Seatbelt

What it is

The seatbelt is the grip of back control: one arm over the opponent's shoulder, the other under their armpit, hands connected on their chest. It glues your chest to their back so they cannot turn to face you, and it is the base for every choke from the back. The hooks can be lost and rebuilt; the seatbelt is the one thing you never let go of.

When to use it

• Whenever you take the back, before or as you put in the hooks.
• Attacking from turtle, to connect to them before they can roll or stand.
• In any scramble where you are behind them: the seatbelt keeps you attached while you catch up with your legs.

How to do it

1. Get behind them and bring your chest to their back, head on the same side as your over arm.
2. Reach the over arm across their shoulder and down to their chest.
3. Bring the under arm through their armpit and meet the first hand on their chest.
4. Connect the hands: the under hand covers the over hand, so the choking hand is hidden underneath, away from their grips.
5. Pull your elbows in and keep your chest tight to their back. Then set the hooks or the body triangle.

Key details

• Under hand on top, over hand underneath. The over hand is the choking hand, so it stays covered.
• Chest to back. Any gap between you and them is where the escape begins.
• Head on the over arm side, tight to their head, so they cannot slide their shoulders down on that side.
• Elbows tight, not wide. A loose seatbelt is just two arms they can peel.
• Keep the seatbelt before the hooks. If they fall off, the grip gets you back on.

Common mistakes

• Mistake: over hand on top, uncovered. They grab the choking hand with both hands and strip it straight away.
• Mistake: chasing the hooks and loosening the grip. They turn into you and you are in their guard or worse.
• Mistake: letting the elbows flare. They get their shoulders to the mat and slide out underneath.

What they will try

• They grab your hands with both of theirs and peel the grip apart, then escape toward the under arm side.
• They drop their shoulders to the mat on the under arm side and walk their hips away.