# Crab Ride

> A rear-hip riding position that uses the feet behind the opponent's knees or thighs to elevate, steer, and expose the back.

- **Canonical page:** https://www.ossmeta.com/techniques/crab-ride
- **Markdown:** https://www.ossmeta.com/techniques/crab-ride.md
- **JSON:** https://www.ossmeta.com/api/public/techniques/crab-ride
- **Category:** transition
- **Format:** both
- **Level:** advanced
- **Aliases:** crab hooks, double unders ride
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-25

## What it is

Crab ride places the attacker behind the opponent's hips with both legs threaded underneath or around the thighs. The feet act as steering hooks while the upper body controls the waist, allowing the rider to lift the hips and prevent the opponent from fully facing them.

The position appears in berimbolo systems, leg-drag counters, wrestling rides, and no-gi back-take sequences. It is transitional by nature: the goal is usually to expose the back, settle a leg drag, or follow a roll into stable control.

## Key principles

- Stay attached to the waist while the hooks manipulate the knees.
- Keep your head and chest behind the opponent's hip line.
- Elevate one side at a time to create rotation.
- Climb to upper-body control as soon as the back becomes available.

## Common entries

- **Berimbolo:** Follow the hip rotation and place the feet behind the opponent's legs.
- **Leg-drag counter:** Invert and attach behind the passer's knees as they direct the legs.
- **Turtle ride:** Insert hooks behind the thighs while controlling the waist from the rear.


## Productive next actions

- **Back control:** Pull the hips toward you and climb from waist control to the shoulders.
- **Leg drag:** Turn the opponent's knees across and come on top beside the hips.
- **Technical mount:** Follow a hip turn and settle one knee behind the back.


## Defensive priorities

- **Sit to a hip:** Put one side on the mat to reduce the rider's ability to elevate both legs.
- **Hand fight the waist:** Break the upper-body attachment before spinning toward the opponent.
- **Clear one hook:** Recover a knee to the floor and rebuild a facing position.

## Rules and safety

Scoring and permitted grips vary by promotion and division. Check the current organizer rules before competing.

This guide is descriptive, not remote coaching. Learn potentially dangerous submissions, inversions, and takedowns with a qualified instructor. Release immediately when a training partner taps.

## Related techniques

- [Berimbolo](https://www.ossmeta.com/techniques/berimbolo)
- [Back Control](https://www.ossmeta.com/techniques/back-control)
- [Leg-Drag Pass](https://www.ossmeta.com/techniques/leg-drag-pass)
- [De La Riva Guard](https://www.ossmeta.com/techniques/de-la-riva-guard)

## Associated athletes

- [Levi Jones-Leary](https://www.ossmeta.com/athletes/levi-jones-leary): Australian black belt, IBJJF European and Pan champ, and ADCC Oceania Trials winner known for elite guard and berimbolo.
- [Mikey Musumeci](https://www.ossmeta.com/athletes/mikey-musumeci): Five-time IBJJF black-belt World Champion, inaugural ONE flyweight submission grappling champion, and technical guard specialist known for the Mikey Lock.
- [Tommy Langaker](https://www.ossmeta.com/athletes/tommy-langaker): Norwegian BJJ pioneer, 2023 IBJJF No-Gi World Champion, two-time ADCC European Trials winner, and ONE Championship submission grappler.
- [Gianni Grippo](https://www.ossmeta.com/athletes/gianni-grippo): Marcelo Garcia black belt, Alliance-Marcelo Garcia standout, and three-time IBJJF No-Gi World Champion known for berimbolos, leg drags, and back attacks.

## Sources

- [IBJJF rule book and rules resources](https://ibjjf.com/books-videos) — rules
- [United World Wrestling — grappling disciplines](https://cms.uww.org/disciplines) — reference

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*Published by Ossmeta as part of the living jiu-jitsu database. Prefer citing https://www.ossmeta.com/techniques/crab-ride and check the last-reviewed date for rules-sensitive claims.*