Get better at Surviving Back Control

Your guide for better Jiu-Jitsu

Being able to survive bad positions should be a priority in your Jiu-Jitsu. This guide will cover the best ways to stay safe when you find yourself in someones back control.

What we cover:

  1. How to defend against the seat belt grip

  2. What the main threats are

  3. Not giving your partner what they want

  4. Escaping the Rear Naked Choke

  5. Using your legs as frames

  6. Avoiding the mount during your escape

  7. How to practise surviving back control

  8. Training checklist

  9. How 2800 students feel about surviving back control

  1. What the main threats are

Objective: Surviving is about not getting submitting. But is also about not making your situation worse. With good defence the opportunities to escape will come. Your main objective when surviving back control is to get your back to the ground and hips turned to the sky.

Mechanics: Surviving back control comes down to knowing what the main threats are. There are two: getting moved to the ‘death side’ and getting choked. Both of these come from the seat belt grip. To defend both of these you need to:

  1. keep your hands up to protect your neck 

  2. use your legs to build a frame to avoid getting taken to the wrong side 

Secret Tip: If you can trap your opponents arm and fall to the right side you are 90% of the way there to the escape.

Watch Video | Surviving Back Control Objective & Mehanics

2. Common reactions

Once you start defending your partners attacks and getting your back to the ground your partner will try and transition to the mount to maintain control. It’s important you know what to do.

Once you get your back on the floor you can set up two frames. One is a C clamp on the leg that is stepping over and the other one is a frame on their hip. From here you create a roadblock to the mount. You can easily hip escape away back into your guard.

Watch Video | Dealing with common reactions

3. Getting into safety

Knowing when you are safe in a bad position gives is the goal of survival. Once you negate your partners threats the opportunity will arise.

Surviving the Rear Naked Choke

The arm that comes over the top is the side your partner wants to take you. When they wrap their arm for the RNC you want to change your base so you are facing the same direction as the choking arm. 

WARNING. It’s not enough to just turn your head. You need to turn your whole body. That includes, toes, hips, chest and head. 

From there you can put your back flat on the ground. Be careful as if your partner keeps squeezing they will wrist lock themselves.

Surviving the back control on the ‘Right Side’

Once the chokes are negated your job is to stay in the safe zone. This is where they cannot submit you.

Your main objective here is to avoid going back to the side they can choke you. To do that you want to build a frame with your leg and want to go limp. You want your hips facing the sky. You will feel when it’s right if your partner cannot move you.

Watch Video | Invisible Details

4. How to practise

Without practise you will not improve. Try the below drills to start progressing quickly.

Drill 1: Start with no hook and your arms cross protecting your neck. Defend each hand entry and prevent them from getting a grip or a choke.

Drill 2: Defend the hand entry and build a frame with your foot to avoid getting taken to the ‘Death Side’.

Drill 3: Get your partner to apply the rear naked choke lightly. Turn your whole body and put your back on the ground. Be careful of wrist locking them.

Drill 4: Let your partner start with the seatbelt grip. Fall to the good side and build your frame. Get your partner to try and move you to the ‘Death Side’.

Watch Video | How to practice surviving back control

Surviving Back Control Training Checklist

So you have watched all the videos and now have a better understanding of what you need to do to survive back control. Now it’s time to tick off your practice and progress.

Surviving Back Control Checklist

  1. Practice protecting your neck from your partner's hands

  2. Work with a partner to understand and feel which is the ‘good side’ and which is the ‘death side’.

  3. Practice using your legs to build a frame to prevent your partner falling to to the ‘death side’ 

  4. Practice avoiding your partner getting to mount when you start to escape 

  5. Practice escaping a Rear Naked Choke that is on

Progress Check In

  1. You can survive back control against someone at your level for 2 minutes

  2. You can survive back control against a higher belt for 2 minutes

  3. You feel confident surviving back control

Unlock Surviving Back Control Series

✔️ Unlock all videos in Surviving Back Control Series.

✔️ Master Surviving Back Control.

✔️ Learn how to train for progress

Unlock Survival Foundations

✔️Unlock all the videos in the Survival Foundations.

✔️ Survival from Back Control Series

✔️ Survival from Mount Control Series

✔️ Survival from Side Control Series

✔️ Survival from Knee on Belly Series

✔️ Master the fundamental of survival in Jiu-Jitsu

✔️ Learn how to train for progress in each position

✔️ Save $33

Unlock the Rabbit Hole

✔️ Unlock everything the BJJ Project has to offer.

✔️ Control Foundations

✔️ Escape Foundations

✔️ Survival Foundations

✔️ All of Chris Bones Burns content/courses

✔️ All of Charles Negromonte’s content/courses

✔️ All of Sean Applegate’s content/courses

✔️ All of Tum Energia’s content/courses

✔️ All of Chase Hannah content/courses

How Other Students Feel About Surviving Back Control

The data from our BJJ Journey Score shows that on average most students are confident in their ability to surviving back control against someone they are equally matched with. But your goal should be confident against higher belts.

If you would like to map your Jiu-Jitsu try our BJJ Journey Score below: