Back Escape

What it is

The back escape gets you out of back control by moving toward the side their choking hand cannot reach. You fight the hands first, get your shoulders down on the mat on that side, clear the hook with your leg and slide your hips over their leg to come up on top. Shoulders to the mat first; everything else follows from that.

When to use it

• They have the seatbelt and hooks but the choke is not yet in and you can still hand fight.
• They sit up tall behind you or lean to one side, leaving your shoulders free to drop.
• You know which arm is over your shoulder. That is the choking arm, and it decides the escape side.

How to do it

1. Protect the neck: chin down, both hands on their choking arm, the top hand fighting the wrist and the other elbow tight.
2. Pick the side: escape toward the side of their under arm, away from the hand that is over your shoulder, because that is the hand that chokes.
3. Scoot your hips and drop your shoulders to the mat on that side, so your upper back lies across their chest and their head is behind you.
4. Clear the top hook by pushing it off with your hand or stepping your leg over it, and pin that leg with yours.
5. Slide your hips over their bottom leg and turn onto your side to face them, keeping your head on the mat and your elbow tight.
6. Settle on top in side control or in their half guard, and keep fighting the arm until it is out.

Key details

• Hands first. If the choke is in, nothing else matters, so win the hand fight before you move.
• Shoulders on the mat on the escape side. Once your back is on the floor they no longer have your back, and the choke is far harder to finish.
• Escape to the under arm side. Going toward the over arm walks you into the choke.
• Keep your head on the mat and your hips moving. Lifting the head gives them the angle back.
• Clear the hook with the leg, not by tugging with the arm that guards your neck.

Common mistakes

• Mistake: escaping toward the choking arm. The arm tightens around your neck as you turn.
• Mistake: dropping the hands to fight the hooks. The choke goes in and the escape is over.
• Mistake: getting the shoulders down but stopping. They put the hook back in and climb back on top.

What they will try

• They follow your hips with the hooks and push you back onto your side, or switch to the body triangle.
• They go to the choke when your top hand leaves the neck, or they take the armbar on the near arm as you turn.

Gi and no-gi

In the gi they may also attack a collar from the back, so the hand fight has to cover the collar as well as the forearm. In no-gi the choking hand is the only threat, which makes it easier to pick the escape side.