Backside 50-50
Position
Also known as:
Ushiro Ashi-garami
Ushiro Ashi Garami
Reverse 50-50
Backside 50-50 is an ashi garami position where your legs entangle the opponent's leg with your hips facing away from them, placing your outside hip against their trapped leg. It is a dominant leg-entanglement position primarily used to attack heel hooks while limiting the opponent's ability to counter-attack.
Quick Reference
Key principles
- · Your hips face away from the opponent, with the back of your knees pinching tightly around their trapped leg to control the knee line.
- · The inside leg triangles or hooks behind their knee while the outside leg crosses over their thigh, creating a secure clamp.
- · Controlling the foot and pulling it to your chest exposes the heel for attack while preventing extraction.
- · Keeping your hips heavy and low on their leg limits their ability to spin or re-guard.
- · Anticipate the opponent trying to boot-scoot away or clear your legs by maintaining constant inward knee pressure.
Execution
- 1 From a position like K-Guard, thread your legs around the opponent's leg so your hips face away from them with their leg trapped between yours.
- 2 Pinch your knees tightly together around their leg, ensuring your inside leg hooks behind their knee and your outside leg crosses over their thigh.
- 3 Control their trapped foot by gripping it with both hands and pulling it tight to your chest, keeping the toes aligned toward your centerline.
- 4 Settle your hips low and heavy against their leg to establish dominant control before initiating heel hook attacks or transitioning to 50-50 or rolling back takes.
Common mistakes
- × Leaving space between your knees allows the opponent to extract their leg or pummel free from the entanglement.
- × Failing to control the opponent's foot before attacking the heel hook results in them spinning to relieve pressure and escaping.
- × Positioning your hips too high on their thigh rather than close to the knee sacrifices leverage and makes transitions to heel hooks ineffective.
Attacks & transitions
Offense available from Backside 50-50.
4 less common
Backside 50-50 To 50-50
transition
Heel Hook
submission
Inside Heel Hook
submission
Rolling Back Take
transition
Escapes & defense
Getting out of Backside 50-50, or shutting it down.
How you get here
Techniques that land in Backside 50-50.
K-Guard To Backside 50-50
transition
