Half Guard to Back Take represents an advanced positional transition that transforms a defensive half guard position into the highly dominant back control. This transition is fundamental to modern half guard systems and represents one of the highest-percentage paths to dominance from bottom position. The technique relies on establishing an underhook, creating a perpendicular angle to the opponent, and systematically climbing to their back while they attempt to maintain top pressure. This transition is particularly effective because it exploits the opponent’s forward pressure against them, using their own weight commitment to facilitate the back take. Mastery of this transition is essential for any serious half guard player and represents a key component of offensive half guard systems developed by experts like Bernardo Faria and Craig Jones.
From Position: Half Guard (Bottom)
Key Attacking Principles
- Underhook Control: Deep underhook acts as primary control point for rotation and prevents opponent’s crossface
- Hip Positioning: Block opponent’s hip to prevent defensive movement and base recovery
- Pressure Direction: Use forward pressure followed by lateral transition to create opening
- Timing Mechanics: Execute during opponent’s defensive turn or frame attempt when weight shifts
- Connection Points: Maintain minimum three points of connection throughout transition
- Space Management: Control space between your chest and opponent’s back during climb
- Head Position: Head placed on dominant side to prevent defensive roll and maintain control
Prerequisites
- Underhook established on opponent’s far side with deep penetration
- Opponent applying forward pressure or attempting to flatten
- Hip mobility sufficient to create perpendicular angle
- Timing recognition for when opponent’s weight commits forward
- Frame prevention: opponent’s crossface must be controlled or nullified
- Base disruption: opponent’s posting hand controlled or compromised
Execution Steps
- Establish underhook control: From bottom half guard, secure deep underhook on opponent’s far side, threading your arm under their armpit and connecting your hand to their far shoulder or lat muscle. Simultaneously prevent their crossface by keeping your other hand framing against their neck or shoulder.
- Create perpendicular angle: Use the underhook to pull yourself perpendicular to your opponent’s body, rotating your torso so you’re facing their side rather than directly facing them. Your hips should form approximately a 90-degree angle with their body, with your inside leg still maintaining the half guard lock.
- Block bottom hip: As you create the angle, bring your top knee across to block opponent’s bottom hip, preventing them from turning into you or recovering their base. This knee acts as a critical control point that maintains your perpendicular position.
- Release half guard lock: Once your perpendicular angle is secure and hip is blocked, release your half guard leg lock. Your freed inside leg will be used to begin climbing to the back, starting with the bottom hook insertion.
- Insert bottom hook: Thread your inside leg (the one that was previously locking half guard) across opponent’s bottom hip and insert it as your first back control hook. The hook should go deep, with your heel pulling into their hip crease while your knee drives into their thigh.
- Climb to back: Using your underhook and bottom hook as anchors, elevate your hips and climb onto opponent’s back. Your chest should make contact with their back, and your head should position behind their far shoulder. Maintain constant pressure to prevent them from turning into you.
- Insert top hook: Once your body weight is on their back, insert your top leg as the second hook, threading it over their top hip and securing it deep. Both hooks should now be pulling their hips toward you while your chest drives into their back, creating the characteristic sandwich pressure of back control.
- Establish final control: Secure your preferred back control grip configuration (seatbelt, harness, or collar grips in gi). Ensure both hooks are deep, your chest is tight to their back, and your head is positioned defensively behind their shoulder to prevent them from rolling you off.
Possible Outcomes
| Result | Position | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Success | Back Control | 75% |
| Failure | Half Guard | 15% |
| Counter | Half Guard | 10% |
Opponent Counters
- Opponent turns into guard (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Maintain underhook control and follow their rotation, transitioning to butterfly guard or continuing to take the back as they expose it during the turn → Leads to Half Guard
- Crossface pressure to flatten (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Use inside arm to frame against their neck while using underhook to create angle anyway, or transition to deep half guard if crossface becomes too dominant → Leads to Half Guard
- Opponent bases out wide with posted hands and sprawled legs (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Use their wide base against them by attacking far side with underhook sweep variations, or transition to lockdown to break down their base structure before reattempting → Leads to Half Guard
- Knee shield insertion to create distance and block angle creation (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Address knee shield by controlling their shin with your top hand while maintaining underhook, then either remove shield or transition to different half guard variation → Leads to Half Guard
- Whizzer overhook to kill underhook and drive hip pressure (Effectiveness: Low) - Your Response: Accept the whizzer and use it as leverage for the back take, as the overhook actually helps you climb to their back when properly exploited by circling underneath → Leads to Back Control
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: What is the primary control point that enables the half guard to back take transition? A: The underhook on opponent’s far side is the primary control point, providing leverage for angle creation, preventing opponent’s crossface pressure, and serving as the main anchor throughout the entire transition from half guard to full back control.
