SLX Back Take
Transition
The SLX Back Take is a transition from Single Leg X guard (bottom) to Back Control (top) by using your leg entanglement to off-balance and rotate your opponent, then climbing to their back. It is used when the opponent stands upright or attempts to posture out of your SLX control, exposing their back as they turn.
Quick Reference
Key principles
- · Use the inside hook (foot on hip) to elevate and rotate the opponent's hips away from you, forcing them to turn.
- · Maintain constant tension with your outside leg (behind the knee) to prevent them from stepping free.
- · Time the transition when the opponent posts their hands or shifts weight forward, making hip rotation easier.
- · Convert leg control into upper body control quickly—delay allows them to re-square their hips.
- · Anticipate the opponent spinning back toward you by securing a seatbelt grip before releasing leg hooks.
Execution
- 1 From SLX, use your hip hook foot to push the opponent's hip away while pulling their trapped leg toward you with the outside leg, forcing them to turn and face away.
- 2 As they rotate, sit up and underhook their far hip or grab their waist, using the momentum to come up behind them.
- 3 Establish a seatbelt grip (over-under on the torso) as you clear your legs from the entanglement.
- 4 Insert your hooks or establish body triangle to secure Back Control Top.
Common mistakes
- × Releasing the outside leg control too early before establishing upper body grips, allowing the opponent to simply walk away or re-face you.
- × Failing to sit up aggressively during the rotation, ending up flat on your back while the opponent recovers posture and passes.
- × Skipping the seatbelt grip and reaching only for hooks, which lets the opponent peel off and turn into you before back control is secured.
Do it from
Positions and situations where the SLX Back Take shows up.
Single Leg X Bottom
Where it lands
The position you end up in.
Back Control Top
