Key Takeaways
- A No-Gi BJJ DVD focusing solely on how to open up routes to attack the back.
- Offers exposure from standing, top, bottom, and Ashi Garami with lots of different options and details.
- Underwhelms somewhat in the turtle department, offering unrealistic attacks.
- BJJ World Expert Rating: 7.5 out of 10.
CREATING BACK EXPOSURE LUKE GRIFFITH DVD – GET IT NOW:
“Get the back!” This is one of the most common things shouted out at your average BJJ tournament everywhere in the world. Yet, many of the results for competitors trying to heed this advice usually end up in failure to achieve it. And it all has to do with how you set up to get there.
It is one thing to see the back and get it in an opportunistic fashion, It is another thing completely to create openings that are hard to block from all kinds of positions, top and bottom. That is exactly what the Creating Back Exposure Luke Griffith DVD attempts, and to a certain point, succeeds in delivering.
The Two End-Ranges of Back Attacks
You all know what back attacks are, but do you know what the two most difficult aspects of executing them from start to finish are? You probably do, but I’m going to tell you anyway, in a manner that hopefully puts things into perspective and clears up a few misconceptions.
The one huge aspect of back attacks that is immensely difficult to do is finish a submission from the back. Many people take the position for granted, thinking that they’re guaranteed a finish simply by getting the hooks and winning the grip fight. Well, there’s lots to do still, particularly if the person defending isn’t trying to escape but only trying to stop submissions.
Another key area that defines your success with back attacks is creating the optimal opening to go for the hooks and harness in the first place. People ‘jump’ to the back hoping for the best, but that’s like trying to jump in a pool without seeing where the pool is – doesn’t make too much sense, does it?
So far, not many instructors have addressed this in their DVDs, although I’ve seen it covered extensively in seminars and camp classes. The Creating Back Exposure Luke Griffith DVD is filling that void now, with plenty of very useful information that stops at back exposure.
BJJ Wonderboy Luke Griffith
Looking in from the outside, one gets the impression that everyone over at New Wave Jiu-Jitsu, from Danaher to the cleaning lady, has made an instructional. Long-winded DVDs about everything and the kitchen sink don’t carry too much value, but there are some hidden gems among all the rustle.
Most of those in the BJJ World who are not die-hard competitors probably don’t consider Luke Griffith to be someone worth looking into, especially when they find out he is “only” a brown belt. However, those who are aware of the young South African’s performances, know that there is a lot to be learned from the 23-year-old.
The two-time ADCC trials winner and multiple-time World and Pan champion (colored belts, of course) took the grappling competition circuit by storm a couple of years ago and has been constantly growing since. He’s already beaten some big names such as Oliver Taza, Kaynan Duarte, and Rida Haisam.
A master of back attacks Griffith is notoriously hard to shake off, both because he weighs more than 220lbs, and because he has incredible technique and tactic when it comes to the back mount. He talks about it in great detail in the Creating Back Exposure Luke Griffith DVD.
Creating Back Exposure Luke Griffith DVD Review
I love the fact that Luke Griffith managed to stay true to the title of this instructional and only focus on creating exposure that might lead to back takes, and not talk about hooks, chokes, and actual back attacks incisively.
The Creating Back Exposure Luke Griffith DVD consists of five volumes, each targeting a different aspect of the subject. The combined length of all the volumes reaches just over three and a half hours.
Part 1 – Standing Back Exposure Tactics
One aspect of the standing game in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is that people often disregard the back as a viable attacking option. The first part of the Creating Back Exposure Luke Griffith DVD does a great job of shining a very important light on this aspect of the standing game.
Luke shares his basic concepts of attack, immediately launching into coverage of New Wave team classics in the form of Kouchi and Ouchi attacks that led to snapdowns. Throughout the volume, he uses takedown threats to ensure he gets on the outside and can expose the back.
Techniques covered in this one offer something for everyone in terms of technical versatility and preferences: Underhooks, slidebys, overties, duck under and some nice Judo hip throws. I was particularly keen on rewatching the knee block shuck over and over again.
