SAFETY: Gogoplata targets the Trachea and carotid arteries. Risk: Tracheal damage or crushing. Release immediately upon tap.
The Gogoplata is an advanced submission technique that utilizes the shin bone to create a choke by pressing against the opponent’s trachea while simultaneously pulling their head forward. This highly technical submission is most commonly associated with the rubber guard system and requires exceptional flexibility, precise positioning, and excellent timing. The Gogoplata is executed primarily from rubber guard positions, though variations exist from mount and other control positions.
What makes the Gogoplata particularly effective is its unexpected nature and the difficulty opponents face in defending once the position is established. Unlike traditional chokes that rely on arm or collar grips, the Gogoplata uses the shin bone as the primary choking mechanism, making it extremely difficult to grip-fight or hand-fight out of the submission. The technique’s success heavily depends on the practitioner’s ability to maintain high guard control, break the opponent’s posture, and possess the hip flexibility necessary to bring the shin across the throat.
While the Gogoplata has a reputation as a low-percentage submission due to its technical complexity and flexibility requirements, when executed by practitioners with the proper physical attributes and technical understanding, it becomes a powerful addition to the submission arsenal. The technique has been successfully used in high-level competition by flexibility-focused grapplers. The Gogoplata represents the evolution of submission grappling beyond traditional techniques, showcasing how creativity and physical attributes can be leveraged to create finishing opportunities from seemingly neutral positions.
From Position: Gogoplata Control (Top)
Key Attacking Principles
- High guard control must be established before attempting the shin placement across the throat
- Hip flexibility is essential - the ability to bring your shin across their throat while maintaining control
- Breaking posture is critical - opponent’s head must be pulled down and forward for the choke to work
- Shin bone placement must be precise - across the trachea with the blade of the shin, not the calf
- Control of the opponent’s head with both hands creates the necessary compression for the choke
- The non-choking leg maintains position control by hooking over the opponent’s back or shoulder
- Gradual pressure application allows for safe training and partner awareness of danger
Prerequisites
- Establish closed guard or high guard control with opponent in your guard
- Break opponent’s posture completely - their head must be pulled down low
- Secure rubber guard position with one foot across opponent’s back and behind their head
- Create sufficient space to thread the choking leg across opponent’s throat
- Control opponent’s head with both hands to prevent them from posturing up
- Ensure opponent’s arms are controlled or neutralized to prevent them from creating base
- Have the hip flexibility to bring your shin across their throat while maintaining connection
- Secure your foot position behind opponent’s head or shoulder for maximum leverage
Execution Steps
- Establish high guard control: From closed guard or open guard, establish a high guard position by climbing your legs up your opponent’s back. Secure one foot across their back in rubber guard position, with your shin behind their head. Your other leg should maintain control around their body or be prepared to become the choking mechanism. (Timing: 0-2 seconds)
- Break opponent’s posture completely: Using your rubber guard control and both hands gripping behind opponent’s head or controlling their arms, pull their head down aggressively until their face is close to your chest. Their posture must be completely broken - if they can maintain any upright posture, the submission will not work. (Timing: 2-4 seconds)
- Thread the choking leg across the throat: From your high guard position, begin to thread your free leg (the one not in rubber guard) across the front of opponent’s throat. Your shin bone should come across their trachea while your foot moves toward the opposite side of their neck. This requires significant hip flexibility and must be done while maintaining broken posture. (Timing: 4-7 seconds)
- Secure the shin position across the throat: Position the blade of your shin bone directly across opponent’s trachea and throat area. Your foot should be positioned behind their head or over their opposite shoulder. The shin placement is critical - it must be centered on the throat with the hard bone creating the compression point, not the soft calf muscle. (Timing: 7-10 seconds)
- Control the head with both hands: With your shin in position, secure a strong grip on the back of opponent’s head with both hands. Your grip might be palm-to-palm, fingers interlaced, or gripping their hair or gi collar (in gi). This grip will allow you to pull their head forward into your shin, creating the choking pressure. (Timing: 10-12 seconds)
- Create choking pressure by pulling head forward: While maintaining your shin position across their throat, pull opponent’s head forward with your hands. Simultaneously extend your hips slightly upward to increase pressure. The combination of pulling their head into your shin while the shin remains stationary creates the choke. Apply pressure SLOWLY over 3-5 seconds. (Timing: 12-17 seconds)
- Maintain position and adjust pressure: As opponent feels the pressure, they will attempt to escape. Maintain your shin position, keep their posture broken, and adjust your pulling angle to maximize the choke. Your non-choking leg should hook over their back or shoulder to prevent them from posturing up. Continue gradual pressure increase until tap is achieved. (Timing: 17-22 seconds to completion)
