Buchecha's Back Take From Deep Half Guard in BJJ

Words: Jiu Jitsu Style

Deep half guard is one of the most stubborn positions in BJJ, and when you're the one playing it from underneath, everyone expects the same thing from you: the sweep. Get the leg, off-balance your partner, come up on top. In this clip from the archive, Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida does something better. He uses that same deep half not to come up, but to climb straight onto the back. For a man who spent years as the most decorated heavyweight in the sport, it's a quiet reminder that the best players don't force the sweep — they take whatever the position hands them, and deep half hands you the back if you know where to look.

Watch it: Buchecha's back take from deep half guard.

The Grips That Set It Up

Everything here is built on control, and Buchecha locks it in before he tries anything else. The arm closest to your opponent threads under his hip, and you slide four fingers into his belt or the back of his pants. That grip is your steering wheel for the whole sequence, so make it a good one. Your other hand grabs the pants at the knee of the leg you're already under.

From there, drop both of your knees away from him so your hips settle underneath his weight. Your top leg hooks behind his ankle; your bottom leg pins the foot, calf pressing down over it so it can't slip loose. Now his leg is trapped at two points and you own the hip. Nothing moves until all of that is in place.

Sending Him Over the Top

With the foot trapped and the belt in your hand, turn toward your own knees and drive him over and away from you. The belt grip and the hook behind his ankle do the work together — you steer his hips one direction while his trapped foot can't follow, so he has nowhere to go but forward. He tips over the top and lands out in front of you.

Keep that ankle hook alive as he goes, because his open leg is the door you're about to walk through. As he falls, let the knee grip go and use that now-free hand to push him away from you, buying the space to come up behind him.

Climbing Onto the Back

This is where the belt grip earns its keep a second time. Use it to pull yourself straight in behind him, lining your chest up with his back instead of chasing from an angle. As you close the gap, your hooking leg travels up from his ankle to his knee, and your other foot hooks in behind his knee on the same side. Both legs are now behind his knees.

Push forward into them — that's the crab ride — and it walks you right up onto his back with your hooks already in. From there you're flattening him out and hunting the finish.

Why It's Worth Stealing

The whole thing runs on patience. Buchecha never lunges for the back. He earns the grips, traps the foot, sends his partner over, and only then climbs — every piece in order, none skipped. Drill it the same way: start slow from deep half, get the belt and knee grips set before you move an inch, and feel how the trapped foot turns a simple push into a fall you can follow straight to the back. Deep half has only grown sharper in the years since, which is exactly why a back take this clean is worth adding to your Jiu Jitsu.

See you on the mats.

Originally published on Jiu Jitsu Style, 20 December 2015. Refreshed for 2026.