⚠️ SAFETY: Banana Split targets the Hip adductors, groin, and lower back. Risk: Groin muscle tear or strain. Release immediately upon tap.
The Banana Split is a unique compression submission that targets the opponent’s hip adductors, groin muscles, and lower back through forced over-extension of the legs. Primarily executed from deep half guard or lockdown positions, this technique creates extreme discomfort by splitting the opponent’s legs apart while controlling their upper body. The submission gained prominence through Eddie Bravo’s 10th Planet system, where it serves as both a finishing technique and a powerful position to force reactions. Unlike traditional joint locks, the Banana Split relies on muscular compression and flexibility limitations, making it particularly effective against less flexible opponents. The technique requires precise control of the opponent’s legs and hips while maintaining a stable base. Understanding the biomechanics of hip rotation and groin flexibility is essential for safe application. The Banana Split often works in combination with other attacks from half guard, creating multiple offensive threats that force defensive errors.
Category: Compression Type: Groin Stretch Target Area: Hip adductors, groin, and lower back Starting Position: Deep Half Guard Success Rates: Beginner 25%, Intermediate 40%, Advanced 55%
Safety Guide
Injury Risks:
| Injury | Severity | Recovery Time |
|---|---|---|
| Groin muscle tear or strain | High | 4-8 weeks |
| Hip adductor strain | High | 3-6 weeks |
| Lower back strain | Medium | 2-4 weeks |
| Hip flexor damage | Medium | 3-5 weeks |
Application Speed: EXTREMELY SLOW - 5-7 seconds minimum. This submission creates intense pressure on muscle groups that can tear rapidly.
Tap Signals:
- Verbal tap (most common due to position)
- Physical hand tap on opponent’s body or mat
- Physical foot tap if hands unavailable
- Any distress vocalization
- Frantic movement or panic signals
Release Protocol:
- Immediately stop all leg splitting pressure
- Release the leg trap and allow opponent’s legs to return to natural position
- Maintain control but remove all stretching force
- Allow opponent to assess their condition before continuing
- Never release explosively - control the return to neutral position
Training Restrictions:
- Never spike or jerk the leg split - apply pressure gradually
- Never use competition speed or intensity in training
- Always communicate with training partner about flexibility limitations
- Stop immediately if partner shows signs of panic or distress
- Avoid this submission with partners who have known groin or hip injuries
- Beginners should practice mechanics without applying finishing pressure
Key Principles
- Control opponent’s upper body to prevent escape while splitting legs
- Create opposing forces between leg control and upper body control
- Maintain stable base on bottom to generate splitting pressure
- Target groin and hip flexibility limitations rather than joint mechanics
- Use progressive pressure application to allow tap opportunity
- Combine with other attacks to create submission chains
- Understand individual flexibility variations affect submission speed
Prerequisites
- Establish deep half guard position with leg trapped
- Secure lockdown or similar leg control on one leg
- Isolate opponent’s far leg to prevent base recovery
- Control opponent’s upper body to prevent forward pressure escape
- Create angle that allows leg splitting mechanics
- Establish grip on opponent’s far leg (ankle, knee, or thigh)
- Prevent opponent from rolling or transitioning out of position
Execution Steps
- Establish Deep Half Control: From deep half guard, secure your lockdown on the near leg while maintaining your shoulder underneath opponent’s hips. Your head should be on the far side, creating the foundation for the split. Ensure your lockdown is tight and opponent’s weight is loaded onto your structure. (Timing: 2-3 seconds) [Pressure: Moderate]
- Isolate the Far Leg: Reach across with your far hand to grab opponent’s far ankle, knee, or lower thigh. Some variations involve using your own far leg to hook their far leg. The goal is to prevent them from posting or establishing a wide base. This isolation is critical for the splitting mechanics to function. (Timing: 1-2 seconds) [Pressure: Light]
- Create the Splitting Angle: While maintaining lockdown control on the near leg, begin to pull the far leg toward you and away from their body. Simultaneously, use your lockdown to push the near leg in the opposite direction. Your body position should create a wedge that forces their legs apart. Maintain shoulder pressure under their hips to prevent them from rolling forward. (Timing: 3-4 seconds) [Pressure: Moderate]
- Control Upper Body: Use your free hand to control opponent’s upper body, typically by grabbing their belt, pants, or establishing an underhook. This prevents them from driving forward to relieve pressure or spinning out of the position. Upper body control is essential for maintaining the submission structure. (Timing: 1-2 seconds) [Pressure: Firm]
