How to Take the Back in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

What It Is

Taking the back in Brazilian jiu jitsu means getting yourself behind your opponent, hips, chest, and legs lining up with their back, securing control, and actively threatening to submit them. It’s not just about slapping on hooks and grabbing a seatbelt; it’s about controlling their ability to turn, flatten, or escape. Against decent opponents, you’ll need real precision, timing, and pressure. In live rounds or at tournament pace, nobody just gives up their back. You have to create the chance with crisp mechanics and aggressive intent.

Why It Works

The back is the king position in Brazilian jiu jitsu because it takes away your opponent’s ability to see, use their strongest frames, or attack you back. Their arms can’t create distance. Their hips can’t shrimp away. You can attack with both hands for chokes or transitions while they have just their hands to defend. If you secure the back with solid hooks or body triangle, you force them to carry your weight, sap their grip, and expose their neck. It’s the safest place to attack from and hardest to escape, if done right.

Key Details

Don’t just think about “hooks in.” Start by breaking your opponent’s alignment. Taking the back usually starts with forcing them to turn, think of a big hip heist off a guard pass, a heavy crossface forcing a turtle open, or an underhook and knee slide that exposes their far side. Key points:

• Chest-to-back contact: No space. If you’re floating on their side or losing chest contact, expect a scramble. Glue your sternum to their upper back while staying mobile.
• Harness/seathbelt position: One arm over the shoulder, one under the armpit, hands connected. Hide your choking wrist under their chin or trap it with your chin.
• Hooks or body triangle: If you can’t get both hooks, think about trapping a leg or switching to a body triangle. Hooks in but hips sliding off means you’ll get shaken loose.
• Head position: Put your head next to theirs, never behind. If your head’s floating back, they’ll turn into you or find your grip.
• Control the escape side: Anticipate their first escape attempts, usually bridging to the overhook side, clearing hooks, or attacking the choking arm.
• Keep your weight heavy but adjustable: Don’t be rigid. Adjust to their movement, slip hooks deeper if they bridge, or flatten with your hips if they posture.

Common Mistakes

Most athletes mess up back takes in transition, too slow, too loose, or too greedy. Watch for these:

• Chasing hooks before control: If you reach for hooks without establishing chest-to-back, you’ll get shaken off or end up in guard.
• Reaching with your arms: Grabbing for the neck before you’re tight gives them a grip fight and lets them turn.
• Flat hips: If your hips are on the mat instead of pinching their hips, you’re offering an escape route.
• Ignoring space: Any daylight between your chest and their back is an invitation for them to turn or shrimp out.
• Getting greedy in scrambles: If you force the back before breaking their posture or balance, strong guys will roll, scramble, or even reverse you.
• Poor head position: Leaving your head hanging back gives them an opening to turn into you.

When To Use It

Back takes in Brazilian jiu jitsu show up all over, guard, top, turtle, scrambles, passing. Key situations:

• Guard attacks: When opponents defend armbars or triangles, turning exposes their back. Stay sticky and follow their shoulders.
• Passing half guard: Get an underhook and force their far shoulder down. If they turtle or turn away, go straight to the back.
• Turtle: Against a shell defense, control the hip with your knee and arm, lift their near-side elbow, and insert hooks as they try to stand or roll.
• Scrambles: When a pass fails and they try to scramble, chase their hips and slide your knee between their legs.
• Standing situations: If you spin behind their toriando or they try to stand up from bottom, clinch the waist, climb up, and lock the harness.

Training Tips

If you want a back take in Brazilian jiu jitsu that holds up under fire, you need hard reps, not just slow drilling. Here’s how to make your back takes dangerous:

• Start from “almost there” positions. Have a partner defend hard as you work from one hook or half a seatbelt. Fight for that last inch.
• Live rounds from turtle. Set up rounds where you can only attack the back as your opponent tries to escape.
• Work on transitions, not just static back control. Drill going from pass to back, guard to back, turtle to back. The chaos is where you’ll miss details.
• Grip training: If your hands blow up during rounds, you’ll struggle finishing seatbelts or chokes. Set up back control at the end of tough rounds and hold for time.
• Film your reps: Watch for floating hips or daylight. If there’s space, you’re not tight enough.

Final Takeaway

Back takes in Brazilian jiu jitsu are about pressure, timing, and ruthless control. Don’t chase hooks before you’re glued to their back. Win the chest-to-back battle first, then slowly layer on your attacks. Build mat time in transitional drills, treat the back not as a static spot, but as a dynamic, aggressive position. The more you rep it under real resistance, the less you’ll fumble when it matters. If you want to finish at a high pace, make back takes a central part of your training, not an afterthought.

Athletes To Study

• Marcelo Garcia
• Gordon Ryan
• Kade Ruotolo

Official Pages

• Marcelo Garcia Jiu-Jitsu