Possible Outcomes
| Result | Position | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Success | game-over | 40% |
| Failure | Gogoplata Control | 35% |
| Counter | Closed Guard | 25% |
Opponent Defenses
- Posture up aggressively to create space and prevent shin placement (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Anticipate the posture attempt and use your rubber guard leg to pull their head back down immediately. Secure head control with both hands before they can create significant space. If they succeed in posturing, abandon the submission and transition to triangle or omoplata. → Leads to Gogoplata Control
- Turn head to the side to prevent shin from settling across throat (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Follow the direction of their head turn and adjust your shin angle accordingly. Use your hand grips to force their head back to center position. If they persist in turning, you can attack the exposed neck with an arm triangle or switch to a different submission. → Leads to Gogoplata Control
- Push against your hips to create distance and remove choking pressure (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Squeeze your knees together to trap their arms and prevent effective pushing. Your non-choking leg should hook deeper over their back to maintain proximity. Pull their head more aggressively to counteract any distance they create. → Leads to Closed Guard
- Grab the choking leg and attempt to push it away from throat (Effectiveness: Low) - Your Response: If they commit both hands to gripping your choking leg, their head becomes vulnerable. Increase head control and pulling pressure. The act of them reaching for your leg often drives their head deeper into the choke. Maintain shin pressure and continue the submission. → Leads to game-over
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: Why is the gogoplata considered one of the most dangerous submissions to practice in training? [SAFETY-CRITICAL] A: The gogoplata directly compresses the trachea (windpipe) with the hard shin bone, which can cause serious injury much more quickly than blood chokes that target the carotid arteries. The trachea is a delicate structure, and rapid or excessive pressure can cause tracheal collapse, crushing, or permanent damage. Unlike blood chokes that cause unconsciousness gradually, tracheal damage happens quickly and can be irreversible. This is why extremely slow application (5-7 seconds minimum) and immediate release upon tap are absolutely critical. Training partners must have complete trust and experience before practicing this technique.
Q2: What anatomical structure does the gogoplata primarily attack, and how does this differ from blood chokes? [SAFETY-CRITICAL] A: The gogoplata primarily attacks the trachea (windpipe) by compressing it with the hard shin bone. This creates an air choke that restricts breathing. In contrast, blood chokes like the rear naked choke or triangle target the carotid arteries on either side of the neck, restricting blood flow to the brain. The gogoplata can also compress the carotid arteries secondarily when properly applied, creating a hybrid effect. The key difference is that tracheal compression can cause structural damage to the airway, while blood chokes cause reversible unconsciousness without damaging structures. This is why the gogoplata requires more careful application.
Q3: What is the primary physical requirement that determines whether a practitioner should attempt the gogoplata? A: Hip flexibility is the primary physical requirement for the gogoplata. The practitioner must be able to bring their shin across the opponent’s throat while simultaneously maintaining high guard control and keeping the opponent’s posture broken. This requires the ability to achieve extreme hip flexion and external rotation. Without sufficient flexibility, attempting to force the position can result in injury to the practitioner’s hip, knee, or ankle. Practitioners should develop this flexibility through dedicated stretching, yoga, or similar training before attempting the submission in live situations. If your hips cannot comfortably achieve the required position, the gogoplata is not suitable for your current body capabilities.
Q4: What indicators tell you the opponent has reached the point of no escape and the finish is inevitable? [SAFETY-CRITICAL] A: The point of no escape occurs when three conditions are simultaneously met: your shin is locked across the trachea with the blade of the bone creating pressure, your hands have secured deep control behind their head preventing any posture recovery, and your non-choking leg is hooked over their back eliminating their ability to create distance. At this point, you’ll feel their defensive movements become weaker and less coordinated as the choke begins affecting them. They may begin tapping frantically, making distressed sounds, or their body may start going limp. Any of these signals means the finish is imminent and you should be prepared to release immediately upon the tap.
Q5: Your opponent starts to posture up during your gogoplata attempt - what adjustment prevents escape while maintaining the submission threat? A: When opponent begins posturing, immediately pull harder with your hands on their head while simultaneously squeezing your knees together to trap their arms. Your non-choking leg should hook deeper over their back, pulling them forward. If they continue gaining posture despite these adjustments, you have two options: either abandon the gogoplata and transition to triangle choke using their upward momentum to swing your leg across, or switch to omoplata by following their arm with your hips. The key is recognizing early when posture recovery is happening and either countering it immediately or flowing to an alternative attack rather than stubbornly holding a compromised position.
