SAFETY: Bow and Arrow Choke from Rear Triangle targets the Carotid arteries. Tap early and often. Your safety is more important than any training round.
Defending the Bow and Arrow Choke from Rear Triangle requires addressing two simultaneous control systems: the rear triangle lock around your neck and arm, and the collar grip that enables the choking extension. Your primary defensive window occurs during the collar grip establishment phase. Once the attacker has both the deep collar grip and the pants control, escape becomes extremely difficult and the risk of unconsciousness is immediate. Early recognition of the setup and immediate grip fighting on the collar hand are essential for survival. Your trapped arm inside the triangle is largely unavailable for defense, so your free hand must do double duty fighting the collar grip and creating angles for escape. Staying calm and working systematically through defensive priorities gives the best chance of either preventing the finish or escaping to a recoverable position.
Opponent’s Starting Position: Rear Triangle (Top)
How to Recognize This Submission
How do you know when someone is attempting Bow and Arrow Choke from Rear Triangle?
- Attacker’s hand reaches across your neck toward your far lapel or collar while maintaining the rear triangle lock
- You feel fingers threading into your collar behind your neck, indicating the attacker is establishing the cross-collar grip
- Attacker’s free hand reaches down toward your knee or pants after the collar grip is set, signaling the extension finish is imminent
- The triangle pressure changes angle as the attacker adjusts their hips to create the optimal choking line for the bow and arrow extension
- Both of the attacker’s hands release previous grips simultaneously, indicating they are confident in the triangle control and transitioning to the bow and arrow setup
Key Defensive Principles
What are the key principles for defending Bow and Arrow Choke from Rear Triangle?
- Fight the collar grip immediately with your free hand before the attacker establishes depth past your jawline - this is your highest priority defensive action
- Tuck your chin tightly to your chest and turn your face toward the non-choking side to create a structural barrier against the collar feed
- Control the attacker’s choking wrist or sleeve with your free hand using a two-on-one grip to prevent the collar from threading deeper
- Create rotation toward the collar grip side to reduce the extension angle and prevent the attacker from achieving full bow and arrow leverage
- Manage breathing and stay calm despite restricted airway - panicked explosive movements accelerate oxygen depletion and expose you to the finish
- Recognize that the pants grip establishment is the final defensive window - once both grips are set, tap immediately rather than risk unconsciousness
Defensive Options
What can you do to defend against Bow and Arrow Choke from Rear Triangle?
1. Two-on-one grip strip on the collar hand before depth is established
- When to use: As soon as you feel the attacker’s fingers entering your collar behind your neck, before they close the grip past your jawline
- Targets: Rear Triangle
- If successful: Prevents the choke finish and forces the attacker to re-attempt the collar feed or switch to an alternative submission from the rear triangle
- Risk: Committing both hands to the collar fight leaves you unable to address the triangle lock or defend against a rapid transition to rear naked choke
2. Chin tuck with head turn toward the non-choking side to create structural barrier
- When to use: Immediately upon recognizing the collar feed attempt, as a first-line defense while simultaneously engaging grip fighting
- Targets: Rear Triangle
- If successful: Blocks the collar from reaching past the jawline and forces the attacker to adjust their angle, buying time for additional defensive actions
- Risk: Chin tuck alone is insufficient against a determined attacker who will use the cross-face to turn your head and re-feed the collar
3. Roll toward the collar grip side to reduce extension leverage and work toward guard recovery
- When to use: When the collar grip is already established and the attacker begins the extension finish - this is a last-resort escape when grip fighting has failed
- Targets: Closed Guard
- If successful: Reduces the choking pressure by shortening the extension distance and may allow you to invert and recover to closed guard or half guard
- Risk: If the roll is incomplete, the attacker follows and may finish from an even more dominant angle with the collar grip still intact
Escape Paths
How do you escape Bow and Arrow Choke from Rear Triangle?
- Strip the collar grip with two-on-one defense and return to rear triangle survival position with active hand fighting to prevent re-establishment
- Roll toward the collar grip side during the extension phase while controlling the attacker’s wrist to prevent re-gripping, working to recover closed guard
- Extract the trapped arm from the triangle structure to eliminate both the positional control and the collar choke threat simultaneously
Best-Case Outcomes for Defender
What is the best outcome when defending Bow and Arrow Choke from Rear Triangle?
→ Closed Guard
Roll toward the collar grip side during the extension phase to reduce leverage, continue the rotation to invert under the attacker, and use the momentum to recover closed guard with your legs around their waist
→ Rear Triangle
Successfully strip the collar grip with two-on-one defense before the attacker can establish depth, forcing them back to the rear triangle position without the bow and arrow threat while you continue working standard rear triangle escapes