Bruno Frazatto attacking from back control in sport Jiu-Jitsu / Photo de Ivan Trindade
Another European Jiu-Jitsu Championship comes to a close, and yet again the most oft-used finishes were chokes from back mount, as basic as they are effective.
If you’re into mixing it up in competition, it’s worth keeping in mind that getting back mount is worth four points in sport Jiu-Jitsu—that is, when an athlete puts both hooks in at the opponent’s thights after gaining back control.
The basic escape for this recurring technique is well known. You have to protect your neck, bridge backwards and remove one of the hooks, slipping your hip out to the side where the hook was removed.
What about when it goes wrong?
GRACIEMAG.com took the back of three wizards of the gi, who were swift in intercepting the attack, and they asserted: nothing is more vital than to defend the neck with care.
Check out how they go about doing that:
1. SIMULTANEOUS MOVES ARE A SALVATION IN JIU-JITSU
“My pointer for you,” Vinicius Cruz (Carlson Gracie) begins, “is to move your arm, the arm of the hand on the side of the hand holding your collar for the choke, to the other side of the neck. At the same time, you need to remove the hook with your other hand, keeping in mind that you have to bare the weight of your hip down on the opponent’s leg, and creep your back out to the side.”
2. EVEN WHEN DEFENDING, MAKE YOUR OPPONENT UNCOMFORTABLE
“The important thing is to cause your opponent discomfort by baring your weight back on him, never letting him feel at ease. And defend your neck the whole time. Then it’s all about getting one of the hooks out and trying to flounder out,” recommends Thiago Maia (SAS-Ceará).
3. DON’T TURN YOUR NECK IN AGAINST THE LAPEL
To wrap up, Abraão Amorim (Evolution) put together a video showing how he escapes back control. He recommends never turning your neck towards the lapel pressing against it, and shows a hip move often used by Kron Gracie.
