Duck Under

Also known as: Duck-Under · Slide-By (adjacent)

Lift or float their elbow, change levels, and slip your head under the arm to come up behind them in a rear body lock or back control.

Back Take · Gi & No-gi · Difficulty 3/5 · Usually learned at Blue belt

Starts from Clinch as the either grappler → lands in Back Control.

The details that make it work

1. Create the window by making them carry weight on the tie — the elbow floats when they push back.
2. Level change with the legs; your head passes TIGHT under the armpit, chest glued to their side.
3. Come up behind the shoulder line and lock the waist before they turn.

Where it goes wrong

• Ducking with distance, which turns the move into a face-first dive past a moving target.

How opponents counter it

• Whizzer down hard on the ducking head
• Turn and face before the waist lock closes

Is the Duck Under legal in competition?

Legal in all major rulesets at all levels (IBJJF, ADCC, sub-only). Rules change — always confirm against the current official rulebook for your event.

Related techniques

• Standing Arm Drag
• Body Lock Takedown
• Rear Naked Choke

All moves from Clinch · Back to Grapplepedia