Scorpion to Back Take

What This Is

The scorpion to back take is the second exit from the scorpion dilemma. Where the scorpion sweep is the response to a top player who holds their position, the scorpion back take is the response to a top player who ducks forward and drives their hips upward to defend the sweep. The duck exposes the back, and the bottom player transitions from the sweep attempt directly to back mount.

This is not a separate technique so much as a continuation — the same scorpion position, the same initial drives, but a different read of the top player’s response and a different exit. Practitioners who train only the sweep leave the most dangerous weapon in the position unused. The back take is typically the higher-value exit of the two because back mount is a more dominant and submission-rich position than side control.

This page should be read alongside its companion: Scorpion Sweep. Both exits belong to the same dilemma, documented on the Scorpion Position page.

The Invariable in Action

The sweep threat does the destabilising work. When the bottom player drives the scorpion sweep, the top player’s instinctive response is to lower their level — duck their head and drive their hips forward and up to prevent being tipped. This duck is itself a destabilisation in the context of the back take: the top player has moved their head away from the direction they need to defend and placed their back in the line of the bottom player’s forward movement. The back take uses this destabilisation immediately. The sweep threat created the opening; the back take exploits it.

The underhook that was the directional driver for the sweep becomes the near-side seat belt arm for the back take. When the top player ducks, the bottom player’s underhook arm is already positioned at the top player’s near side. Advancing through the duck and threading that arm over the top player’s shoulder — or wrapping it as the over-hook in a seat belt — completes the first arm of back control. The directional function of the underhook extends seamlessly from sweep to back take without requiring a grip change.

The back take is not available against a structurally balanced top player. The scorpion position must first force a reactive response — either the sweep or the duck — before the back take geometry appears. The duck-under defence destabilises the top player in a specific way: they have committed their weight forward and downward. A body moving forward and down has reduced capacity to stop lateral or backward movement. The bottom player’s back take entry requires moving behind the top player — and a top player who is ducked and driving forward is already moving toward the position the bottom player wants them in.

The Trigger — Recognising the Duck

The critical skill in the scorpion back take is recognising the trigger: the moment the top player’s head drops and their hips rise is the moment to abandon the sweep and commit to the back take. Missing this trigger — continuing to drive the sweep while the top player is already ducking — wastes the window and allows the top player to complete the duck and re-establish a base from the other side.

The duck looks and feels like this from the bottom player’s perspective: the top player’s chest drops toward the mat, their head moves down and away from the bottom player’s shoulder, and the hip pressure that was forward suddenly becomes lighter or absent (the hips are rising). The underhook arm that was driving into resistance now finds the top player’s body rotating away from it. This is not failure — it is the signal.

In early drilling, this read is trained explicitly: a partner is asked to either hold position (sweep) or duck (back take) at a pre-agreed signal. Over time, the read should become fast enough to work against a partner who chooses in real time. The transition does not need to be instant in the learning phase — developing the conceptual recognition of the trigger is the foundation. Speed comes from repetition after recognition is established.

Setup and Entry

From the Scorpion Position — Duck Response

Begin driving the scorpion sweep: knee hook backward, underhook arm lifting and pulling. As the top player begins to duck — head dropping, hips rising — the transition to back take begins immediately.

The first movement: release the knee hook (or let it trail as the body moves) and use the underhook side to push off and begin coming to the bottom player’s own knees. The bottom player is no longer falling toward side control; they are rising up behind the top player. The underhook arm tracks the top player’s body as they duck — following the rotating torso rather than fighting it.

As the bottom player comes up behind the top player, the underhook arm reaches over the near shoulder and establishes the over-hook (the top arm in a seat belt). The other arm threads under the armpit on the far side and reaches up toward the near shoulder from below, establishing the under-hook (the bottom arm in a seat belt). Seat belt established — back mount entry.

From the Scorpion Position — Provoking the Duck

Advanced practitioners can use the sweep drive specifically to provoke the duck, with the back take as the intended primary outcome. The sweep drive is committed enough to be credible — the top player must actually feel threatened — but the bottom player is already primed for the duck response rather than the sweep completion. This requires the sweep to be a genuine threat (which it must be for the provocation to work) and the back take to be well-drilled enough to hit immediately when the duck appears.

Establishing the Back

Reaching the back and establishing back mount are not the same thing. Getting behind the top player from the scorpion position is the entry — but back mount requires hooks and the seat belt, or the top player will escape before control is consolidated.

From the seat belt position: the bottom player’s feet seek the inside of the top player’s thighs to establish hooks. The bottom hook (far side) goes first — the leg slides in from below the top player’s far hip. The top hook (near side) follows — the near leg comes over and in. With both hooks in and the seat belt established, back mount is achieved.

The duck-under entry sometimes gives the bottom player a modified back position — the top player is more face-down or in a turtle-like position rather than sitting upright. In this case, hook insertion may need to be adapted: pulling the top player onto their side first, or entering directly from a rear turtle position. The seat belt principle remains constant regardless of the specific body position the top player lands in.

If the top player attempts to spin out and face the bottom player, the bottom player follows the spin — never let the top player complete the spin. The seat belt arm on the near side (the top arm) prevents the spin by blocking the shoulder rotation. The bottom player should always be moving with the top player, not chasing from behind.

Common Errors — and Why They Fail

Defence

Defending the scorpion back take is complicated by the fact that the back take is itself the defence against the sweep. The top player cannot duck to defend the sweep and simultaneously avoid exposing their back.

Prevent the scorpion position: As with the sweep, the best defence is never being in the position. If the lower leg shift is prevented, the scorpion configuration does not exist and neither exit is available.

Stay upright when under sweep pressure: The duck that exposes the back is a natural but dangerous response to the sweep drive. A top player who has trained this dilemma will resist the instinct to duck and instead try to widen the base, post the hand, or clear the knee hook — all of which defend the sweep without exposing the back.

Spin to face if the back is taken: If the bottom player has reached the back but hooks are not yet in, the top player immediately spins toward the near arm of the seat belt — spinning against the over-hook arm, not under it. This can face the bottom player and reset to a scramble. Timing: the spin must happen before hooks are in. After hooks are in, spinning becomes very difficult.

Drilling Notes

Ecological approach

Flow spar from the scorpion position with the bottom player hunting either exit. The top player chooses in real time whether to hold or duck. The bottom player reads and responds. Both players should experience both roles — the top player feeling the dilemma makes them a better bottom player later, and vice versa. Debrief after each round: did the bottom player read the duck correctly? Did the transition happen at the right moment? Were the hooks inserted before the top player spun?

Systematic approach

Phase one: trigger recognition drill — partner holds or ducks at a signal; bottom player identifies the correct exit and begins the first movement. No completion required — just recognition and the first movement toward the right exit. 10 reps on each. Phase two: back take entry from duck, slow and cooperative — 10 reps. Focus on seat belt establishment and underhook tracking through the duck. Phase three: hook insertion from seat belt — 10 reps. Phase four: combine phases two and three — entry to hooks to back mount. Phase five: combine both exits in the same drill — partner alternates between holding (sweep) and ducking (back take). Bottom player reads and executes the correct exit.

Ability Level Guidance

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