SAFETY: Bow and Arrow Choke from Truck targets the Carotid arteries. Tap early and often. Your safety is more important than any training round.
Defending the Bow and Arrow Choke from the Truck position requires addressing two simultaneous problems: the collar grip threatening your neck and the leg entanglement pinning your lower body. The truck’s perpendicular angle gives the attacker unusually direct collar access, meaning traditional back defense hand fighting may be insufficient. Your defensive priority hierarchy is: first protect the neck by preventing deep collar access, then address boot pressure and leg entanglement to escape the truck entirely. Recognizing the attack early is critical because once the collar grip is locked past the chin and the extension begins, defensive options narrow dramatically. The best defense is preventing the grip from being established rather than trying to escape a fully locked choke.
Opponent’s Starting Position: Truck (Top)
How to Recognize This Submission
How do you know when someone is attempting Bow and Arrow Choke from Truck?
- 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
Key Defensive Principles
What are the key principles for defending Bow and Arrow Choke from Truck?
- 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
Defensive Options
What can you do to defend against Bow and Arrow Choke from Truck?
1. Collar grip prevention through hand fighting
- When to use: As soon as you detect the opponent’s hand moving toward your collar. The earlier you engage their grip hand, the easier it is to prevent deep collar access.
- Targets: Truck
- If successful: Opponent cannot establish the choke and must abandon the attempt or try an alternative truck attack. You remain in truck bottom but without immediate choke threat.
- Risk: Using your hand to fight the collar leaves less defense for the twister and calf slicer. The attacker may redirect to those attacks.
2. Granby roll escape during collar establishment phase
- When to use: When the opponent commits one hand to the collar grip and their weight shifts slightly during the reach. The grip transition creates a brief window where their control is reduced.
- Targets: Closed Guard
- If successful: Escape the truck entirely and recover to open guard or closed guard. The opponent may retain the collar grip but loses the truck angle needed to finish.
- Risk: If the collar grip is already deep, the granby roll can tighten the choke as you rotate. Only attempt when the grip is still shallow or being established.
3. Two-on-one collar strip after grip is established
- When to use: When the opponent has established the collar grip but has not yet begun the extension phase. Use both hands to strip the collar grip before the opposing-force mechanism activates.
- Targets: Truck
- If successful: Collar grip is broken and the immediate choke threat is neutralized. You return to standard truck bottom defense.
- Risk: Committing both hands to the collar strip leaves you completely vulnerable to calf slicer and twister. The attacker may release the collar and immediately attack the now-undefended lower body.
4. Boot clearing and hip escape combination
- When to use: When you have successfully prevented or stripped the collar grip and need to escape the truck entirely before the next collar attempt.
- Targets: Closed Guard
- If successful: Full escape from the truck to guard recovery, eliminating all submission threats from the position.
- Risk: Requires reducing collar defense to address the boot, potentially opening the collar during the escape attempt.
Escape Paths
How do you escape Bow and Arrow Choke from Truck?
- 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
Best-Case Outcomes for Defender
What is the best outcome when defending Bow and Arrow Choke from Truck?
→ Closed Guard
Successfully execute a granby roll during the collar grip establishment phase when the attacker’s control is temporarily reduced, or complete a hip escape after stripping the collar grip and clearing the boot pressure.
→ Truck
Prevent the collar grip from being established through persistent hand fighting. The attacker returns to the standard truck position without the choke threat, buying time for a subsequent escape attempt from the base truck position.