Blue belt · Escape · Core
Stopping the back take from turtle or a scramble
How to stop the back take from turtle or a scramble: win the seatbelt hand, block the first hook and turn in. Use it every time you end up in turtle or in a scramble.
Step by step
- Prevent it: in turtle, keep your elbows tight to your knees. No space between them means no space for a hook.
- Hand fight the seatbelt: when an arm comes over your shoulder, grab that wrist with both hands and stop it locking with their other hand.
- Block the first hook: clamp your elbow to your knee on the side they're working. If a foot gets in, push it out with your hand.
- Turn in: while you hold their top arm, sit your hips down and turn to face them, and recover guard.
- In a scramble, turn toward them, never away. Showing them your back to get up is how backs get taken.
- If the seatbelt and both hooks land anyway, switch to back defense: hands on the choking arm first.
Details that make it work
- Win the hands and the hooks don't matter yet.
- The first hook is the one to stop. One hook is easier to fight than two.
Common mistakes
- Posting a hand far out on the mat, which opens your side for a hook.
- Turning away from them to stand up.
Drill it
Partner starts on top of your turtle: 3 × 1 min, they try to take the back, you turn in. Reset on each guard recovery.
If it fails, or what comes next
- Turtle: defend & recover guard Escape · Turtled
- Rear-naked choke defense Defense · Back taken
- Back escape Escape · Back taken
Set it up from
This defends against
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