Taking the opponent’s back is the ultimate position in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but getting there is no easy business. It takes a lot of sweat and change-of-tactics to outsmart and outpace your opponent; but once you get that seatbelt grip and both of your hooks are where they should be – all of that struggle pays off! But… Does it really?
Nope. It won’t, unless you find a way to finish from the back once you’re there. And as you may have noticed, that can sometimes be more difficult than the Backtake itself.
Because of that, we’ve prepared 5 easy to implement tips for a faster finish. No matter the opponent and the situation, these tips will help tremendously!
BE PATIENT FOR A FASTER FINISH
Counterintuitively, perhaps the best advice for creating a faster finish from the back is to be more patient.
Listen. It’s taken you quite some time and effort to take the back in the first place. So why rush it from there, then? You’re in the safest of spots you could be in Jiu Jitsu, and you have an opportunity to finish your opponent with much more ease than you could from any other position. You just have to take it slowly; not forcing things which (obviously) aren’t working and not changing position unless you see an opportunity for doing so (such as for a Bow and Arrow Choke).
You’re just where you should be. Take your time and consider your options… Which brings us to the second piece of advice.
WEAR THEM OUT
Just as you’re having the easiest of times, your opponent is having the most difficult of moments right now. With you on their back, they’re in the worst position they could be in; all of their efforts have to be concentrated onto defending the incoming attacks and escaping the position. They’re on the losing side – and you need to take advantage of that.
Meaning, they’re already losing mentally. So pair that up with wearing them out physically; by negating their escape attempts, by utilizing distractions and chaining submission attempts one after another… And, for bonus cruelty, exchanging your hooks for a Body Triangle and really squeezing it.
Combined with patience, this will be enough for your opponent to start making mistakes – which you’ll then capitalize on.
BE MORE AGGRESSIVE AND PLAY DIRTY
These two tips come hand in hand for a faster finish. Firstly, just because you’re patient doesn’t mean you should be passive; as suggested above, to wear the opponent out successfully, you’ll have to be more aggressive in your submission attempts.
Additionally, if they’re really defensive, you shouldn’t be afraid of playing dirty a bit. That is, if their chin is down all the time and you just can’t slide your hand underneath it, then fry-open their chin by using your thumb. Drag it across their jaw line in small corkscrew-like movements; this’ll create space for your hand and then your arm to go underneath.
If that doesn’t work, you can go down an even filthier path – cover their mouth and nose with your palm. This shall make it difficult for them to breathe, which’ll lead to panic and to them lifting their chin up.
NEUTRALIZE THEIR ARMS
Finally, ask yourself: except their chin, what else is your opponent using to negate your choke attempts? That’s right, it’s their arms – which you need to neutralize.
Without going too deeply into it, let’s just say that you’d benefit a lot from learning about John Danaher’s „Straight Jacket System“ for starters… Therefore, watch this video below to get an idea so as to why:
Marcelo Garcia is a 9-time World Champion and known for getting to the back and finishing with the rear naked choke, even against much bigger opponents. This four-part system covers taking the back, jumping back takes, maintaining back control, and finishing from the back. Learn Marcelo Gracia’s famous Back Attack System. USE PROMO CODE “BJJEE TO GET 10% OFF. 
