Student Objectives:

1. The student will identify the difference between the offensive and defensive Back Step.

2. The student will apply the defensive Back Step with a compliant partner using an Underhook to take the Back from the Half Guard position

3. The student will apply the offensive Back Step on a compliant partner from the Half Guard position after successfully clearing the knee.

Teaching Cues:

• Defensive Cues

  • Partner Underhooks

  • Hands

  • Head

  • High Hips

  • Back Step

  • ¾ Mount

• Offensive Cues

  • Knee Cut

  • Lapel Grip

  • Back Step

  • Knee Grip

  • Elevate and Lift

  • ¾ Mount

Lesson: Back Step Half Guard Pass

***Note*** The offensive and defensive Back Step is all about the knee of the trapped leg. This should be reinforced throughout the teaching of the lesson. The success and failure of the Back Step will be decided by the practicing student’s ability to clear the knee.

Defensive Back Step

The assisting student will lay on their side in the Broken Turtle position with their chest facing the practicing student.. Their top leg should then be straightened to allow easy access to the Half Guard position. The practicing student will then place their nearest leg between the assisting student’s legs. Once the legs are in position the practicing student will place one hand on either side of the assisting student’s body and evenly distribute their weight between their hands and knees. The assisting student will then take an Underhook by placing their top hand through the armpit and putting the palm of their hand flat on the practicing student’s back.

Once in position, the practicing student will start to initiate the Underhook to the Back technique by basing on the elbow of their bottom arm and turning their chest to the floor. There should be a light elevation of their body to simulate a back take. Instruct the assisting student to be a good training partner by not actually taking the back and stopping midway through the transition to allow the practicing student time to think through the technique. As the practicing student becomes more proficient at the technique, the timing can be, and must be, developed by both student’s going quickly.

To execute the Defensive Back Step the practicing student will recognize the danger of the Underhook and the attempt of the assisting student to take the Back. When the assisting student is making the transition, the practicing student will slightly turn their body away from the assisting student and place both hands on the floor comfortably in front of their body. The practicing student will then lower their head, close to their hands with the intent of elevating their buttocks. The goal is to keep their hips higher than the assisting student’s.

As the practicing student is elevating their hips they will push off their non-trapped leg and step back over the assisting student. There should be a hard push off of the floor during this transition to create pressure with the buttocks, hips and thigh of the trapped leg into the hips of the assisting student. This should allow the practicing student to transition over the assisting student to the far side of their body.

During this rotation there are two important aspects that the practicing student should be focusing on.

1. During the transition over the assisting student’s body (the Back Step) the practicing student should be trying to clear their knee from between the legs of the assisting student. This can be accomplished by first exaggerating the elevation of the hips and second during the push off the outside foot, by taking a pathway towards the shoulders of the assisting student during the pathway over the body.

2. Angle the chest towards the floor during the Back Step.

After completing the rotation, the practicing student should immediately elevate by using the non trapped leg and attempt spring back to the top position. The knee of the trapped leg should be posted on the near side of the assisting student’s hip and the knee of the free leg should be placed on the floor on the far side of the body. This should leave the practicing student in ¾ Mount.

Offensive Back Step

The Offensive Back Step is executed from ¼ Guard. In this instance the knee is already cleared, but the practicing student’s ankle is still caught.

To enter into the ¼ Guard position the assisting student will sit in a modified Butterfly Guard by sitting on their buttocks with their legs bent, and the bottoms of their feet close together. The practicing student will then step into the space between the assisting student’s legs and allow the assisting student to pinch their knees around the calf and trap the lower part of the leg. Then the practicing student will execute a slow Knee Cut technique by dropping the knee across the assisting student’s body and placing it on the floor. It is important that the practicing student do this by thrusting their hips forward and try to avoid placing their hands on the floor to maintain posture.

The practicing student will then use the hand closest to the assisting student and take a grip on the assisting student’s top lapel close to the neck. The hand should be orientated with the thumb pointing back towards the practicing student and the elbow pointed away. Once the practicing student has a firm grip, they will create a stiff arm to make an effective post. This grip will keep the assisting student pinned down while also giving the practicing student a powerful base.

Next the practicing student will use the non-trapped leg to Back Step over the assisting student’s legs. Once the non-trapped leg has cleared the assisting student’s legs the practicing student will sit their buttocks on the assisting student's hip/thigh. This should lift the knee of the practicing student’s trapped leg off the floor and secure the position for additional positional adjustments.

The practicing student will then use their free hand and make a grip on the outside of the assisting student’s bottom knee. Once the grip is made the practicing student will transfer all of their weight onto the stiff arm grip controlling the lapel and pull up on the assisting student’s knee. The goal is to pull both knees and force the reorientation of the assisting student’s hips and chest towards the ceiling.

As the knees and hips turn, the practicing student will elevate their hips slightly while maintaining a heavy pressure on the posted arm. Then, as the knees point towards the ceiling, the practicing student will make a transition to ¾ Mount by hopping the non trapped leg back over the body and rotating the knee of the trapped leg to the floor on the near side.

Possible Extensions:

• When practicing the Defensive version of this technique it is important to have the assisting student vary the intensity and speed of the attempted back take to allow the practicing student to develop effective timing and space management. I recommend modified sparring/gameplay to make the training more fun while also building a competitive skill set.

• This is a great time to talk about the concept of Triage. The practicing student may feel like their back is exposed during the execution of this technique, and it may even result in their back being taken. It is important for the student to realize that their back was going to be taken if they did nothing. In this instance the failed action is better than no action.

• Continuing along with the concept of Triage, have the practicing student practice Back Stepping without elevation on the other side. Instead, have the assisting student elevate their body as the practicing student is executing the Back Step and then, rather than coming back on top, immediately transition into an effective Half Guard with an Underhook.

• Both of these movements end in the ¾ Mount. Any technique that starts from ¾ mount can be applied. Many of the students will understand how to do the Gift Wrap to Back Control and that is a great technique to pair with the Back Step. Please review that lesson to better understand how the movement is done.

Possible Refinements:

• Keeping the chest angled towards the floor is extremely important in maintaining top position after the Back Step. This can be accomplished by maximizing the elevation of the hips during the movement and trying to maintain the chest angle while performing the Back Step. If this becomes a problem for the practicing student, simply instruct them to push with their hands on the floor, but to attempt to keep their palms on the floor throughout the movement. While it will be difficult to keep both hands on the floor, the attempt to do so will force correct alignment of the chest.

• If the knee is not cleared while executing the Defensive Back Step and the practicing student attempts to spring to the ¾ Mount position they will often have their back taken as they will be jumping back to the starting position. Make sure the practicing student understands the Back Step is all about clearing the knee.

  In the event the knee is not cleared they should not attempt to elevate their body and should instead stay on the ground and attempt to transition into a good Half Guard position of their own. While some students may be hesitant to do this, remind them that having Half Guard on Bottom is better than having their back taken by doing nothing against the Underhook.

• During the Offensive Back Step if the assisting student opens their legs to try and prevent the Back Step, the practicing student should simply progress to Side Control by reinitiating the Knee Cut.

Reference materials:

Teaching Reflections:

• How did I do teaching?

• What could I do better next time?

• Did the student gain proficiency in lesson material?