Bow and Arrow Choke from Truck

The Bow and Arrow Choke from Truck is a gi collar choke that uses the 10th Planet truck as an entry: the attacker feeds a deep lapel grip, releases the figure-four to climb to back control with seatbelt and hooks, then hand-grips the opponent’s far leg and stretches to finish the bow.

Choke Blood Choke Targets Carotid arteries 58% success

Safety

Bow and Arrow Choke from Truck targets the Carotid arteries. Primary risk: Carotid artery compression leading to unconsciousness. Tap early; release immediately on the tap. Full safety guide ↓

Play as Attacker Play as Defender

The Bow and Arrow Choke from the Truck position represents a transition-based convergence of the 10th Planet leg entanglement system with traditional gi collar choke mechanics. Critically, the truck is the ENTRY, not the finishing geometry: the perpendicular figure-four entangles only one of the opponent’s legs, so a genuine bow and arrow cannot be completed from inside the perpendicular alignment. Instead, the attacker uses the truck’s control to feed a deep cross-collar grip, then releases the figure-four and climbs up to true back control, establishing a seatbelt and back hooks behind the opponent. The bow and arrow is a back-control finish, so this conversion from truck to back is mandatory, not optional.

From the Truck, the bow and arrow functions as one prong of a multi-threat attack system. When the opponent defends the twister by protecting their far arm and resisting spinal rotation, they often neglect collar defense, leaving the neck vulnerable to the collar feed. Conversely, defending the collar grip by bringing hands high exposes the lower body to calf slicer and banana split attacks. This dilemma makes the collar attack from Truck particularly effective at the intermediate and advanced levels, where opponents have learned to defend the more common truck submissions but may be unfamiliar with collar-based attacks from this angle.

The mechanical key to the bow and arrow is that its far-leg vector comes from a HAND grip on the opponent’s far leg or hip, taken from back control. The truck figure-four cannot supply this anchor: it isolates the wrong leg in the wrong plane, perpendicular to the spine rather than in line with the back-mount stretch. To finish, the attacker releases the figure-four, climbs to a seatbelt with both hooks in, then reaches the free hand down to grip the opponent’s far pant leg or hip. The finishing force is generated by stretching the torso back and pulling the collar toward the hip while the hand-gripped far leg is driven the opposite direction. Recognizing that the truck must be converted to genuine back control before the bow can be applied, rather than finished from within the entanglement, is what separates a sound application from a fabricated one.

Starting Position: Truck · From: Truck (Top)

Outcomes

Result	Position	Probability
Success	game-over	58%
Failure	Truck	27%
Counter	Closed Guard	15%

Attacker vs Defender

	Attacker	Defender
Focus	Execute and finish	Escape and survive
Key Principles	Maintain boot pressure on the opponent’s hip throughout the …	Protect the collar first: keep your near hand fighting the o…
Options	7 execution steps	4 defensive options

Playing as Attacker

→ Full Attacker Guide

Key Principles

• Maintain boot pressure on the opponent’s hip throughout the collar grip setup to preserve rotational control before you convert to back control

• Feed the collar grip deep past the chin line early, using the truck’s control to buy time before you climb to the finishing angle

• Release the truck figure-four and climb to a seatbelt with both hooks in: the bow and arrow is a back-control finish, not a truck finish

• Take the far-leg anchor with your free HAND, gripping the opponent’s far pant leg or hip from back control, then stretch the torso back while pulling the collar to create the opposing-force mechanism

• Threaten the twister and calf slicer to force defensive reactions that expose the collar for grip access

• Monitor the opponent’s hand position constantly: hands defending low means the collar is open, hands defending high means redirect to leg attacks

Execution Steps

• Consolidate Truck control and assess collar access: Ensure your boot is firmly planted against the opponent’s hip with your entangled legs controlling t…

• Initiate collar grip with non-boot hand: Using the hand not controlling the boot-side leg, reach across to grab the opponent’s far lapel. Fee…

• Lock the collar and secure choking position: Once the collar grip is deep, lock your wrist position by pulling your elbow toward your ribs. Adjus…

• Release the figure-four and climb to back control: With the collar locked, release the truck figure-four and climb your hips up the opponent’s back, th…

• Take the far-leg hand grip and create the bow shape: From back control, reach your free hand down and grip the opponent’s far pant leg or hip: this hand …

• Apply progressive finishing pressure: With the bow shape established from back control, progressively tighten the choke by pulling the col…

• Complete finish or transition to alternative attack: If the opponent taps, immediately release all pressure and grips. If they survive by tucking chin or…

Common Mistakes

• Releasing boot pressure to reach for the collar grip, losing the rotational control that keeps the opponent on their side

  • Consequence: Opponent can square up, face you, or complete a granby roll, escaping the truck entirely before the collar grip is established
  • Correction: Maintain boot pressure through your entangled legs while your upper hand reaches for the collar. The boot is the foundation of the position; never sacrifice it for grip access.

• Grabbing the collar too shallow with the wrist sitting above the chin rather than across the carotid arteries

  • Consequence: Creates a jaw crusher that causes pain but does not produce a blood choke, giving the opponent time to strip the grip and defend
  • Correction: Feed the collar past the chin line so the reinforced seam sits directly across the front of the neck. Use caterpillar grip motion to walk the collar deeper if initial access is shallow.

