BJJ Back Attack System You Should Master For Submissions

Grip fighting is significant in all positions in Jiu-Jitsu, including the back position, because if you can understand and implement proper grip fighting from the back, then you will increase your submission rate substantially. You need a system. It is all based around isolating your opponent's grips, as it's your opponent's grips that they'll use to defend against submissions, and it's your grips that you'll use to attack. If you deny them the ability to grip, then you take away their ability to defend. Let's discuss the complete system on how to isolate your opponent's grips.

• When you have your opponent's back, you're going to be on the side for the majority of the time, and when you're on your side, there are two positions that you can be in: either on the overside or the underside. Which side you're on is determined by your arm positioning. If you're on the side where your arm is over the shoulder, then you're on your over side, and if you're on the side where your arm is underneath the armpit, then you're on the underside.

• When Jitsu was in its more primitive stages, the opposite side was known as the strong side, and the underside was known as the weak side, but these terms are outdated, and there's nothing weak about the underside. Both sides offer great but different finishing options. So there's an outside and an inside when it comes to your arms. Now, when it comes to your legs, you have a top hook and a bottom hook.

• Your hooks are your legs, and they control your opponent's hips. The hook that's closest to the mat is the bottom hook, and the hook that's closest to the ceiling is the top hook. Your hooks control your opponent's hips. Meanwhile, your arms control your opponent's upper body in the standard back control position. A standard seat belt grip with hooks, you have no control over your opponent's grips, and they can use them to defend.

• If you take away your opponent's grips, then you minimize their ability to defend. Trapping your opponent's grips with your hooks freezes up their arms so they cannot attack freely. Generally, it is much easier to trap your opponent's top arm using your top hook than it is to trap your opponent's bottom arm with your bottom hook.

• This is because their weight on your bottom leg limits the mobility of that leg. You have more mobility with your top hook, allowing you to trap your opponent's arm.

The straitjacket system is performed from the underside. To enter into the straitjacket system, you grip their top arm with your bottom arm and their bottom arm with your top arm. Using your bottom arm, you pass off your opponent's top arm to your top hook, and using your top arm, you pass off your opponent's bottom arm to your bottom arm.

• The more you lift your opponent's top arm by using your bottom arm, the more open you make their elbow, and the more open their elbow is, the easier it is to hook onto using your top hook. When you hook onto the top arm with your leg, there are multiple ways to position it. You can simply keep it where it is. You can hook your leg behind their back.

• You can transition to a body triangle, which is a very dominant position. You can also cross your feet. Be careful not to cross your feet in the middle below your opponent's hips. There's an ankle lock available. When you cross your feet in the middle below your opponent's hips. But if you keep your feet crossed above the hips or off to the side, then there's no threat.

Trap their bottom arm by passing their bottom arm from your top arm to your bottom arm. If they are not gripping your wrist, it is often quite easy to do. Just pass it over, but if they are gripping your wrist, you can peel their grip off by lifting up on the side of their hand.

You can trap both their top arm and their bottom arm with your hooks after entering the straitjacket. Bring your opponent to the opposite side so that your top arm with their arm already trapped becomes your bottom hook, and now you can trap their top arm, which was their bottom arm.

The following are some submissions from back control that you can execute for back attacks:

For rear naked choke, get underneath the chin by sliding your thumb underneath it, starting at one side of the chin and working all the way through, or by lifting up their nose with your wrist and shooting your hand underneath their neck. After this, take your underarm out and slide the hand behind their head. Bring your opponent to the over side before taking your underarm out and using it for the choke. Finish the choke by positioning your inner elbow to the middle of your opponent's neck and bring your elbows together to compress their neck with your forearm and your bicep.

You can get up high on your opponent's back either by your opponent squirming lower or by you shrimping out to get higher. Take the kimura grip to push your opponent deeper into your hips and bring your top hook higher to above your opponent's shoulder. Position your calf so it's parallel with the side of your opponent's neck. Have your legs completely wrapped around your opponent's neck with no space between to have a good triangle choke.

For BJJ armbar, transition to a kimura grip after trapping your opponent's top arm. Push their head with your forearm. Break your opponent's defensive grips and get the tap.

Transition to the crucifix by hooking their top arm with your bottom hook. Hit an arm bar by pressing your hips into their elbow as you extend their wrist back using your calf.

The straitjacket system isn't the only way to trap arms and attack your opponent’s back. Sometimes your opponent's arm is simply available to trap, and you can just bring your top hook over their arm from the opposite side. You can pass their top arm over your top arm to your top hook from a turtle position. If your opponent's hand is on the mat, you can use that opportunity to throw your hook over it.