Cross-Leg Back Take

TakedownsStandingIntermediate

takedowns

Grapplers Collective, Cross-Leg Back Take. 3-5 min rounds.

Problem

Climbing from a finished single-leg leg-pin into a chest-to-back hand-lock without releasing the leg or letting the partner rotate to face.

Tell the room

Attacker holds a pinned single leg and climbs to the back without letting the leg go. Defender clears the leg and gets to neutral. Chest-to-back with the hands locked at the waist counts after a 1-second hold.

Setup

Start from the pinned leg. Defender is on their back, near leg threaded across the attacker's body. Attacker holds that leg above the knee with both hands.

Score

Hold the back for 1 second.

  • Attacker — chest behind the shoulder line with hands clasped at the waist
  • Defender — clear the leg and reach standing or kneeling neutral, no contact left

Rules

  1. Keep the leg. Release it before chest-to-back and the point goes to the defender.
  2. No guard from the defender. No hooks, no legs wrapped, no pulling guard.
  3. No top pin from the attacker. Side control, knee-on-belly, and chest-to-chest pins score nothing.

Adjust

Easier

Drop the hands-locked requirement. Chest behind the shoulder line for 3 seconds scores.

Harder

Require a controlled mat return and a full seatbelt grip held for 3 seconds.

If it stalls

If the attacker keeps releasing the leg to come around, have them put their forehead on the partner's hip first.

Build a class from this

TOP PLAYER (ATTACKER)

POSITION

Attacker holds that leg above the knee with both hands.

OBJECTIVE

Attacker holds a pinned single leg and climbs to the back without letting the leg go. Chest-to-back with the hands locked at the waist counts after a 1-second hold.

CONSTRAINTS

Keep the leg. Release it before chest-to-back and the point goes to the defender. No guard from the defender. No hooks, no legs wrapped, no pulling guard. No top pin from the attacker. Side control, knee-on-belly, and chest-to-chest pins score nothing.

WIN CONDITION

chest behind the shoulder line with hands clasped at the waist


BOTTOM PLAYER (DEFENDER)

POSITION

Defender is on their back, near leg threaded across the attacker's body.

OBJECTIVE

Defender clears the leg and gets to neutral. Chest-to-back with the hands locked at the waist counts after a 1-second hold.

CONSTRAINTS

Keep the leg. Release it before chest-to-back and the point goes to the defender. No guard from the defender. No hooks, no legs wrapped, no pulling guard. No top pin from the attacker. Side control, knee-on-belly, and chest-to-chest pins score nothing.

WIN CONDITION

clear the leg and reach standing or kneeling neutral, no contact left