The arm drag to back take in BJJ is one of the highest-percentage sequences in grappling because your opponent's own escape attempts feed you the next attack. You're not forcing anything — you're reacting to what they give you.
In the Jiu Jitsu Arm Drag Formula, Scott Sullivan teaches this from closed guard. Lock up your legs a little higher than normal. Start adjusting for the arm drag. Your goal is the armpit-tricep grip — one hand in the armpit, the other controlling the tricep.
Now here's where it gets good. Your opponent feels the drag and starts turning, trying to rip his arm free. That's exactly what you want.
As Sullivan explains: "I feel him starting to turn, he's trying to pull out of here. So I hold this really tight and I'm pulling this arm and I throw my left leg over." That turn he's using to escape? It's exposing the arm for a straight armbar.
The armpit grip is doing double duty. It controls his posture AND forces his head to one side. Sullivan either waits for the opponent to create that angle himself, or forces it: "Either he does it himself for me, or I may force him."
For the armbar finish, it's simpler than most people think. "All I do here to make him tap is bring my elbow to my rib cage and that tightens up on the arm." No cranking, no bridging — just close the elbow to the ribs.
But here's the real beauty of this system. If he rips his arm out before you lock the bar? The omo plata is RIGHT THERE. Sullivan is direct about it: "If he's too fast, right, make sense. So practice both — straight armbar and omo plata."
And if neither submission is available? You still have the back take from the original drag. The arm drag creates a decision tree where every escape your opponent attempts leads to another attack.
For the full rear naked choke breakdown once you take the back, see our complete rear naked choke guide. Get the full system in Scott Sullivan's BJJ 101 System.