Back take transitions represent some of the most valuable positional advancements in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, as back control offers the highest point value in competition and provides access to the most dominant submission opportunities. A successful back take requires understanding multiple pathways from various positions including turtle, side control, guard, and standing positions. The fundamental principle underlying all back takes is creating and exploiting angles while controlling your opponent’s defensive frames. Whether you’re attacking from top position, transitioning from guard, or capitalizing on scrambles, the ability to recognize and execute back take opportunities separates advanced practitioners from beginners. This transition encompasses a family of techniques unified by the common goal of achieving rear control with both hooks established and control of the upper body through seat belt grip or similar control mechanisms.
Starting Position: Turtle Ending Position: Back Control Success Rates: Beginner 35%, Intermediate 50%, Advanced 70%
Key Principles
- Angle creation is essential - never attack the back directly from square alignment
- Control one shoulder while attacking around the opposite side
- Maintain constant forward pressure to prevent opponent from turning into you
- Establish first hook before committing fully to back exposure
- Use opponent’s defensive reactions to guide your pathway selection
- Secure upper body control (seat belt, harness, or gift wrap) before finishing second hook
- Chain multiple back take attempts together when first option is defended
Prerequisites
- Clear angle of attack established relative to opponent’s centerline
- At least one point of upper body control (collar, wrist, or shoulder grip)
- Opponent’s base compromised or weight distributed unevenly
- Your hips mobile and ready to insert hooks
- Recognition of opponent’s defensive posture and available openings
- Sufficient space created to navigate around opponent’s frames
Execution Steps
- Establish dominant angle: Create a minimum 45-degree angle relative to your opponent’s centerline by moving your hips laterally while maintaining chest contact. From turtle, this means getting perpendicular to their spine. From standing, this means circling to their back corner. The angle prevents them from turning into you effectively. (Timing: Initial setup phase)
- Secure first control point: Grip the far shoulder, establish an overhook, or secure a collar grip on the opposite side from your angle of attack. This control point serves as your anchor and prevents the opponent from rotating away. The grip should be firm but not energy-depleting, as you’ll maintain it throughout the transition. (Timing: Before committing to back exposure)
- Create hip clearance: Use your free hand to clear the opponent’s near-side elbow away from their ribs, creating space for your first hook. This can be accomplished with hand fighting, a knee slide, or by driving your shoulder into their armpit to collapse their defensive frame. The goal is opening the door for hook insertion. (Timing: As opponent reacts to your angle)
- Insert first hook: Drive your inside leg deep across the opponent’s near hip, establishing the first hook with your instep controlling their inner thigh. The hook should be inserted from knee-to-instep in one smooth motion, not gradually. Keep your knee tight to their ribs to prevent them from trapping your leg in half guard. (Timing: Window opens for 1-2 seconds)
- Establish seat belt control: As the first hook enters, immediately establish seat belt grip (one arm over shoulder, one arm under armpit, hands clasped). The overhook side should be on the same side as your first hook. Pull them back into your chest while preventing their shoulders from turning. This is the critical control that stops most escape attempts. (Timing: Simultaneously with first hook)
- Complete second hook: Swing your outside leg over the opponent’s far hip to establish your second hook. Use your seat belt grip to create the space by pulling them slightly toward your first hook side. Both hooks should now be active with insteps controlling their inner thighs. Drive your hips forward to flatten them to the mat if possible. (Timing: Immediately after seat belt secured)
- Consolidate back control: Adjust your hooks deeper if needed, ensuring both heels are controlling below their hip line. Tighten your seat belt by pulling your elbows to your ribs. Keep your chest heavy on their upper back while your hooks stretch them out. From here, you can attack submissions or maintain position for points. (Timing: Final positioning adjustment)
Opponent Counters
- Opponent turns into you aggressively before first hook is established (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Flow with their turn and transition to front headlock position or guillotine control rather than forcing the back take against their rotation. You can often circle back to the back take from the front headlock.
- Opponent sits to their hip and traps your first hook in half guard (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Keep your seat belt control and work for the crucifix position instead. Alternatively, use your trapped hook as a butterfly hook to elevate and complete the back take from the sweep.
