From a rear headlock, which action transitions you to forward control?

• A. Step Behind & Push Bar
• B. Hip Thrust to Back Control
• C. The Peel Away
• D. The Weave Under

Answer: (A)

From a rear headlock, the quickest path to forward control is stepping behind and pushing the bar. By stepping behind, you create an angle that drops your hips in between you and your opponent, which disrupts their grip and balance. At the same time, pushing the bar — the opponent’s near arm across their neck — helps peel their head forward and across your chest, opening space to slide into front control. This combination converts the rear position into a front-on control stance, letting you establish a forward grip and threaten from the front.

Hip thrust to back control would keep you behind and aim you toward back control rather than the desired forward position. The peel away is a disengagement that doesn’t directly put you into forward control, and the weave under is a different route that changes grips in a manner that doesn’t immediately establish the forward control you’re targeting.