Top underhook control represents one of the most powerful pressure-passing and position-consolidating tools available to the top practitioner in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. When navigating half guard, quarter guard, or side control transitions from top position, securing the underhook creates immediate mechanical advantages that enable passes, back takes, and submission entries. The top underhook drives under the opponent’s arm from the outside, connecting your chest to their shoulder and creating direct pressure that flattens them to the mat while restricting their hip mobility.
The offensive power of top underhook control stems from its ability to eliminate the bottom player’s defensive structure while simultaneously creating passing angles and advancement opportunities. When properly executed, the top underhook drives the opponent’s shoulder toward the mat, collapsing their frames and preventing them from creating the space necessary for guard retention or sweeps. This pressure-based control method integrates perfectly with crossface positioning, where your shoulder drives into their face while your underhook controls their far shoulder, creating a crushing pressure system that overwhelms defensive efforts.
Top underhook control functions as both a transitional tool and a position in its own right. Skilled passers use the underhook to establish immediate control when entering opponent’s guard, creating the pressure necessary to advance through quarter guard and into side control. The underhook simultaneously prevents bottom player offensive actions—it neutralizes sweep attempts by controlling their ability to turn into you, eliminates back take opportunities by keeping them flattened, and creates submission opportunities through arm isolation and neck exposure. This multi-functional control makes top underhook positioning essential for any pressure-passing system.
The strategic value of top underhook control extends into the psychological dimension of positional warfare. When you consistently establish top underhook control, you force opponents into uncomfortable positions where their offensive options become severely limited. Bottom players facing skilled underhook pressure must expend significant energy fighting to recover their frames and create space, leading to fatigue and defensive errors. This strategic pressure creates the conditions for successful passes even when individual techniques face resistance—the cumulative effect of sustained pressure overwhelms defensive structures.
Modern pressure-passing systems have elevated top underhook control into sophisticated position chains that integrate with leg weaves, knee cuts, and body lock positions. Top players now use underhook control to create dilemmas where bottom players must choose between defending the pass and defending the back take, with either choice leading to positional advancement. Understanding top underhook control as a foundational pressure tool provides the structural knowledge necessary for developing complete passing systems that apply across weight classes, rule sets, and competition formats.
Position Definition
- The top practitioner’s arm penetrates under the opponent’s near arm from the outside, with the hand connecting to their far shoulder or driving past to establish deep control. This outside-to-inside penetration creates the pressure angle necessary to flatten the bottom player and restrict hip mobility.
- The top practitioner maintains chest pressure driving toward the mat through the underhook connection, creating downward force that collapses the bottom player’s defensive frames. This pressure vector prevents the bottom player from elevating their inside hip or creating space for guard recovery.
- The top practitioner’s head position establishes secondary control, typically driving crossface pressure or maintaining head control that prevents the bottom player from turning into the underhook or creating off-balancing opportunities.
Prerequisites
- Top player has established position in or near opponent’s guard or half guard
- Top player has created angle or pressure opportunity to penetrate underhook from outside
- Bottom player has not yet established strong inside frames or deep underhook themselves
- Top player maintains base and posture sufficient to drive pressure through underhook connection
Key Offensive Principles
- The top underhook must drive downward pressure continuously—upward pressure invites bottom player movement
- Coordinate underhook pressure with crossface control to create complete upper body domination
- Use underhook to drive opponent to their side, creating passing angles and eliminating guard retention
- The underhook enables leg-free passing by controlling upper body while legs advance position
- Maintain heavy hip pressure driving toward opponent’s hips to prevent explosive escapes
- Top underhook creates back take opportunities when bottom player attempts to turn away
- Transition between underhook passing and other passing methods to prevent adaptation and stalling
Available Attacks
Underhook Pass → Side Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 50%
- Intermediate: 65%
- Advanced: 80%
Knee Cut Pass → Side Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 45%
- Intermediate: 60%
- Advanced: 75%
Crossface Pass → Side Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 50%
- Intermediate: 65%
- Advanced: 80%
Kimura to Back Take → Back Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 35%
- Intermediate: 50%
- Advanced: 65%
Back Take Generic → Back Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 40%
- Intermediate: 55%
- Advanced: 70%
Transition to Mount → Mount
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 40%
- Intermediate: 55%
- Advanced: 70%
Transition to North-South → North-South