Q2: When is the optimal timing to execute the climb to back control? A: You should climb to back control after creating a perpendicular angle with the underhook, specifically when opponent’s weight commits forward and their bottom hip is blocked by your knee, preventing their defensive turn-in or base recovery.
Q3: What is the most common technical error when attempting this transition and how is it corrected? A: The most common error is releasing the underhook too early during the transition, which results in loss of control and allows opponent to establish crossface and flatten you. The correction is to maintain underhook connection throughout the entire sequence until back control is fully established with both hooks inserted and secured.
Q4: How do you effectively counter an opponent’s crossface pressure when attempting the back take? A: Counter crossface pressure by using your inside arm to create a defensive frame against their neck or shoulder while simultaneously using the underhook to create the perpendicular angle anyway. If crossface becomes too dominant, transition to deep half guard or lockdown positions that nullify their crossface advantage.
Q5: Why is blocking the opponent’s bottom hip critical to the success of this technique? A: Blocking opponent’s bottom hip with your top knee is critical because it prevents them from turning into you to recover guard and maintains your perpendicular angle during the climb. Without this hip block, opponents can easily rotate toward you and nullify the back take attempt, recovering to standard half guard or even passing to top position.
Q6: How does the Kimura Grip variation differ from the standard underhook approach? A: The Kimura Grip variation uses a kimura grip on opponent’s near arm instead of the traditional far side underhook, creating back exposure through submission threat rather than positional leverage. This forces opponent to defend by turning away from the kimura, which exposes their back for the take, making it effective when traditional underhook is well-defended.
Q7: What grip configuration should your underhook hand achieve during setup? A: Your underhook hand should thread deep under opponent’s armpit and connect to their far shoulder blade or lat muscle, not merely resting on their side. The deeper the underhook penetration, the more rotational leverage you generate for angle creation and the harder it becomes for opponent to strip or whizzer over it.
Q8: In which direction should you drive force during the climb phase of the back take? A: During the climb phase, your force should drive diagonally upward and forward into your opponent’s back, using the bottom hook and underhook as anchors. The chest drives into their upper back while your hips elevate, creating a loading effect where your weight transfers onto their back rather than remaining on the mat beside them.
Q9: Your opponent defends by posting their far hand on the mat and widening their base - what do you do? A: When opponent posts wide and bases out, switch to an Old School sweep setup by controlling their far ankle with your free hand while maintaining the underhook. The posting hand removes their ability to block your hip, so threaten the sweep to force them to retract their post, which reopens the back take angle you originally sought.
Q10: What chain attacks should you threaten if your initial back take attempt is blocked at the angle creation phase? A: If the back take stalls at the angle creation phase, chain into underhook sweep from half guard, Old School sweep, or kimura grip to back take. Each of these attacks uses the same underhook control point, so the opponent must solve multiple problems simultaneously. The sweep threat forces them to post, which exposes the back; the kimura threat forces rotation away, which also exposes the back.
Q11: What conditions must exist before you release the half guard leg lock to begin hook insertion? A: Before releasing the half guard lock, three conditions must be met: your perpendicular angle must be fully established with your torso facing their side, your top knee must be blocking their bottom hip to prevent the turn-in defense, and your underhook must be deep and secure with chest beginning to make contact with their side. Releasing the lock prematurely without these conditions results in losing the entanglement anchor without having established sufficient alternative control.
Q12: Your opponent applies a strong whizzer as you establish the underhook - how does this affect your back take strategy? A: A whizzer actually aids the back take when exploited correctly. The whizzer pins your shoulder tight to their body, which gives you a closer connection for the climb. Circle your hips underneath their whizzer pressure while keeping your underhook hand connected. Their overhook acts as an anchor point that prevents them from creating distance, and as you rotate perpendicular, the whizzer loses its leverage while your underhook gains it.
Safety Considerations
Ensure controlled execution to avoid injury during the transition. Maintain awareness of opponent’s spine and neck position, particularly when establishing back control and inserting hooks. Apply pressure gradually rather than explosively when first learning to prevent knee and hip injuries to your training partner. When inserting hooks, be careful not to drive knees forcefully into opponent’s thighs, which can cause painful contusions. During drilling, communicate clearly if crossface pressure becomes excessive, as this can strain neck muscles. Partners should tap early if they feel trapped in poor positions during the transition to prevent panic responses that lead to injury.