- Extend Hips and Increase Split: From your bottom position, extend your hips upward while maintaining the opposing forces on their legs. This hip extension creates additional splitting pressure by using your torso as a wedge. The pressure should be applied progressively, not explosively. Monitor partner for tap signals as groin pressure increases rapidly. (Timing: 2-3 seconds) [Pressure: Firm]
- Apply Finishing Pressure: Continue to increase the leg split by pulling the far leg while maintaining lockdown pressure on the near leg. Your hip extension should create a banana-like bend in opponent’s torso. The submission comes from overstretching the groin, hip adductors, and lower back. Apply pressure slowly over 3-5 seconds minimum, watching carefully for tap. Never jerk or spike the pressure. (Timing: 3-5 seconds minimum) [Pressure: Maximum]
Opponent Defenses
- Drive forward with pressure to collapse bottom player (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Adjustment: Maintain strong shoulder frame under hips and increase upper body control. Use your lockdown to prevent forward movement and redirect their pressure sideways.
- Attempt to free the trapped leg by pulling knee toward chest (Effectiveness: High) - Your Adjustment: Tighten lockdown immediately and establish secondary control on the far leg before they create defensive structure. If they escape the lockdown, transition to electric chair or other attacks.
- Roll forward or cartwheel over to escape leg control (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Adjustment: Use upper body control to prevent the roll. If they commit to the roll, you may be able to transition to back control or other advantageous positions. Don’t release the far leg prematurely.
- Widen base and post far leg to prevent isolation (Effectiveness: High) - Your Adjustment: Work to isolate the far leg before fully committing to the split. Use sweeps or other attacks from deep half to force reactions that compromise their base, then return to banana split mechanics.
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: What is the minimum time you should take when applying finishing pressure in the banana split during training? [SAFETY-CRITICAL] A: A minimum of 5-7 seconds with slow, progressive pressure application. The banana split targets muscle groups that can tear rapidly if pressure is applied too quickly. Unlike joint locks where you feel structural limits, compression submissions like the banana split create intense muscular pain that requires gradual application to allow safe tapping. Never spike or jerk the pressure.
Q2: What are the primary target areas affected by the banana split submission? A: The banana split primarily targets the hip adductor muscles (inner thigh), groin complex, and lower back through forced leg splitting and spinal extension. It creates compression and overstretching of these muscle groups rather than attacking specific joints. The submission works by exceeding the opponent’s flexibility limitations in hip abduction, which varies significantly between individuals.
Q3: Why is upper body control essential for successful banana split execution? A: Upper body control prevents the opponent from driving forward with pressure to collapse your bottom structure and escape the position. Without controlling their upper body (via underhook, belt grip, or body control), they can simply pressure forward, negate your leg splitting mechanics, and potentially pass to dominant position. The upper body control works in opposition to the leg controls to create the splitting force.
Q4: What should you do immediately upon receiving a tap signal during banana split application? [SAFETY-CRITICAL] A: Immediately stop all leg splitting pressure and release the leg trap, allowing the opponent’s legs to return to a natural position in a controlled manner. Never release explosively. Maintain control but remove all stretching force, and allow your partner to assess their condition before continuing. The release should be as controlled as the application to prevent injury during the release phase.
Q5: How does the lockdown contribute to banana split mechanics? A: The lockdown provides stable control of the opponent’s near leg, creating one half of the splitting force. By locking your feet together around their leg, you can push that leg in one direction while pulling their far leg in the opposite direction. The lockdown also prevents them from freeing that leg and recovering their base. It serves as the foundation that allows you to generate splitting pressure from the bottom position.
Q6: What defensive action by the opponent has the highest effectiveness against the banana split? A: Freeing the trapped leg early by pulling the knee toward the chest or posting the far leg to prevent isolation both have high effectiveness. Once the opponent widens their base and establishes strong posts with both legs, the splitting mechanics become very difficult. This is why you must work to isolate the far leg before they recognize the threat and establish defensive structure.
