Truck & Roll To The Back!

Being able to take the back in Jiu Jitsu is king. Controlling the back position of an opponent is important and getting finishes from that position becomes a reality rather quickly. The issue with taking the back, is that most Jiu Jitsu players will defend most standard back takes. While getting one leg hook is relatively easy, getting the second is difficult. Opponents will defend that second hook and do anything they can to reverse the position. That’s where the truck position comes into play. Made famous by Eddie Bravo, here is a way to get to an opponent’s back by using just one hook. The method I use for this is the way Ryan Hall sets it up. I do not use the lockdown leg position that Eddie does as you will see.

As you can see below, I have my opponent in the turtle position. I am staying close to her and I manage to get one of my leg hooks in. Then I interlace my leg somewhat deep on hers. The top of my foot, instep and part of my shin rest over her calve.

Now here is another angle to see the leg hook lace. I am controlling my opponent’s leg with my own.

While staying pretty close to my opponent, I grab my opponent’s far shin, leaning over her hips, not her back.

As you can see, I roll over the shoulder that is closest to my opponent’s head. I roll away from her back, not into her. While I am doing this, I maintain my leg hook over hers, using it to bring her leg over.

 

As I roll over onto my back, I bring my free leg up to reinforce my leg hook. I put my foot on my ankle and use it to to push my own leg to get my opponent up. It is important that I keep my opponent’s hip on me and not on the ground, otherwise she can reverse the position. Also, notice that I still control her ankle with my hands.

 

As we come up to the seated position, I use my hand to pin my opponent’s to the floor and get ready to throw my other leg hook in.

Once I am ready, I throw my other leg hook in and grab over/under control (seatbelt) with my arms. From there, I can work on a variety of back attacks.

I am a big fan of getting to the back this way. While unconventional, it is not anything ridiculous or fancy. By using good control with your arms and legs, you can hit a Jiu Jitsu roll and use this position to get to the back. It is very effective.