Berimbolo from Taking the Back

Berimbolo from Taking the Back is a transition between related positions built around a handful of repeatable controls. The bottom player sits with a deep De La Riva hook and a controlling pant grip on the same-side ankle. Another common starting shape: the attacker has rolled underneath the opponent and is reaching across the body, but the hips are still low and the bottom foot is on its edge instead of flat. It is worth attempting once comfortable with: Single leg X worm to Reverse De La Worm and comfortable with: Collar-and-sleeve to De La Riva basic transition. The ideas that hold it together are inversion mechanics, dLR-to-back fundamentals, and pinch above the knee.

The berimbolo chain is a sequence of small controls, not one athletic burst. Pull the ankle grip to load the opponent over the DLR hook. Invert by dropping the head and rotating the hips skyward. Climb up behind the hips as the opponent goes off-balance and chase the back. Bring the trailing leg across so both knees can pinch tight above the opponent's knee. Rotate the foot so the sole rests flat on the mat — until the foot is flat, the position is unstable and the grip cannot complete. Use the opponent's leg as a handle to pull the body up and switch sides if needed. Control sleeve and far pant cuff to limit the standing leg. Drop the head under the near hip and roll toward the far shoulder. The bottom player has inverted under the opponent and arrived behind them, ready to insert hooks for a back take.

Later in the berimbolo, flat foot before grip, hips track with the reach, and hug the back, do not chase the legs tend to decide whether the position stays on track. Watch for these mistakes: Inverting without committing the load on the opponent. Reaching with the arm without bringing the leg across, leaving the hips off-axis. Leaving the foot on its edge so the bridge has no anchor. Crossing the feet instead of pinching the knees, which loses the torque on the opponent's leg. The high-percentage version of berimbolo from taking the back is the one you can still chain when the next position is contested.