Q7: Why must you account for individual flexibility differences when applying the banana split? [SAFETY-CRITICAL] A: The banana split targets flexibility limitations in hip abduction, which varies dramatically between individuals. More flexible opponents (gymnasts, yoga practitioners) may require additional control points or may not feel the submission at all. Less flexible opponents will feel intense pressure much earlier and require extra caution with slower pressure application to prevent muscle tears. Always assess your training partner’s flexibility level and adjust your application speed accordingly.
From Which Positions?
Expert Insights
- Danaher System: The banana split represents an interesting category of submission that targets structural flexibility limitations rather than pure joint mechanics. From a biomechanical perspective, the submission creates opposing forces on the hip joints that exceed the opponent’s range of motion in hip abduction. The key to effective application lies in establishing multiple points of control - the lockdown controls one leg, your grip controls the far leg, and your upper body control prevents forward escape. The submission force comes from using your torso as a wedge between their legs while maintaining these three control points. What makes this submission particularly noteworthy is its reliance on individual variation in flexibility - an opponent with extensive hip mobility may feel minimal pressure while someone with tight adductors will tap very quickly. This requires you to calibrate your pressure based on the individual. From a safety perspective, the muscles being stressed (hip adductors and groin complex) are prone to tears under sudden force, necessitating extremely gradual pressure application in training. The banana split also serves an important tactical function beyond just finishing - it creates such discomfort that opponents often make defensive errors that open other attacks. In a systematic approach to half guard bottom, the banana split represents one branch in a decision tree of attacks, most effective when combined with electric chair threats and back take attempts.
- Gordon Ryan: The banana split is one of those submissions that works way better in training than competition at the highest levels, primarily because flexible competitors won’t feel it and inflexible ones know to defend it early. That said, it’s incredibly valuable as a threat that forces reactions. In training, I use the banana split position more as a control position that creates offensive opportunities rather than hunting for the tap. When you establish those leg controls from deep half, your opponent has to deal with multiple threats - the banana split, the electric chair sweep, potential back exposure if they try to roll away. This creates the dilemma that opens up actual finishing opportunities. In competition, I’ve seen the banana split work best against opponents who are already tired and their defensive reactions slow down. The other key application is using it to force a scramble when you’re behind on points - people will do crazy things to avoid the discomfort of that leg split, and in the scramble you can sometimes recover guard or take the back. From a training perspective, you need to be very careful with this one - I’ve seen too many groin injuries from people who apply it too fast or don’t account for their partner’s flexibility. The distinction between training and competition application is huge here. In competition, you might hold the position for extended time to break them down. In training, you should tap your partner way before that point. The banana split fits into a modern half guard bottom system where you’re creating multiple threats from lockdown - you’re never just hunting one submission, you’re using the position to force defensive errors.
- Eddie Bravo: The banana split is one of the signature attacks from our lockdown system and it perfectly represents the 10th Planet philosophy - it’s unconventional, it’s uncomfortable, and it forces people into positions they don’t train. We developed this as part of the electric chair series, and what’s beautiful about it is how it fits into the whole lockdown ecosystem. You’ve got the lockdown controlling one leg, you’re hunting for that far leg, and suddenly you’ve got multiple attacks - electric chair, banana split, old school sweep, back take. The opponent doesn’t know what’s coming and that uncertainty is what creates opportunities. The banana split specifically is nasty because it attacks flexibility, and let’s be honest, not everyone is doing yoga every day. What I love about teaching this submission is that it forces students to think about control systems and combinations rather than just individual techniques. You’re never going for just the banana split - you’re creating a situation where they have to defend multiple things and eventually something opens up. Safety-wise, this is one where our culture of tapping early is super important. We train this a lot because it’s part of our core system, but we also have very clear protocols about pressure application. When you’re in the position, you can feel your partner’s flexibility level immediately, and you have to adjust. Some guys you can barely split at all, others will tap to light pressure. That individual variation makes it a thinking person’s submission. The banana split also represents the creative evolution of half guard - when everyone was just trying to sweep from half guard, we were asking what if we attacked from bottom instead? What if we used the lockdown not just for control but as a launching point for attacks? That mindset shift is what led to the whole electric chair and banana split series.