There’s a terrible feeling of inevitability when you’re in someone’s guard, he takes your arm across his centerline, and starts to climb to your back.
Ritchie taking my back after crossing my elbow over centerline
But it doesn’t need to be this way. Having your elbow across his centerline doesn’t automatically lead to him taking your back and making your life miserable.
Here’s a technique to get out of this position that has saved my butt many times…
Here’s the thing…
If you can simultaneously pin his shoulder to the ground and establish strong base so that you don’t get swept then he can’t maneuver around to your back.
Pinning the shoulder to stop the backclimb
The key points of this technique include…
- Bring your hand through his armpit and get a palm-up grip on his collar
- Spread your legs very wide for base
- Pike your hips up to increase the amount of pressure coming down on his shoulder
- Threaten the cross choke reset to your position in guard (covered in the video above).
I hope this helps you spend less time caught in rear mount and more time crushing your opponents.
If you found this useful then here are some related resources on the topic of taking backs and breaking spirits.
The Arm Drag Formula
The Arm Drag and 2 on 1 Formula
Taking someone’s back is considered the ultimate form of positional domination in jiu-jitsu. And there’s no faster and more reliable way to take the back than the arm drag.
By establishing wrist and elbow control on your opponent’s arm it’s easy to move his arm across your centerline AND to use his arm as a great big lever to manipulate his center of gravity, set up attacks, and take his back.
This topic is explored in detail in The Arm Drag and 2 on 1 Formula.
Taking the Back from Closed Guard
How to Take the Back from Closed Guard
The closed guard is simultaneously one of the most basic AND one of the most advanced positions in BJJ. It’s often the first guard position taught, but then continues to dominate matches at the highest level competitions in the sport.
Yes, there are great chokes and armlocks from closed guard, but 90% of the time those submissions are set up either with a sweep or a backtake. So it’s really advantageous to make taking the back a continuous threat anytime you have your opponent in the closed guard.
Here’s a great breakdown of how to reliably and repeatedly take the back from closed guard.
Pressure Passing vs Younger Grapplers
Fabio Gurgel on Defeating Younger Grapplers
Have you had enough of younger grapplers with crazy flexibility and endless endurance making your life miserable from their guards?
Here’s advice from legendary black belt and multiple time world champion Fabio Gurgel about how to play ‘crush the bug’!
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