- Opponent hand fights your seat belt grip aggressively (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Switch to temporary harness or gift wrap control while they’re focused on breaking your grip. Often their hand fighting opens up the second hook opportunity. Re-establish seat belt once both hooks are secured.
- Opponent drives backward into you with explosive base (Effectiveness: Low) - Your Response: Use their forward pressure by pulling them into a backward roll, maintaining your hooks throughout. You’ll end up on top in back control as they complete the rotation.
- Opponent drops their weight and turtles tightly (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Maintain your angle and work for alternative positions like crucifix, truck, or the twister side control. All of these positions maintain back exposure and lead to submission opportunities or can be converted back to full back control.
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: Why must you establish an angle before attempting a back take rather than attacking directly from behind? A: Attacking from directly behind allows the opponent to simply turn into you, converting your back attack into their guard or a neutral scramble. An angle (minimum 45 degrees) prevents them from rotating effectively because their spine biomechanics don’t allow rotation toward the back corner as easily as rotation forward. The angle also creates the geometric space needed to insert your first hook without it being immediately trapped or defended.
Q2: What is the correct sequence for establishing back control, and why does this order matter? A: The correct sequence is: 1) Establish angle, 2) Secure upper body control (seat belt or collar), 3) Insert first hook, 4) Complete second hook. This order matters because upper body control prevents rotation and escape while you’re vulnerable during hook insertion. If you insert hooks before controlling the upper body, the opponent can rotate into guard. The angle must come first or you can’t access the hook insertion points safely. Reversing this sequence dramatically reduces success rates.
Q3: How should you respond when your first hook is trapped in half guard during a back take attempt? A: Rather than forcing the second hook against this defense, you should maintain your seat belt control and transition to alternative positions that preserve your advantage. The crucifix position is the highest percentage option, achieved by controlling their trapped arm and stepping over their head. Alternatively, you can use your trapped hook as a butterfly hook to elevate them and complete the back take from the sweep. The key is recognizing that the trapped hook hasn’t ended your attack, it’s just redirected it to a different advantageous position.
Q4: Why is crossing your feet after establishing back control considered a critical error, and what should you do instead? A: Crossing your feet creates a straight ankle lock vulnerability that allows the opponent to attack your crossed ankles with a legal submission, potentially forcing you to abandon the superior back control position to defend. Instead, keep your feet uncrossed with your insteps controlling the opponent’s inner thighs in an ‘inside heel’ position. This maintains hook depth and control while eliminating the ankle lock vulnerability. Your hooks should stretch the opponent out laterally while your chest pressure prevents backward escape.
Q5: What are the key indicators that tell you which back take variation to select during a live scramble? A: The opponent’s defensive reaction determines your pathway selection. If they turn into you, transition to front headlock or guillotine positions. If they sit to their hip, attack the crucifix or truck position. If they maintain turtle and keep elbows tight, consider the seatbelt harness ride or crab ride variations. If they post on hands, the matrix or rolling back take becomes available. Advanced practitioners develop automatic pattern recognition where the opponent’s movement triggers the appropriate response without conscious thought. This requires extensive drilling of the decision tree and thousands of repetitions in live sparring.
Q6: How does the back take fit into the overall positional hierarchy of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? A: Back control is the most dominant position in BJJ, offering the highest point value (4 points) in IBJJF competition and the greatest submission opportunities (rear naked choke, bow and arrow, armbar variations). The back take represents an advancement from virtually any other position. From bottom positions (guard, bottom side control, turtle), achieving back control constitutes a major reversal and positional dominance shift. From top positions (side control, mount, turtle top), it represents further advancement toward finishing the match. Strategic competitors often prioritize back takes over immediate submissions from lesser positions because back control offers both high percentage finishes and substantial point advantages.
Safety Considerations
When practicing back take transitions, never cross your feet after establishing hooks, as this creates a straight ankle lock vulnerability that can result in serious ankle or Achilles injury. During drilling, agree on resistance levels beforehand and increase gradually over weeks rather than starting with explosive movements. When your partner achieves back control on you during practice, tap early to choke attempts rather than fighting them to unconsciousness - protecting your training partner’s development is more important than your ego. The back take involves dynamic movement and potential for awkward falls, so ensure adequate mat space and avoid training near walls or obstacles. Beginners should focus on technical precision rather than speed during the first month of practice. When working back takes from standing positions, both partners should be aware of takedown safety principles and know how to breakfall properly.
