Back Mount Hooks Only: A Complete Guide

Quick Intro

Back Mount Hooks Only is a Martial Arts Drills exercise performed from back control by inserting and maintaining both heel hooks inside a partner’s thighs, without adding the seatbelt grip or attacking a submission. Keeping the hooks curled in with the heels turned down is the detail this drill builds.

Equipment Needed

No equipment is required, though the drill needs a partner able to work from back control safely.

Why It Matters

Curling both hooks in and holding them against a partner’s hip movement asks for sustained control of the hips and legs. The inner thigh muscles (adductors) and a muscle at the front of the hip (hip flexors, iliopsoas) drive the hook insertion. The abdominal muscles running down the front of the stomach (rectus abdominis) and the muscles along the sides of the abdomen (obliques) brace the trunk through the hold, and a hip muscle on the outer side of the pelvis (gluteus medius) stabilizes the position.

When to Do It

Back Mount Hooks Only fits well early in a grappling-focused session, before the seatbelt grip or any submission attempt is added. Two to three sessions a week gives this hook retention enough repetition to feel automatic, provided the partner is comfortable settling into this position each time.

Anyone with a current hip issue should get individual guidance before adding this drill, since the curled hook position loads the joint for the length of each hold.

Getting Ready

Settling onto a partner’s back with one hook inserted checks the base this drill depends on. A few seconds of holding that single hook preview the full position before both hooks are inserted together.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Get on the back. Settle chest-to-back behind the partner.
2. Insert the first hook. Curl one heel inside the partner’s thigh.
3. Insert the second hook. Curl the other heel inside the opposite thigh.
4. Hold both hooks. Maintain the curled position as the partner moves.

How Many, How Often

Back Mount Hooks Only is dosed by time, with each sustained hold counting as one set.

Keeping the heels turned down and curled in matters more here than how tightly the legs squeeze, since flat feet resting on the thighs are stripped by a hip roll far more easily than a curled hook.

Modifications and Variations

As a harder version, Back Mount and Control Drill adds the seatbelt grip and active posture control to this hook retention. Back Mount — Choke Entry Drill goes on to move an arm toward the choke. Holding the hooks is the starting point for back control, and a single hook held on a still partner is the way to scale it down.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Letting the feet go flat. Resting flat feet against the thighs gives a partner’s hip roll an easy angle to strip the hooks. The heels stay turned down and curled in throughout the hold.

Focusing on only one hook at a time. Paying attention to one hook while the other loosens defeats the purpose of the drill. Both hooks get equal attention for the whole hold.

Gripping with the legs. Squeezing the thighs together without the heels curled in builds the wrong habit for when a partner starts moving. The curl of the heel, not the squeeze of the leg, is what keeps the hook in place.

After Your Set

The hips that curled through every hook benefit from a slow circle in each direction once the hold ends. Sitting cross-legged and leaning gently forward for a few breaths eases the hips and inner thighs that held each hook.

Going Deeper

Hooks that stay curled in here are what keep the position from being lost once a seatbelt grip and posture control are added. One hook tends to go flat while attention drifts to the other side. Checking both heels every few seconds during the hold fixes this faster than repeating a hold where one hook keeps going flat.

Someone new to this position generally manages a short, stable hold against a cooperative partner within the first few sessions, then works toward sustaining both hooks against active hip movement over the following couple of weeks.

How to Know You’re Improving

1. Both heels curled down for the whole hold
2. Equal attention on both hooks, with neither one neglected
3. A hold that survives a partner’s attempt to roll the hips
4. Hooks that stay in without flattening out under fatigue

Curled heels to the end of the hold matter more than how tightly the legs squeeze.

Muscles Worked

• Adductors (the inner thigh muscles, squeezing the thighs to keep both hooks in place)
• Iliopsoas (the hip flexor group at the front of the hip, driving each heel in behind their thigh)
• Rectus Abdominis (the abdominal muscles running down the front of the stomach, holding the hips close to their back)
• Obliques (the muscles along the sides of the waist, resisting their attempts to turn out of the hooks)
• Gluteus Medius (a smaller glute muscle at the side of the hip, holding the legs wide enough to stay attached)

FAQ

Why practice the hooks before adding the seatbelt grip? Practicing the hooks alone makes a flattening heel much easier to notice and correct, a problem that is harder to catch once the upper-body grip and posture control demand attention at the same time.

Is this easier than the full Back Mount and Control Drill? Yes, holding the hooks without the seatbelt grip or posture control removes the sustained upper-body work of the full drill.

Is some hip fatigue after this drill normal? Yes, a worked feeling through the hips after a sustained hold is expected. A sharp pain in a hip or knee that doesn’t fade between sessions is worth a visit to a doctor or physical therapist.

When is the seatbelt grip added? Once both hooks stay curled in without flattening under movement, Back Mount and Control Drill adds the grip and the posture control.

How often should the hooks be drilled? Two to three times a week, with a partner comfortable working from back control, suits most people building toward this skill.

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Related to Back Mount and Control Drill as the harder version adding the seatbelt grip and posture control.