Ushiro ashi-garami top represents an advanced attacking position within modern leg lock systems where the practitioner has maintained leg entanglement despite the opponent’s inversion escape attempt. This reversed configuration requires specific technical adjustments to standard ashi-garami attacks, creating unique submission opportunities and transition paths that sophisticated leg lock players must master for complete system effectiveness.
The attacking practitioner in ushiro ashi-garami has adapted their leg configuration to follow the opponent’s inversion, maintaining a figure-four entanglement from a reversed angle. The outside leg crosses over the opponent’s trapped leg while the inside leg remains underneath, creating heel hook and ankle lock opportunities that require different grips and finishing mechanics than standard ashi-garami variations. The reversed orientation changes optimal grip positions, hip placement, and upper body control strategies.
The primary strategic objective from ushiro ashi-garami top is preventing complete escape while establishing sufficient control for submission attempts. This involves specific adjustments to leg pressure, grip fighting, and body positioning that account for the opponent’s inverted hip orientation. Secondary objectives include transitioning to higher-control positions like saddle or honey hole, or following the opponent’s continued inversion to establish back control.
Offensive success in ushiro ashi-garami requires understanding how the reversed configuration affects submission mechanics. Heel hooks from ushiro require different hand positions and hip angles than standard outside or inside ashi-garami. The inverted defender’s hip position creates both obstacles and opportunities—obstacles in achieving optimal finishing leverage, opportunities in catching opponents during their escape attempts when their defensive attention is focused on leg clearing rather than submission prevention.
The position frequently occurs in high-level no-gi competition when opponents attempt sophisticated ashi-garami escapes through inversion. Attackers who lack ushiro maintenance skills lose control entirely during these escape attempts, while those who have developed the position can maintain offensive pressure throughout the opponent’s defensive movements. This technical knowledge gap often determines outcomes in leg entanglement exchanges between advanced practitioners.
Control maintenance in ushiro ashi-garami requires constant adjustment to the opponent’s escape efforts. Unlike more static positions, ushiro ashi-garami exists in a state of dynamic tension where both participants are moving through transitional sequences. The attacker must balance commitment to immediate submission attempts against readiness to follow further positional changes, maintaining offensive initiative throughout the scramble sequence.
Position Definition
- Attacker’s legs maintain figure-four configuration around opponent’s trapped leg with outside leg crossing over knee line and inside leg underneath, adapted to opponent’s inverted hip position
- Attacker’s hips are positioned to follow opponent’s inversion while maintaining leg entanglement integrity, requiring constant adjustment to opponent’s rotational movement and escape attempts
- Attacker maintains at least one controlling grip on opponent’s heel, ankle, or pants while managing the opponent’s hand fighting efforts to prevent heel exposure and submission defense
Prerequisites
- Opponent attempted inversion escape from standard ashi-garami position, creating reversed leg entanglement geometry
- Attacker successfully adapted leg configuration during opponent’s rotation to maintain entanglement despite hip inversion
- Sufficient understanding of reversed submission mechanics to attack effectively from inverted opponent orientation
Key Offensive Principles
- Adapt leg pressure and configuration continuously as opponent inverts to prevent complete escape
- Adjust grip strategies for heel hooks to account for reversed hip orientation and different leverage angles
- Control opponent’s inside leg with outside leg to prevent them from completing rotation to turtle or standing
- Use opponent’s inversion momentum to transition to higher-control positions like saddle or back control
- Recognize when opponent has achieved sufficient rotation that maintaining ushiro becomes inefficient
- Balance submission attempts against position retention, prioritizing control when opponent’s escape is advanced
- Monitor opponent’s free leg position as indicator of their next escape attempt or counter-attack opportunity
Available Attacks
Inside Heel Hook from Ushiro → Won by Submission
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 20%
- Intermediate: 35%
- Advanced: 55%
Transition to Saddle → Saddle
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 25%
- Intermediate: 40%
- Advanced: 60%
Follow to Back Control → Back Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 30%
- Intermediate: 45%
- Advanced: 65%
Ankle Lock Finish → Won by Submission
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 25%
- Intermediate: 40%
- Advanced: 55%
Transition to Honey Hole → Honey Hole
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 20%
- Intermediate: 35%
- Advanced: 50%
Cross Ashi Transition → Cross Ashi-Garami
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 25%
- Intermediate: 35%
- Advanced: 50%
Outside Heel Hook Adjustment → Won by Submission
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 15%
- Intermediate: 30%
- Advanced: 45%
Return to Outside Ashi → Outside Ashi-Garami
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 35%
- Intermediate: 50%
- Advanced: 65%
Kneebar from Ushiro → Won by Submission
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 15%
