The Ultimate Almanac Of BJJ Chokes & Strangles

The Ultimate Almanac Of BJJ Chokes & Strangles

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is often called the gentle art, but when it comes to submissions, few things are as decisive—or as feared—as a well-applied choke or strangle. These techniques finish fights by restricting either airflow (air chokes) or blood flow to the brain (blood chokes/strangles), leading to taps or unconsciousness in seconds when done correctly.

In modern BJJ, blood chokes dominate the highest-percentage finishes because they work faster and more reliably than air chokes, which can be painful and slower but still effective in certain setups. Rear naked chokes and variations from back control top competition stats year after year, often accounting for 20-30% of submissions in major events. Gi chokes like bow and arrow or collar-based attacks shine in uniform play, while no-gi favors arm-in and front-headlock strangles.

This almanac covers the most essential, high-percentage, and commonly taught chokes and strangles in BJJ today. We'll break them down by position and type, with key mechanics, why they work, and tips for success.

Back Control Dominance: The King's Position

The back is the ultimate spot for strangles—your opponent can't see you coming, and escapes are brutally hard.

Rear Naked Choke (RNC / Mata Leão)

The undisputed king of submissions. Slide one arm around the neck, lock your hands in a figure-four (palm-to-palm or Gable grip), tuck your head, squeeze your elbows in, and expand your chest while arching back. It compresses both carotid arteries for a pure blood strangle—lights out in 5-10 seconds if deep. Highest-percentage finish in no-gi and MMA crossovers; drill the seatbelt grip and hand-fighting to get there consistently.

Bow and Arrow Choke

Gi-only powerhouse. From back control, grip the far-side collar deep with one hand, reach over the shoulder with the other to grab the opposite lapel or collar, then extend your body like drawing a bow while kicking your legs out. It uses the gi fabric as a blade across the neck for a hybrid blood/air choke. One of the highest finish rates in gi tournaments—devastating when you control posture.

Short Choke / Collar Choke from Back

A quick, sneaky gi option. Grip low on the collar near the neck, slide your arm under the chin, and squeeze directly. Often catches people defending the RNC.

Clock Choke

From turtle or back-take attempts, trap the head and arm, grip the collar, and "wind" around like a clock hand while driving your weight forward. A crushing gi strangle that punishes defensive postures.

Guard & Front Attacks: Triangles and Guillotines

Triangle Choke

Signature BJJ move using your legs. Trap the neck and one arm between your thighs, lock your ankle behind your knee, pull the head down, and squeeze your knees while extending your hips. Blood choke via leg pressure on carotids—iconic from closed guard, omoplata setups, or failed armbars. High success in lighter weight classes.

Guillotine Choke

Front headlock staple. Arm around the neck (high or low), grip your own wrist, drop your weight, and squeeze while arching up. Can be air or blood depending on depth—devastating against takedown attempts or from guard. Variants like Marcelotine add control.

Mount & Side Control: Crushing Pressure

Arm Triangle Choke (Kata Gatame / Side Choke)

From mount or side, trap the head and arm with your shoulder, lock hands, and drive forward while squeezing. Blood choke using your body weight and opponent's shoulder—extremely high-percentage from top positions.

Ezekiel Choke (Sode Guruma Jime)

Sleeve choke from inside your own gi or opponent's. Feed one sleeve across the neck, grip with the other hand, and squeeze. Works from mount, side, or even bottom—surprise factor is huge.

Cross Collar Choke (X-Choke)

Classic gi fundamental. From guard or mount, cross your hands to grab deep collars, pull elbows to your ribs while flaring them out. Pure air choke but fast and reliable—often the first choke beginners learn.

North-South Choke

From north-south position, drive your chest into the neck while gripping around the head or using arms to compress. Hybrid pressure choke—sneaky and painful.

Arm-In & Front Headlock Arsenal

D’Arce Choke

Arm-in guillotine variant. Thread your arm under the opponent's far armpit, lock behind the neck, and squeeze while sprawling. Blood choke that's brutal from sprawls or transitions—very popular in modern no-gi.

Anaconda Choke

Similar to D’Arce but you roll through to lock it from the front. Arm under armpit, gable grip behind neck, squeeze while controlling posture. High-percentage counter to shots.

Brabo Choke

D’Arce-like but often gi-assisted with collar grips. Squeeze from side control or half guard.

Peruvian Necktie

Aggressive front headlock strangle. Arm around neck, grip your own bicep, drop hips, and crank. Nasty no-gi option.

Loop Choke

From guard or standing, loop your arm over the head, grab your own sleeve or wrist, and pull while extending. Gi choke with surprise factor.

Specialty & Situational Strangles

Von Flue Choke

Opponent tries to guillotine you from side control—sprawl heavy, trap their arm, and squeeze with shoulder pressure. Opportunistic gem.

Baseball Bat Choke

Gi grip like holding a bat—deep collar grips, squeeze across the neck from top positions.

Paper Cutter Choke

From knee-on-belly or side, slide arm under neck, grip far collar, and cut across.

Gogoplata

Rare but legendary. From rubber guard, insert foot under opponent's chin and squeeze with shin across throat. Air choke—high risk, high reward.

Key Principles for Mastery

Understand mechanics: Blood strangles (carotids) are faster and safer in training than air chokes (trachea), which can cause panic or injury if overdone. Always release on tap.

Position before submission: Chokes shine from dominant spots—back, mount, side. Work entries relentlessly.

Drill variations: Every choke has gi/no-gi tweaks and setups from failed attacks.

Safety first: Blood chokes can cause taps or sleeps quickly—train responsibly, communicate, and never crank necks recklessly.

Chokes and strangles are the soul of BJJ finishes. Master a handful deeply (start with RNC, triangle, guillotine, arm triangle, bow and arrow), and you'll have answers from almost anywhere. The mat is your laboratory—go strangle responsibly and keep evolving.

Oss!