• Attempting the bow and arrow without first threatening other truck attacks to create defensive openings

  • Consequence: Opponent anticipates the collar grip and defends with both hands, making grip establishment extremely difficult against a prepared defender
  • Correction: Threaten the twister or calf slicer first to force defensive reactions. When their hands go low to defend legs, the collar opens. When hands protect the neck, redirect to leg attacks.

Playing as Defender

→ Full Defender Guide

Key Principles

• Protect the collar first: keep your near hand fighting the opponent’s collar-feeding hand to prevent deep grip establishment past the chin

• Tuck your chin firmly against your chest to create a physical barrier preventing the collar from sliding into choking position across the carotids

• Address boot pressure simultaneously: use your free hand to fight the boot on your hip to reduce the rotational torque holding you on your side

• Do not neglect leg extraction while defending the collar: a successful collar defense buys time, but only leg escape ends the positional danger

• Recognize the attack early by monitoring the opponent’s hand movement toward your collar: early detection allows prevention rather than late-stage escape

• Tap early when the choke is fully locked: the Bow and Arrow applies enormous pressure and the window between discomfort and unconsciousness is narrow

Recognition Cues

• Opponent’s non-boot hand releases upper body control and reaches toward your collar or lapel

• Increased boot pressure on your hip suggesting the attacker is bracing for the collar reach

• Opponent’s chest pressure shifts as they adjust position to access the far collar from the perpendicular truck angle

• Feeling fingers sliding inside your collar material on the far side of your neck

• Opponent briefly reduces twister or calf slicer pressure to redirect their attack to the upper body

Escape Paths

• Granby roll during collar grip transition to escape truck and recover to open guard or closed guard

• Two-on-one collar strip followed by immediate boot clearing and hip escape to half guard

• Forward roll using trapped leg as pivot to end in deep half guard when lower body escape is blocked

Variations

Boot Pressure Collar Feed: From standard truck with boot on hip, use the non-boot hand to reach across and feed into the far collar while maintaining boot pressure. The perpendicular angle gives early access to the collar, but you must still convert to back control to reach a finishing angle. Pull the collar deep past the chin using a caterpillar grip motion while the boot keeps the opponent pinned on their side, then release the figure-four and climb to a seatbelt before finishing. (When to use: When opponent is focused on defending the twister and has arms protecting against spinal rotation rather than collar access.)

Twister Fake to Bow and Arrow: Initiate the twister setup by controlling the opponent’s far arm and beginning spinal rotation. When the opponent fights the arm control by pulling the arm free and tucking, immediately redirect to the collar grip that their defensive movement has exposed. The twister threat forces them to bring hands low, opening the neck. (When to use: Against opponents who have strong twister defense but neglect collar protection when defending lower body threats.)

Back-Control Conversion Finish: Once the deep collar grip is secured from the truck, release the figure-four and climb up the opponent’s back, threading both hooks in and locking a seatbelt to reach genuine back control. From there take the standard bow and arrow far-leg anchor with your free HAND, gripping the opponent’s far pant leg or hip. Stretch your torso back while pulling the collar toward your hip and driving the hand-gripped far leg the opposite direction, creating the bow. The truck only opened the door; the finish lives in back control. (When to use: Whenever you have the collar fed from the truck and the opponent has not stripped it. This is the correct, mandatory path to a real bow and arrow finish from the truck entry.)

From Which Positions?

• Truck
• Twister Control

Related

• Bow and Arrow Choke
• Calf Slicer
• Banana Split
• Spine Lock
• Electric Chair
• Rear Naked Choke
• Truck - Starting position providing perpendicular angle and leg entanglement for choke setup
• Twister Control - Alternative truck attack position when opponent defends the collar grip
• Back Control - Fallback position if truck control is lost during bow and arrow attempt
• Crab Ride - Entry position that commonly leads to truck establishment before choke setup
• Crucifix - Alternative arm-trapping control when opponent defends collar with both hands

Safety Guide

Injury Risks:

Injury	Severity	Recovery Time
Carotid artery compression leading to unconsciousness	High	Immediate if released promptly; medical evaluation required if unconsciousness occurs
Neck strain from excessive torque and rotation	Medium	3-7 days for minor strain; 2-4 weeks for moderate strain
Jaw or TMJ injury from improper collar placement	Medium	1-3 weeks for minor injury; 4-8 weeks for significant TMJ damage
Knee or hip stress from forced leg extension in truck entanglement	Low	2-5 days for minor discomfort

Application Speed: SLOW and progressive - 3-5 seconds minimum to allow tap recognition

Tap Signals:

• Verbal tap
• Physical hand tap on body or mat
• Physical foot tap on mat
• Any audible distress signal
• Loss of resistance (immediate release required)

Release Protocol:

1. Immediately release collar grip upon tap signal
2. Release leg extension and entanglement simultaneously
3. Allow opponent’s head to return to neutral position
4. Check for consciousness and responsiveness
5. If opponent was unconscious, elevate legs and monitor until full recovery

Training Restrictions:

• Never spike or jerk the choke - apply smooth progressive pressure only
• Never use competition speed in training rolls
• Always maintain communication with training partner
• Never continue pressure after tap signal
• Beginners must drill truck position control before attempting finish
• Always allow partner clear access to tap with hands or voice