Back Attack System is a intermediate difficulty Attack System system. Integrates 4 components.
System ID: System Type: Attack System Difficulty Level: Intermediate
What is Back Attack System?
The Back Attack System represents one of the highest-value positions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, combining superior control with multiple high-percentage finishing opportunities. This systematic approach emphasizes securing dominant back control through various entries, maintaining that control against escape attempts, and methodically advancing to submissions. The system prioritizes positional dominance over rushed submission attempts, recognizing that the back position offers such overwhelming advantages that patience and systematic progression yield the highest success rates. Key elements include establishing hooks and harness control, managing opponent defensive reactions, and creating submission opportunities through deliberate sequences rather than isolated attacks. The framework integrates seamlessly with other attacking systems, particularly front headlock series and turtle attacks, creating a comprehensive offensive game that forces opponents into defensive dilemmas. Understanding back attack mechanics transforms practitioners from opportunistic finishers into systematic hunters who can reliably take and maintain the most dominant position in grappling.
Core Principles
- Position before submission - secure control before attacking
- Harness control creates submission opportunity - seatbelt grip is foundational
- Hook management determines control quality - inside hooks superior to body triangle
- Chin protection prevents most choke finishes - hand fighting is essential
- Create submission dilemmas through systematic attacks - never single-threat sequences
- Back control maintenance requires constant adjustment to opponent movement
- Entry diversity ensures back takes from all positions and situations
Key Components
Harness Control (Seatbelt) (Establish foundational control that enables all subsequent attacks while preventing escape) The fundamental control mechanism for back attacks, utilizing the seatbelt grip configuration with one arm over the shoulder and one under the armpit. This asymmetric grip creates powerful control while maintaining the ability to transition between submissions. The top arm controls the far shoulder and limits upper body movement, while the bottom arm provides structural stability and prevents hip escapes. Proper harness tension requires constant adjustment as opponents shift weight and attempt escapes. The grip itself becomes a submission setup tool, as defensive reactions to the choke create armbar and crucifix opportunities.
Hook Management System (Control lower body to prevent shrimping escapes while maintaining offensive mobility) Strategic use of inside hooks, outside hooks, and body triangle to control opponent’s hips and prevent escape sequences. Inside hooks provide superior mobility and allow quick transitions, while body triangle offers maximum compression at the cost of reduced flexibility. The system emphasizes active hook placement rather than passive maintenance, using hooks to steer opponent movement and create off-balancing opportunities. Understanding when to transition between hook configurations based on opponent defensive strategies separates elite back attackers from basic practitioners. Hook depth and angle directly correlate with control quality and submission success rates.
Submission Sequence Framework (Create multiple attack paths that respond systematically to all defensive reactions) Systematic progression through rear naked choke, armbar from back, bow and arrow variations, and crucifix attacks based on opponent defensive responses. Rather than attacking submissions in isolation, this framework treats each attempt as creating the next opportunity. Choke defense exposes arms for armbars, armbar defense creates collar grip opportunities for bow and arrow, and persistent escape attempts open crucifix entries. The sequence operates as a continuous loop where every defensive action generates a new offensive opportunity, creating the grinding pressure that characterizes high-level back attacks. Understanding transition mechanics between submissions is more valuable than perfecting any single finish.
Entry Diversity Protocol (Ensure reliable access to back position from all common grappling scenarios) Comprehensive collection of back take entries from standing, turtle, guard, and transitional positions ensures practitioners can access back control from any scenario. Each entry requires specific technical elements but shares common principles of angle creation, inside control establishment, and progressive advancement to full back mount. The protocol includes arm drag series, chair sit mechanics, rolling back takes, and opportunistic captures during scrambles. Mastering multiple entry pathways prevents opponents from defending specific sequences and allows practitioners to thread back attacks throughout their entire game rather than treating back control as an isolated position.