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 45%
- Intermediate: 60%
- Advanced: 75%
Leg Weave Pass → Side Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 35%
- Intermediate: 50%
- Advanced: 65%
Darce Setup → D’arce Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 30%
- Intermediate: 45%
- Advanced: 60%
Anaconda Setup → Anaconda Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 30%
- Intermediate: 45%
- Advanced: 60%
Body Lock Pass → Side Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 45%
- Intermediate: 60%
- Advanced: 75%
Decision Making from This Position
If bottom player establishes their own inside underhook and attempts to come up or sweep:
- Execute Kimura to Back Take → Back Control (Probability: 60%)
- Execute Darce Setup → D’arce Control (Probability: 50%)
If bottom player remains flat or defensive without establishing strong inside frames:
- Execute Underhook Pass → Side Control (Probability: 70%)
- Execute Knee Cut Pass → Side Control (Probability: 65%)
If bottom player turns away to escape underhook pressure or crossface:
- Execute Back Take Generic → Back Control (Probability: 65%)
- Execute Transition to North-South → North-South (Probability: 60%)
If bottom player creates distance with frames and attempts to recover full guard:
- Execute Leg Weave Pass → Side Control (Probability: 55%)
- Execute Body Lock Pass → Side Control (Probability: 60%)
Optimal Submission Paths
Underhook Pass to Mount Armbar
Underhook Control Top → Underhook Pass → Side Control → Transition to Mount → Armbar from Mount
Underhook to Back to Choke
Underhook Control Top → Back Take Generic → Back Control → Rear Naked Choke
Underhook to Darce Finish
Underhook Control Top → Darce Setup → D'arce Control → Darce Choke
Kimura from Underhook
Underhook Control Top → Kimura to Back Take → Kimura Control → Kimura
Success Rates and Statistics
| Skill Level | Retention Rate | Advancement Probability | Submission Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 55% | 50% | 20% |
| Intermediate | 70% | 65% | 35% |
| Advanced | 85% | 80% | 50% |
Average Time in Position: 20-60 seconds before pass completion or position transition
Expert Analysis
John Danaher
Top underhook control represents the most mechanically efficient pressure-passing method because it directly addresses the primary defensive structure available to bottom players—their inside frames and hip mobility. When you establish a deep underhook from top position, you create a direct pressure vector from your chest through their shoulder to the mat, collapsing their defensive frames and eliminating the space necessary for guard retention. The critical technical detail most practitioners overlook is the coordination between underhook pressure and crossface control—the underhook alone provides incomplete control, but when combined with your shoulder driving into their face, you create a pressure system that overwhelms defensive efforts. The top underhook also creates a strategic dilemma for bottom players: if they turn away to escape the pressure, they expose their back; if they turn toward you to fight the underhook, they give up the pass. This forced choice makes underhook-based passing exceptionally high percentage at all skill levels. Master the coordination of downward underhook pressure, crossface control, and low hip positioning to create pressure passing that reliably advances position against any opponent.
Gordon Ryan
In my passing game, top underhook control is the foundation that enables everything else—once I establish that underhook, I know I’m going to pass eventually because bottom players cannot maintain their defensive structure under sustained pressure. The key is driving constant downward pressure through the underhook while keeping my hips heavy and low. Too many passers make the mistake of pulling up on the underhook or letting their hips rise, which creates space for bottom players to recover. My approach is to make it absolutely miserable for them—constant pressure, constant advancement, never giving them a chance to breathe or reset their frames. I love combining the underhook with knee cuts because the underhook controls their upper body while my knee cuts through their leg defenses, creating passes they cannot stop. Against high-level opponents, I’ll use the underhook to create back take opportunities when they try to turn away from the pressure—some of my best back takes come directly from underhook passing positions when opponents make the mistake of turning. The underhook gives you control of the fundamental exchange in passing—control their shoulder, control their ability to move, and you control the entire position.
Eddie Bravo
Top underhook control is where a lot of traditional pressure passing meets innovative submission opportunities, especially in no-gi where the positions flow faster without gi grips slowing things down. When I’m on top with an underhook, I’m not just thinking about passing—I’m looking for darce chokes, anacondas, and kimura traps that open up when bottom players fight the pressure. The beauty of underhook control is it creates multiple threats: if they stay flat, you pass; if they try to come up, you catch darce or anaconda; if they try to turn away, you take the back. That’s the dilemma approach applied to passing—every defensive choice they make gives you a different offensive opportunity. In the 10th Planet system, we integrate underhook passing with our leg attack game because once you pass half guard with an underhook, you’re perfectly positioned to transition into leg entanglements if they try to recover guard. The underhook becomes the bridge between passing and leg locks, creating a complete offensive system. Don’t just think of the underhook as a passing tool—think of it as the control position that opens up your entire submission game from top.