Combat Sports
Mount-to-Back Take
The mount-to-back take is a grappling transition that follows a turning partner from top mount to back control. It develops positioning, coordination, and trunk control.
- Intermediate
- Compound
- Moderate injury risk
- Rest 45 sec
How to do it
- Straddle your partner’s torso with your knees on the mat beside their ribs.
- Pivot toward your partner’s turning back, with one knee behind their upper shoulder and your opposite foot beside their hip.
- Clasp your hands across their chest with one arm over their shoulder and the other under their opposite armpit.
- Slide your hip-side foot inside their upper thigh to establish your first hook.
- Sit onto your hip behind your partner with their back against your chest.
- Place your free foot inside their other thigh to establish your second hook.
- Hold the back-control position briefly with your partner supported against you.
- Disengage slowly to let your partner return to a neutral position.
Form cues
- Follow rather than pull.
- Keep your head beside theirs.
- Keep your feet uncrossed.
- Breathe through the transition.
Common mistakes
- Leaving space behind the shouldersMove your torso with your partner’s shoulders rather than reaching after them with your arms.
- Hunting for hooks too earlyEstablish secure torso control before trying to place your feet.
- Squeezing with the legsUse light foot contact inside the thighs rather than clamping your partner’s waist.
Safety
A trapped foot or forced hook can twist either partner’s knee or ankle. Pulling across the neck or dropping backward abruptly can strain the neck or back.
- Use a clear, padded mat with a cooperative partner at low resistance.
- Agree on the turning direction, endpoint, and stop signal before starting.
- Keep this drill positional: apply no choke, neck crank, or spinal pressure.
- Stop and reset if a limb becomes trapped or a hook requires force.
Use a grappling dummy or seek advice from a physiotherapist or doctor first if neck, back, knee, or ankle problems make partner rotation uncomfortable.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Combat Training Mat
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 2–3
- Target
- 3–5 reps per side
- Rest
- 45 sec
Switch top and bottom roles after each set.