GOGOPLATA

The gogoplata is the rare submission in which the attacker uses the attacker's own shin or instep to choke the opponent by pressing the shin against the opponent's throat while pulling the opponent's head downward toward the shin. The technique is one of the most distinctive 10th Planet system finishes and one of the rarest submissions in elite competition because the configuration requires substantial flexibility and the entry window is narrow.

The mechanics begin from rubber guard or a high-guard configuration where the attacker has trapped the opponent's head down against the attacker's chest. The attacker threads one leg across the opponent's neck so that the attacker's shin is positioned across the opponent's throat, with the attacker's foot extending out the opponent's far side. The attacker's same-side hand pulls the foot or ankle to lock the shin tight against the throat, while the attacker's other hand pulls the opponent's head downward toward the shin. The combined pressure (shin pushing up on the throat, head pulling down onto the shin) compresses the trachea and produces a choke. The technique attacks the trachea rather than the carotids, so it functions as an air choke rather than a blood choke.

The gogoplata is rare in elite competition because the rubber-guard / high-guard configuration that produces the entry is itself rare against skilled posture-defenders. Notable competitive demonstrations include Shinya Aoki's MMA submissions (Aoki has produced multiple gogoplata finishes in Pride and DREAM), Nick Diaz's MMA gogoplata of Takanori Gomi, and various 10th Planet system competitors. The technique has been used in BJJ competition but typically only against opponents who have allowed the rubber-guard configuration to establish. Defensively the gogoplata is countered by maintaining strong posture before the rubber guard establishes, by hand-fighting the leg-over-head threading before it consolidates, or by stacking the bottom player to disrupt the framing geometry before the foot grips lock.