Submissions
Finishing mechanics, the structures that make them work, and the control that precedes them.
Blood choke versus air choke
Two different mechanics get the same name, and knowing which one your grip is actually applying explains why a strangle finishes quickly, slowly, or not at all.
Foundational · Gi and no-giHead-and-arm: one strangle, three angles
The arm triangle, the d'arce and the anaconda are the same strangle, closing on the head and one arm from three different angles, and each fails where the trapped shoulder goes loose.
Intermediate · No-gi firstThe guillotine needs a broken posture
A guillotine choke finishes when the head is held and the body is driven away from it, which is why it only appears once the defender's posture has already been broken.
Foundational · No-gi firstThe triangle closes at the shoulder
A triangle choke closes between your thigh on one side of the neck and their own trapped shoulder on the other, which is why the angle and the arm matter more than the squeeze.
Foundational · Gi and no-gi
Reading connected to this area
Journal
- The guillotine from the front headlock
Arm in or arm out changes what the technique is, and the finish comes from the hips in both cases, which is why pulling harder with the arms is the standard way to lose it.
- The rear naked strangle from back control
A strangle and a neck crank are separated by a small change in what the second hand is doing, which is why four rule books bothered to write the difference down.