- Intermediate: 25%
- Advanced: 40%
Decision Making from This Position
If opponent’s inversion is shallow and leg clearing has not progressed significantly:
- Execute Immediate Heel Hook Attempt → Won by Submission (Probability: 50%)
- Execute Transition to Saddle → Saddle (Probability: 55%)
If opponent is actively rotating toward turtle with committed movement:
- Execute Follow to Back Control → Back Control (Probability: 60%)
- Execute Ankle Lock During Transition → Won by Submission (Probability: 45%)
If opponent has cleared outside leg and is working to clear inside leg:
- Execute Immediate Saddle Transition → Saddle (Probability: 55%)
- Execute Return to Outside Ashi → Outside Ashi-Garami (Probability: 50%)
If opponent is attempting counter-attack on attacker’s legs:
- Execute Accelerate Heel Hook Finish → Won by Submission (Probability: 50%)
- Execute Cross Ashi Defense → Cross Ashi-Garami (Probability: 45%)
Optimal Submission Paths
Direct Heel Hook Finish
Outside Ashi-Garami → Opponent Inverts → Ushiro Ashi-Garami Top → Inside Heel Hook
Saddle Transition Path
Ushiro Ashi-Garami Top → Saddle Transition → Honey Hole → Outside Heel Hook
Back Attack Sequence
Ushiro Ashi-Garami Top → Follow Inversion → Back Control → Rear Naked Choke
Ankle Lock Finish
Ushiro Ashi-Garami Top → Ankle Lock Adjustment → Straight Ankle Lock
Success Rates and Statistics
| Skill Level | Retention Rate | Advancement Probability | Submission Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 25% | 35% | 20% |
| Intermediate | 40% | 50% | 35% |
| Advanced | 60% | 70% | 55% |
Average Time in Position: 10-20 seconds (transitional position requiring quick decision-making)
Expert Analysis
John Danaher
Ushiro ashi-garami represents a critical test of systematic leg lock understanding because it requires real-time mechanical adaptation to changed circumstances. The position emerges when opponents execute technically sound escape attempts through inversion—a movement that would defeat practitioners who have only learned static ashi-garami positions without understanding the underlying principles of leg entanglement control. The key insight is that ushiro is not a separate position but rather a geometric variation of standard ashi-garami configurations. The same control principles apply, but the reversed hip orientation requires adjusted application. Students must understand that heel hook finishing mechanics change substantially in ushiro—the optimal grip positions, hip angles, and breaking directions all shift relative to standard ashi-garami. However, the fundamental principle of controlling the opponent’s leg while isolating their hip remains constant. Advanced practitioners develop the ability to maintain offensive pressure through continuous positional adaptation, attacking during the opponent’s escape attempts when defensive attention is divided. The decision tree in ushiro revolves around assessing whether immediate submission is available or whether following the opponent’s movement to saddle or back control offers higher success probability.
Gordon Ryan
Ushiro ashi-garami is where you separate people who’ve just learned techniques from people who understand leg lock systems. Elite competitors invert constantly to escape leg attacks, and if you can’t maintain position through that inversion, you’re going to lose every leg entanglement exchange against high-level opponents. My approach to ushiro is aggressive—I’m either finishing the heel hook immediately or I’m transitioning to saddle or taking the back. There’s no value in hanging out in ushiro trying to perfect the position; it’s too dynamic and the opponent is too mobile. The competition application is recognizing when to pursue the submission versus when to follow the movement. If their heel is exposed and my grips are solid, I’m finishing regardless of their inversion. If they’ve hidden the heel effectively and they’re committed to the turtle rotation, I’m following to the back because that’s often easier than forcing the leg attack. Against the best guys, ushiro appears in rapid scramble sequences—standard ashi to ushiro to saddle to honey hole all happening in seconds. Your success rate depends entirely on having practiced these transitions until they’re automatic. The athletes who beat me in leg entanglement exchanges are comfortable attacking through every position in the sequence, not just the pretty Instagram positions.
Eddie Bravo
The ushiro situation is fascinating because it’s basically an inverted leg lock position, and we’ve been working with inverted positions in the 10th Planet system for decades. The comfort level that rubber guard and twister training develops translates directly to offensive capability in ushiro ashi-garami. When your opponent inverts to escape, most people tense up and try to prevent the movement—that’s the wrong approach. Let them invert while you maintain control of their leg, then use that inversion against them. The creative opportunities in ushiro come from recognizing that their inverted position limits their defensive options in some ways. They can’t see what you’re doing as easily, their hand fighting is compromised by the angle, and if they’re focused on completing the escape they’re not defending the submission as well. We also look at this position as part of the truck system pathway—if they keep inverting past ushiro, you can end up in truck positions or twister setups depending on how you follow the movement. The key principle from the 10th Planet perspective is staying comfortable in dynamic transitions and seeing inverted positions as opportunities rather than problems. Your flexibility and conditioning determine whether you can maintain offensive pressure through these scrambles or whether you gas out and let them escape.