Implementation Sequence
- Entry Fundamentals: Master basic back take entries from turtle and guard positions, focusing on mechanical precision and control establishment. Key points:
- Perfect chair sit to back from turtle with inside arm control
- Develop arm drag to back from closed guard with proper angle creation
- Establish harness control immediately upon achieving back position
- Recognize entry opportunities during opponent movement and transitions
- Control Refinement: Develop sophisticated harness maintenance and hook placement that survives aggressive escape attempts. Key points:
- Maintain seatbelt grip under pressure with proper elbow positioning
- Transition fluidly between inside hooks and body triangle based on context
- Counter common escape sequences through proactive weight distribution
- Develop sensitivity to opponent movement patterns and defensive habits
- Basic Submission Integration: Add fundamental rear naked choke and armbar mechanics to control platform, understanding setup requirements. Key points:
- Execute rear naked choke with proper choking arm placement and finishing mechanics
- Recognize armbar opportunities when opponent defends neck aggressively
- Understand relationship between choke defense and arm exposure
- Develop timing for submission entries during opponent defensive transitions
- Sequential Attack Development: Build systematic submission chains that create continuous offensive pressure through defensive reactions. Key points:
- Chain rear naked choke to armbar to bow and arrow in systematic sequence
- Recognize specific defensive patterns that open each submission pathway
- Develop patience to progress through multiple attacks without forcing
- Integrate crucifix entries when opponent persistently defends standard attacks
- Advanced Entry Diversification: Expand entry repertoire to include standing back takes, rolling variations, and opportunistic captures. Key points:
- Add single leg to back take for standing integration
- Develop rolling back take from failed guard passes or sweeps
- Recognize scramble opportunities for opportunistic back captures
- Thread back attack entries throughout entire positional game
- System Integration: Connect back attack system with complementary frameworks like front headlock and leg attack systems. Key points:
- Transition from front headlock to back when opponent defends forward
- Use leg entanglement positions as back take entry points
- Develop game flow that consistently funnels opponents toward back exposure
- Recognize when to abandon back attacks for superior positional opportunities
How to Measure Your Progress
Back Take Conversion Rate: Percentage of back take attempts that successfully achieve harness control with at least one hook Proficiency indicators:
- Beginner: 40-50% conversion from obvious opportunities like static turtle
- Intermediate: 60-70% conversion including dynamic transitions and scrambles
- Advanced: 75-85% conversion with ability to take back from standing and unconventional positions
Control Maintenance Duration: Average time maintaining back control before submission or opponent escape Proficiency indicators:
- Beginner: 30-60 seconds against resistance before losing position
- Intermediate: 90+ seconds with ability to recover from partial escapes
- Advanced: Indefinite maintenance until submission or deliberate position change
Submission Completion Rate from Back: Percentage of achieved back controls that result in submission finish Proficiency indicators:
- Beginner: 25-35% finish rate focusing primarily on rear naked choke
- Intermediate: 50-60% finish rate using choke and armbar combinations
- Advanced: 70-80% finish rate with full sequential attack integration
Entry Diversity Index: Number of distinct back take entries successfully used in training and competition Proficiency indicators:
- Beginner: 2-3 reliable entries from limited positions
- Intermediate: 5-7 entries from multiple positions and situations
- Advanced: 10+ entries including standing, guard, turtle, and scramble variations
Expert Insights
- John Danaher: The back position represents the apex of positional hierarchy in grappling because it combines maximum control with minimum defensive options for the opponent. When analyzing back attacks systematically, we must recognize that the position’s overwhelming advantage makes patience not just virtuous but strategically optimal. The common error of rushing submissions stems from failing to appreciate that back control itself severely limits opponent options - they cannot strike effectively, they cannot see your movements, and their escape pathways are mechanically disadvantaged. The harness control creates what I term ‘asymmetric dominance’ where your inside arm position provides far more control than seems possible from a single grip configuration. This asymmetry extends to submissions: the choking arm’s path to the neck is shorter and more direct than the opponent’s defensive hands can travel to block it. When we construct submission sequences from back control, each attack must be understood as creating the next opportunity through forced defensive reactions. The opponent defending the choke necessarily exposes the arm for armbar. Defending the armbar creates collar grip opportunities. This is not coincidental but mechanically inevitable given the control configuration. The practitioner who understands these mechanical relationships stops thinking in terms of individual techniques and begins operating within a systematic framework where every defensive action generates a new offensive pathway. This is the essence of sophisticated back attack methodology.
- Gordon Ryan: Back control wins matches at the highest levels because it’s the one position where you can be methodical without giving up points or allowing opponent recovery. In competition, I use back attacks as my primary finishing system because the scoring advantage and control quality let me work submissions with minimal risk. The key competitive insight is that most opponents would rather survive on their back than give up their neck, which means you often have extended time to work systematic attacks. I’ve finished world champions from the back not because I have some secret technique but because I understand the submission sequencing and I’m willing to spend three, four, five minutes progressing through the system until something opens. The body triangle is overrated for competition - it scores the same as hooks but limits your mobility and wears you out. I prefer inside hooks because they let me stay mobile and adjust to escape attempts without burning energy on static compression. For competition strategy, getting to the back is often easier than people think because opponents focus so heavily on preventing guard passes and defending leg attacks that they expose their back repeatedly. Every scramble, every turtle position, every leg entanglement exit - these all create back take opportunities if you’re systematically hunting for them. The finish rate from back control in high-level competition is probably 70-80% if you include points victories where you ride out the match on their back. That success rate makes back attack development the highest-ROI technical investment for competitive grapplers.
- Eddie Bravo: The back is where the rubber guard philosophy of creating maximum problems with minimum space really shines. Traditional back attacks are solid but we’ve developed some sick variations using the truck position and twister mechanics that completely change the game. When you combine standard back control with the ability to transition to truck, you create these situations where the opponent has to defend both conventional chokes and these weird spine-attacking submissions that most people never train. The key innovation in our system is treating the back position as part of a larger web that includes truck, twister side control, and various crucifix setups. We don’t just think ‘get the back and RNC’ - we’re looking at electric chair entries, calf slicers from the truck, and these ninja roll transitions that make the whole system unpredictable as hell. For no-gi especially, the flexibility requirements of our back attack variations give smaller grapplers huge advantages because the positions themselves are unconventional and most training partners don’t know the defenses. The gift wrap position from back control is particularly nasty because it sets up so many different attacks and most people’s defensive instincts actually make things worse. We drill a lot of back attack entries from weird positions like inverted guard and rubber guard because the whole 10th Planet philosophy is about being dangerous from anywhere. The systematic part comes from understanding that every position connects to every other position if you know the pathways. Back control isn’t isolated - it’s a central hub in this whole web of attacking positions, and mastering those connections is what makes the system really dangerous.