SUBMISSIONS
The submission is the ultimate objective of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Each entry covers mechanics, defenses, and the practitioners who mastered the technique.
REAR NAKED CHOKE
Mata Leão
The rear naked choke, known in Portuguese as mata leão (lion killer), is the highest-percentage submission in all of combat sports and the canonical finish from…
BOW AND ARROW CHOKE
Estrangulamento Arco e Flecha
The bow-and-arrow choke is the gi-only equivalent of the mata leão and the most-used back-finish in IBJJF competition. Named for the body posture of the attacke…
GUILLOTINE CHOKE
Guilhotina
The guillotine is a frontal headlock choke executed by trapping the opponent's head and one arm against the attacker's chest while the choking arm wraps the thr…
STRAIGHT ANKLE LOCK
Chave de Tornozelo Reta
The straight ankle lock is the entry-level leg attack and the only leg lock legal at every IBJJF belt level from blue belt onward. It targets the Achilles tendo…
HEEL HOOK (INSIDE SANKAKU)
Chave de Calcanhar (Sankaku Interno)
The inside heel hook is the most controversial and the most efficient submission in the modern grappling game. By rotating the opponent's foot away from the cen…
OMOPLATA
Omoplata
The omoplata is the shoulder lock executed by trapping the opponent's arm between the bottom player's legs and using a forward rotation to drive the trapped sho…
ARM TRIANGLE (KATA-GATAME)
Triângulo de Braço
The arm triangle, called kata-gatame in judo, is a blood choke that uses the opponent's own shoulder to compress one carotid artery while the attacker's bicep c…
NORTH-SOUTH CHOKE
Estrangulamento Norte-Sul
The north-south choke is Marcelo Garcia's signature submission and one of the most uniquely-finished techniques in modern Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. From the north-so…
D'ARCE CHOKE
Estrangulamento D'Arce
The D'Arce choke is the front-headlock blood choke in which the attacker threads one arm under the opponent's near armpit, around the back of the neck, and fini…
TOE HOLD
Chave de Pé (Toe Hold)
The toe hold is the leg-lock technique that rotates the opponent's ankle inward and downward, transmitting torque through the talofibular ligaments and into the…
KNEEBAR
Chave de Joelho
The kneebar is the joint lock attacking the knee by hyperextending the leg with the attacker's hips as the fulcrum. The mechanics are structurally identical to …
ANACONDA CHOKE
Estrangulamento Anaconda
The anaconda choke is the front-headlock blood choke that threads the attacker's arm around the back of the opponent's neck and under the far-side armpit, then …
LOOP CHOKE
Estrangulamento de Laço
The loop choke is the gi strangulation that uses the opponent's own collar as a noose, looped around the back of the neck and pulled across the carotid arteries…
BRABO CHOKE
Estrangulamento Brabo
The brabo choke is the gi-specific cousin of the D'Arce choke, using the opponent's own lapel as the choking blade instead of the attacker's bicep. From side co…
MOUNTED TRIANGLE
Triângulo da Montada
The mounted triangle is the figure-four leg strangulation executed from the top mount position, with the attacker's legs closing around the opponent's head and …
CROSS-COLLAR CHOKE FROM GUARD
Estrangulamento Cruzado da Guarda
The cross-collar choke from closed guard is one of the four canonical closed-guard submissions in the Gracie curriculum, paired with the armbar, triangle, and k…
CALF SLICER
Compressão de Panturrilha
The calf slicer is the compression lock that traps the opponent's calf muscle between the attacker's shinbone and the opponent's own thigh, applying compressive…
REVERSE TRIANGLE
Triângulo Invertido
The reverse triangle is the figure-four leg strangulation executed from a side-on top position, with the attacker's legs closing around the opponent's head and …
WRISTLOCK
Chave de Punho
The wristlock is the joint lock attacking the wrist via flexion, extension, or rotation past its natural range of motion. Long considered a secondary submission…
OUTSIDE HEEL HOOK
Chave de Calcanhar Externa
The outside heel hook is the leg-lock technique that rotates the opponent's foot outward (away from the centerline), transmitting torque through the ankle into …
TWISTER
Twister
The twister is the spinal lock developed by Eddie Bravo as the signature finish of the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu system. The technique combines a leg-trap from the …
BUGGY CHOKE
Buggy Choke
The buggy choke is the unusual defensive submission executed from underneath side control, where the bottom player uses a triangle-like figure-four of the arms …
ESTIMA LOCK
Estima Lock
The Estima lock is the foot-lock variant developed and popularized by Brazilian brothers Victor and Braulio Estima in the late 2000s. The technique combines ele…
SULOEV STRETCH
Suloev Stretch
The Suloev stretch is the hamstring and lower-back compression lock developed by Russian fighter Amar Suloev in the late 1990s and refined through the modern no…
BULLDOG CHOKE
Bulldog Choke
The bulldog choke is the front-headlock blood choke executed by trapping the opponent's head and neck against the attacker's hip or chest with one arm while the…
CLOCK CHOKE
Estrangulamento Relógio
The clock choke is the gi-specific blood choke executed against a turtled opponent in which the attacker walks around the opponent's body in a clockwise directi…
BANANA SPLIT
Banana Split
The banana split is the compression and stretching submission in which the attacker spreads the opponent's legs in opposite directions to apply force on the hip…
MIR LOCK
Mir Lock
The Mir lock is the rotational shoulder lock named after MMA heavyweight Frank Mir, who used the technique to win his UFC Heavyweight Championship via submissio…
AOKI LOCK
Aoki Lock
The Aoki lock is the wristlock variation named after Japanese MMA and submission grappling specialist Shinya Aoki, who used the technique extensively in Pride F…
CERVICAL LOCK (NECK CRANK)
Cervical
The cervical lock — typically called a neck crank in English — is the submission category in which force is applied to the cervical spine to produce pain and st…