Position Integration
The back take represents the ultimate positional objective from nearly every position in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, serving as the connection point between offensive and defensive situations. From bottom guard positions (closed guard, open guard variations, half guard), the back take provides a path to complete reversal and dominance. From turtle, it’s the most common attacking goal for the top player. From side control and mount top positions, the back take constitutes positional advancement toward match-ending submissions. The systematic BJJ player develops reliable back take pathways from every position they commonly encounter. For example, from bottom half guard, the deep half chair sit to back should be automatic. From standing, the arm drag or single leg to back take becomes the primary strategy when takedowns are defended. Back take success fundamentally depends on understanding the broader positional game - you must first achieve the prerequisite position (turtle top, side control, dominant guard) before the back take becomes available. Champions like Gordon Ryan and Garry Tonon have built entire competitive systems around funneling opponents into positions where back takes become inevitable, demonstrating that back take integration extends beyond the transition itself to encompass the entire strategic approach to the match.
Expert Insights
- Danaher System: The back take is not a single technique but rather a systematic understanding of angular geometry and control hierarchies. Every back take succeeds or fails based on the same fundamental principle: controlling the far shoulder while attacking around the near side. The biomechanics of the human spine dictate that rotation toward the back corner is severely limited compared to forward rotation, which is why the angle is non-negotiable. Students often fail back takes not because they don’t know the technique, but because they don’t understand the invisible architecture of control points that must be established sequentially. The seat belt grip is the cornerstone of this architecture - without it, you have no back take, regardless of how perfect your angle or hook insertion might be. I teach my students to think of the back take as a five-stage process: angle creation, first control point, first hook, upper body consolidation, second hook completion. Each stage has specific failure points and contingencies. When you understand the system rather than memorizing individual techniques, you can attack the back from any position because the underlying principles remain constant. The back take is where positional chess meets physics, and the player who understands both dimensions will consistently achieve the dominant position.
- Gordon Ryan: In competition, the back take is my primary strategic objective from almost every position because it offers the best combination of points and finishing opportunities. I’ve built my entire no-gi game around creating back take opportunities from leg entanglements, front headlock, and guard passing positions. The single most important factor in high-percentage back takes is recognizing the exact moment when your opponent is most vulnerable - typically during transitions or when they’re defending another attack. I often threaten a leg lock or front headlock submission specifically to create the defensive reaction that opens the back take. Against elite opponents, you rarely get clean back takes from static positions; instead, you must engineer scrambles where your systematic back take game is superior to their defensive game. My advice for competitors is to develop three reliable back take entries from your best positions and drill them until they’re completely automatic. In matches, I average 60-70% success rate on back take attempts because I’ve refined my entries to the point where I only attack when the geometry is perfect. The back is where I finish most of my matches, so every position I play has a direct path to back control built into its structure.
- Eddie Bravo: The back take is where traditional jiu-jitsu and the evolution of the game intersect in really interesting ways. At 10th Planet, we’ve developed some unconventional pathways to back control that exploit modern defensive patterns you see in no-gi competition. The truck position, for example, gives you back exposure with unique submission opportunities that most traditional back take systems don’t account for. What I love about back takes is that they reward creativity and timing over pure strength - a smaller, technical player can consistently take the back on larger opponents if they understand leverage and angles. One thing I emphasize that differs from traditional approaches is using leg entanglement positions as back take setups. When you’re threatening someone’s legs, their upper body becomes much more accessible because they’re focused on defending the leg attacks. The crab ride, for instance, came from experimenting with maintaining back exposure during scrambles rather than always seeking the traditional hooks-in position. My students learn to see back control as a spectrum rather than a binary state - sometimes you have partial back control or back exposure that’s sufficient for submissions even without both hooks. The key is staying creative and adapting your back take game to modern defensive strategies rather than rigidly adhering to techniques that worked twenty years ago but now have well-established counters.