Part 2 – Passing to the Back
A volume that offers all the usual methods we see New Wave competitors employ, but simplified. This Creating Back Exposure Luke Griffith DVD is like asking ChatGPT to dumb things down for a 12-year-old, only covering what’s really important and works from Danaher’s complex systems.
Torreando passes open up the chapters in this volume, closely followed by the pins that you should focus on during the pass so that you get back exposure without any effort. Stacking, shin pins, and the body lock feature are the stars here.
The front end of back attacks, which is mounted, also makes an appearance here, along with a few side control options to round off the list of positions that you can use to create back exposure from the top.
Part 3 – Drag-Based Bottom Setups
I enjoyed this part of the Creating Back Exposure Luke Griffith DVD a lot. I was ready to call it my favorite, but there’s something in the next volumes that convinced me otherwise. That places this portion of the instructional as a close second.
In it, Griffith uses the concept of arm drags, more precisely the hip heisting drags to twist the top person’s spine, while breaking their balance, resulting in an exposed back. Luke throws a host of different options at us here, from diagonal tosses to cat-like kickflip twists.
Toward the end, he uses a lot of DLR guard to launch inverted attacks that end up creating back attack options. The final couple of chapters address half guard arm dargs on both sides.
Part 4 – Ashi Garami to the Back
My undeniably favorite part of the Luke Griffith Back DVD is the one that beat drags for the title. Most people only see back attacks as a way to counter leg locks, but Luke now explains where to look for the back when you’re the one attacking the Ashi.
Most of the focus is on cross-ashi, with the 50/50 dominating as the optimal position for creating back exposure. Griffith uses Ashi bolos, which are basically inversions from Ashi Garami to open up the back.
As it turns out these Ashi bolos do the trick not just from the 50/50, but also Outside Ashi and Cross Ashi variations. I can’t pick a favorite chapter from this one – I liked them all.
Part 5 – Attacking the Turtle
I can’t blame Luke for the fallacies in this part, as he bases all his instructions on what he’s been taught by John and Gordon, and his competitive success with it. However, against people who are true masters of the defensive turtle, none of the stuff in this part is going to work.
Since those folks are still kind of scarce, you’ll probably be able to pull off some of the turtle breakdowns Griffith delivers in this final part of the Creating Back Exposure Luke Griffith DVD. I wouldn’t bet on them working on a high-level defense expert, though.
The perspective of attacking just to create exposure, which runs as the hero focuses through this DVD flawlessly, looks into inserting claw grips and tight waist control before attacking from different angles, mostly diagonal ones. Wrestling has many defensive answers to these threats though, so I remain unconvinced.
Think Back, Do Everything
So many good things happen when you get your opponent to panic. But how can you get someone who’s done BJJ for so long to mess up when you want them to? Threatening with something that’s proven to be dangerous for everyone seems to do the trick for me.
Trying to create an opening for back attacks is the perfect example. How many times have you gotten the chance to set up guillotines off of arm drags from the guard that originally aimed to open up a route to the back? Another commonly seen scenario is people turning into you as you try to get behind when standing, resulting in a buffet of different takedown options.
Approaching BJJ exchanges like this goes past creating dilemmas. You’re actually going for the back, and you know you need to create exposure in order to get it. During this exposure creation phase, all of BJJ opens up to you, especially if your opponent notices what you’re doing. Plenty of this is covered in the Creating Back Exposure Luke Griffith DVD.
FULL DOWNLOAD: BACK EXPOSURE LUKE GRIFFITH DVD
Ultimate Back Exposure!
The back is one of the best spots to be in grappling, and you’ll quickly figure out how to stay there for prolonged periods once you start practicing it more. However, finishing and creating the initial exposure is going to take a lot more time on the mats.
For this last one, exposure, you can speed up the process of understanding and learning using the Creating Back Exposure Luke Griffith DVD. It has its drawbacks but overall, is a great example of how to approach the subject of creating openings for back attacks.
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