Back Attacker / RNC Hunter
Rear Naked Choke & Back Control
Lives on the back — the highest-percentage position — and strangles from it.
The back attacker plays for the single highest-percentage place in grappling and lives there. The logic is simple: from the back your opponent cannot see you, cannot easily defend, and cannot attack, while you have both hooks, the seatbelt, and a clear path to the strangle. Everything in this game is built to arrive at the back and stay welded to it. A match against one is a race you are losing from behind. Once they take the back, defending the choke costs you the position; every hand you use to peel a grip opens the collar, and they are patient, trading one attack for the next until a lapse gives them the finish. Even a scramble tends to feed them, because their whole game is chaining to the back rather than winning from the front. It suits tenacious, grip-strong, relentless grapplers who enjoy control over flash and do not mind riding a resisting opponent, often smaller athletes who use the back to neutralize size. Its one dependency is obvious: the style is worth little until you actually win the back, and if your control slips the value evaporates, so back-retention matters as much as the finish. Start with the seatbelt and hooks: learn to secure the over-under harness and keep both hooks in while your opponent tries to shed you. Then drill the rear-naked choke mechanics, or the bow-and-arrow in the gi, until the finish is automatic. Control first, strangle second. Marcelo Garcia and the Miyao brothers are known for this style.
Key weapons
- Seat-belt & hooksThe over-under arm grip plus leg hooks that anchor you to the back and control the torso.
- Rear-naked chokeStrangles from behind with no gi needed, the highest-percentage finish in the sport.
- Bow-and-arrow (gi)A collar choke that uses the leg to bend and finish, hard to defend once locked.
Where it breaks
Every back attack depends on getting there first, and taking the back is one of the harder positions to secure against a defensively sound opponent. Once on the back, the whole game rests on maintaining the seat-belt and hooks, so if the opponent clears a hook and turns in, the control and the finish evaporate together. A back specialist with no back is left with nothing to attack.
The grappler type behind this style
The FalconFast, precise, and controlled — dives on the finish the instant an opening appears, then resets clean.TSFAWho to watch
Marcelo Garcia · the Miyao brothers
Is this your style?
Take the Style Finder →Gear for a Back Attacker / RNC Hunter's game
As an Amazon Associate, The Grappler's Map earns from qualifying purchases.
- Competition-weight giA durable, IBJJF-legal gi that survives hard grip fighting and makes weight.View on Amazon →
- Ranked rash guardKeeps skin protected and mat rash down through long no-gi rounds.View on Amazon →
- Knee sleevesSupport and warmth for the knees under leg-lock and heavy guard pressure.View on Amazon →
- Mouthguard with caseCheap insurance for your teeth in scrambles, stack passes, and takedowns.View on Amazon →
- Antifungal body/mat soapPost-training wash to keep ringworm and staph off your skin.View on Amazon →
Related styles
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Back Attacker / RNC Hunter in BJJ?
- Lives on the back — the highest-percentage position — and strangles from it. The back attacker plays for the single highest-percentage place in grappling and lives there.
- What are the main techniques of the Back Attacker / RNC Hunter?
- Core weapons include Seat-belt & hooks, rear-naked choke, bow-and-arrow (gi).
- What is the weakness of the Back Attacker / RNC Hunter?
- Must first win the back; loses value if control slips.
- Which grapplers are known for the Back Attacker / RNC Hunter style?
- Marcelo Garcia, the Miyao brothers.
As an Amazon Associate, The Grappler's Map earns from qualifying purchases.