Back Defense Escape

Remember that one of the fundamental principles of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is to always improve your position or at the very least maintain it. Panic is the natural reaction when someone first gets your back. If you don’t keep a level head and try to intelligently improve your position, you risk getting submitted. The first thing we do when someone has our back is to position your arms in such a way that it makes attacking your neck difficult and predictable. As Professor Easton demonstrates in the video, the side you escape towards is dependent on which side, (right or left), attacks your neck from. You need to move away from the attacking arm and towards the arm you have trapped. Your partner is a valuable resource in determining which side is which. You can always ask the instructor, but it will assist your learning if you and your partner can play with the concept. If you move into the choking arm, (and the person on back is choking correctly), the choke gets tighter. If you mover away from the choking arm you will feel the choke loosen. The next thing we are trying to do is to replace your partners position with the floor. If your back is on the mat, your partner can not be there. This is accomplished by driving with the legs, and trying to put both shoulders on the mat. If you put the time in to practice both of these skills you will not panic when someone gets your back, but confidently begin escaping instead.

Clench Knees