Rear Naked Choke
Submission · Back Control
A blood choke: the inside of your elbow and your forearm close both sides of the neck. From back control with the seatbelt and hooks, when his hands drop low and the chin lifts. First win the hand fight: peel his far hand by the knuckles, not the wrist, so he cannot straighten it out of your grip. Slide the top arm under the chin and keep it tucked deep behind his neck, out of reach, the elbow pointing down the middle of his chest; lock the hand on your other biceps and put that hand on the back of his head. A gable grip squeezes harder but controls his posture less. Expand your chest and drive with hips and legs, cinching in stages. If he tucks the chin, switch to the short choke. Release at the tap.
How to do it
- From the seatbelt, with your chest tight to their back and hooks or a body triangle in, win the hand fight first. Peel their far hand by the knuckles, not the wrist, so they cannot straighten the arm out of your grip.
- When the chin lifts, slide the top arm under the chin and keep it tucked deep behind their neck, out of reach of their hands. The elbow points down the middle of their chest.
- Put that hand on your other biceps, the inside of your elbow closing on the front of the neck.
- Place the other hand behind their head, palm on the back of the head. A gable grip, palm to palm behind the head, is an alternative that squeezes harder but controls the posture less.
- Squeeze the elbows together and expand your chest, driving forward with the hips and legs. Cinch it tighter in stages rather than grabbing for maximum pressure in one squeeze.
Key details
- The elbow points down the middle of their chest. That puts the inside of your elbow on the front of the neck and both sides of the neck under pressure.
- Hooks or a body triangle keep them from turning. If they turn into you, the choking arm slides off the neck.
- Win the hand fight before you choke. A hand on your choking arm is enough to pull it off the neck.
- The choke is finished with the hips and legs driving forward, not by arm strength alone. Your body pushes their neck into the arms.
- If the chin is down, go in edge first, like a knife: a flat fist, thumb knuckle under the jaw behind the ear, then walk the fingers across, then the wrist, then lift and the forearm follows. Once the wrist is under, the rest goes in.
- Hide both hands: the choking hand deep behind his neck, never on his shoulder, and the other hand behind his head, not on top of the skull. Against his hands on your wrist, finish by rotating the choking elbow over his shoulder with your back, not by compressing harder.
Common mistakes
- The forearm lies on the jaw. — It cranks the jaw and does not choke. — Hide the elbow under the chin first; use the short choke if needed.
- Crossing the feet in front. — They trap a foot between their legs and catch you in an ankle lock. — Keep the hooks in and the feet uncrossed so no foot can be trapped.
- A loose seatbelt. — A loose seatbelt leaves space, and they turn in to face you. — Keep your chest tight to their back and the hands locked.
- The fingertips slip off the biceps as you squeeze. — Your own chest and his head block the arm, so the lock is shallow and opens when he pushes your elbow. — Hollow your body and round the shoulders forward to shoot the arm in, then bring the elbows together to set the lock before you squeeze.
If they defend
- They hold the choking arm with both hands. → Their arms are busy: armbar from the back or bow and arrow.
- They slide down to the mat. → Follow them over into mount.
How to drill it
Hand fighting from the back, 1-minute rounds; the top player scores only with a clean choke.
Safety
Blood choke: effective in seconds; release at the tap.
What comes next
Where it comes from