

Jimenez begins in the DLR and guides his partners opposite knee in to a position where he is now resting on the foot. He achieves collar grips with both hands and puts pressure in to his partner. As his partner responds by pushing back, Jimenez guides the knee through the middle of his lets and drops his base down. He then pushes the shoulder away and drops his knee and chest into the space behind the back. Here, he reaches under his partner with his hand and begins to acquire the collar. Stretching a bit to make room for his knee to slide further up the back, Jimenez now sits, sets his first hook, and as he travels to the other side, he places his leg over his partner's shoulder. Planting the foot securely on his partners ribs, Jiminez now begins to complete the submission. He brings everything in tight to his body, including his hands and feet, creating a constricting and incredibly secure choke. 

There are lots of great details here. Jiminez has thought things through and there are no stones left unturned. His methods of attacking the back are scientific and impressive. I hope you picked up some great specifics here and can implement them in your own training. If the back is your thing, this is the guy to study. I can’t wait to see Jiminez in his next competition. I have a feeling we're all going to be hearing this young man’s name more and more!

Join Roberto Jimenez, and get to work making your back game better! His road map to the back is unreal, and works at ALL levels. His DVD "Attack The Back Every Match" will take your back game to the next level! Check it out here!

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