What is the Best Position in Jiu-Jitsu?

Each position in jiu-jitsu offers unique opportunities for submissions, sweeps, and transitions. But which of these positions stands out as the best?

Back mount is the best position in jiu-jitsu because it is the most dominant. From back mount, the person in top position can attempt submissions and deliver strikes. Simultaneously, the defensive practitioner has minimal opportunities to make offensive moves.

Other positions are nearly as dominant as back mount, so it’s worth considering the reasons why back mount comes out on top as the best position in jiu-jitsu.

Why is Back Mount the Best Position in Jiu-Jitsu?

Back mount stands out as the most advantageous position in jiu-jitsu because:

• Strikes and submissions are readily available

• Your opponent is face down and cannot see your attacks coming

• Your opponent has few options for defense and escape

Back mount gives you supreme control over your opponent. It is also not only the best position in jiu-jitsu, but it leads to one of the best submissions in jiu-jitsu as well.

Still, there are plenty of other positions that offer spectacular offensive opportunities. Some of those positions share a close relationship with back mount. 

Back Mount vs. Mount vs. Back Control

Back mount, mount, and back control are three of the most dominant positions in jiu-jitsu. While they are similar, each of these three positions has characteristics that make it distinct from the other two.

• Back mount: Your opponent is face down on the mat, and you have both hooks in.

• Mount: Your opponent’s back is flat on the mat, and you are straddling their torso.

• Back control: Any position where you control your opponent’s torso with your legs from behind.

Achieving any of those positions grants you an incredible advantage over your opponent, and getting to those positions often earns points in competitive matches as well. 

Why Mount isn’t as Good as Back Mount

Back mount and mount are both incredibly valuable positions, so much so that they are nearly equivalent in value. However, back mount remains a better position because:

• In mount, your opponent can see your strikes and submission attempts coming

• There are several effective ways your opponent can escape the mount position

• Experienced opponents can be surprisingly adept at blocking strikes and defending submissions

Those three factors show that back mount is a better position than mount, but only slightly. Now, let’s look at the subtle but crucial distinction between back mount and back control.

What’s the Difference between Back Mount and Back Control?

Back control is a more general term than back mount. Consider back control to mean any position in which you are behind your opponent while controlling their torso with your legs. It is reasonable to consider back mount to be a form of back control by that definition.

The problem with back control compared to back mount is that you are not necessarily on top of your opponent when you have back control. Often, you may be on your back, between your opponent’s back and the mat, or you may control your opponent from behind while both of you are lying on your side.

Unlike in the back mount or mount positions, gravity is not always on your side in back control. That disadvantage drastically limits your ability to generate powerful strikes and maintain total control of your opponent’s movements.

Examples of Back Control in Jiu-Jitsu

As noted above, back control is a general term that can refer to several positional variations. Here are a few examples of back control that jiu-jitsu practitioners rely on often:

• Two hooks: You are behind your opponent with each of your legs wrapped around your opponent’s hips, and your lower legs control your opponent’s inner thighs. 

• Body triangle: From behind, you wrap one leg so that your calf crosses your opponent’s abdomen. Then, you encircle your opponent’s torso by locking your legs in a triangle grip.

• Post rear mount: Generally done while lying on your side, wrap one leg across your opponent’s abdomen as if going for a body triangle. Then, post your other foot on your opponent’s top hip.

The two hooks style is the most widespread and traditional way of holding back control. But the body triangle and post rear mount style offer strong control and attacking benefits as well. 

How Do You Get to Back Mount?

Back control will only become useful once you understand how to get to that position. To illustrate the paths to that position, let’s assume a scenario in which you attempt to achieve back mount from a neutral standing position.

Remember that getting back mount requires a comprehensive set of grappling skills. You’ll need to pass through multiple positions before you reach your goal. Your opponent will also make strong efforts to prevent you from achieving back mount, making the task that much more difficult.

With that challenge in mind, here are two general but practical paths you can use to get to the best position in jiu-jitsu.

How to Get to Back Mount After a Successful Takedown

Taking your opponent to the ground and landing in top position is typically the primary goal when grappling from a standing position. If you manage to execute such a takedown, here are the steps that will lead you to back mount:

• Pass your opponent’s guard: Passing the guard means getting around your opponent’s legs.

• Maintain a dominant position: Hold side control, north/south, or knee on belly until you can transition to mount.

• Progress to mount: Once you’re in mount, transitions to back mount become available.

• Force your opponent to turn belly-down: The final step is to turn your opponent so that they face the mat while you remain on top.

Getting a takedown on your opponent may be ideal. However, you should also have a route to the back mount that begins from the guard position.

How to Get to Back Mount from Guard

In some scenarios, you won’t always be able to take your opponent down. Fortunately, you can still get to back control by pulling guard and using a sweep to reverse the position and land on top. If you complete a sweep, you can progress to the back mount following the same steps you’d use after a successful takedown.

Alternatively, you can use techniques such as the arm drag from guard to maneuver yourself around your opponent. This approach relies on moving your own body into a dominant position rather than attempting to move your opponent’s body into an inferior position as you would with a sweep.

Conclusion

The immense control and abundant offensive opportunities back mount provides make it the best position in jiu-jitsu. Still, there are many more jiu-jitsu positions that every practitioner should know and practice.