Q6: What should you do immediately if your opponent goes limp or stops resisting during a gogoplata attempt? [SAFETY-CRITICAL] A: IMMEDIATELY release all pressure by removing your shin from their throat and releasing head control. Allow their head to return to a neutral position and remove your top leg from over their head completely. Lower your hips and release all pressure. Check on your training partner’s condition immediately - they may have lost consciousness or suffered an injury. Do not continue training until you have confirmed they are okay and they have had adequate recovery time (minimum 2-3 minutes). If they lost consciousness, they should not continue training that day and should seek medical evaluation. Loss of resistance during a tracheal choke can indicate serious airway compromise or loss of consciousness, both of which require immediate cessation of the technique and medical assessment.
Q7: What common finishing error reduces the effectiveness of the shin pressure, and how do you correct it? A: The most common finishing error is placing the soft calf muscle across the throat instead of the hard shin bone. The calf provides much less pressure due to its cushioning effect, allowing opponents to endure and potentially escape. To correct this, focus on rotating your leg so the blade of the shin (the sharp front edge of the tibia) sits directly across the trachea. Your foot should be positioned behind their head or over their opposite shoulder - if the foot is alongside their face, your calf is likely on the throat instead of your shin. You can verify correct placement by feeling the hard bone contact against their neck. Additionally, pulling your toes toward your knee engages the proper muscle structure and rotates the shin into optimal position.
Q8: How should you adjust your grip and pulling angle when your opponent turns their head to the side to relieve pressure? A: When opponent turns their head sideways, follow the rotation with your shin angle rather than fighting to center their head. Use your hands to apply asymmetric pulling pressure - pull harder on the side they’re turning toward to prevent further rotation and redirect their chin back toward center. If they persist in turning, you can actually use this against them by switching your shin angle to attack the exposed side of their neck where the carotid artery becomes more accessible. Alternatively, if they commit fully to the head turn, this often exposes their far shoulder for a transition to arm triangle or exposes their back for a transition to taking the back. The key is flowing with their defensive movement rather than fighting it directly.
Q9: What grip configuration provides the strongest control for pulling the opponent’s head into the shin during the finish? A: The strongest grip configuration is a palm-to-palm or Gable grip behind the opponent’s head, with your forearms framing either side of their neck. This grip allows you to generate maximum pulling force while preventing them from turning or lifting their head. In no-gi, interlace your fingers for additional security. In gi, you can alternatively grip the collar on both sides, creating a similar pulling mechanism. Your elbows should be squeezed together to narrow the frame and prevent any head movement. Avoid gripping the hair as this provides inconsistent control and is illegal in most competitions. The critical element is that both hands work together to create a unified pulling vector that drives their throat into your shin bone.
Q10: In competition, what finishing adjustments maximize effectiveness while maintaining safe application speed? [SAFETY-CRITICAL] A: In competition, while the urgency to finish is higher, you should still apply pressure progressively rather than explosively to avoid injuring your opponent. Start with moderate pressure and increase gradually over 3-4 seconds while watching for the tap. The key competitive adjustment is ensuring your control is completely locked before applying finishing pressure - spend the extra half-second confirming your shin placement and head control rather than rushing a sloppy finish. Many competition gogoplatas fail because athletes apply pressure before the position is fully secured. Additionally, you can increase effectiveness by lifting your hips slightly while pulling the head, creating opposing forces that accelerate the tap without requiring explosive pressure application.
Q11: What control must you maintain with your non-choking leg to prevent the most common escape, and why is this critical? A: Your non-choking leg (the rubber guard leg) must maintain an active hook over the opponent’s back or shoulder, pulling them forward and preventing them from creating distance. This leg is critical because without it, opponents can simply drive backward to create space, reducing your shin pressure to zero. The hook should be positioned high on their back (near shoulder blade level) with your heel actively pulling into their body. Think of this leg as an anchor that keeps them trapped in the choke’s effective range. If you feel them starting to successfully create distance, immediately deepen your hook and squeeze your thighs together. Losing this control is the primary reason gogoplatas fail against skilled opponents.
Q12: When should you abandon a gogoplata attempt and transition to an alternative submission? A: Abandon the gogoplata and transition when: your shin cannot achieve proper tracheal placement despite multiple adjustment attempts, opponent successfully recovers posture to greater than 45 degrees upright despite your counters, opponent extracts their head past your shin creating space, you feel your own hip or knee straining from the flexibility demands, or you’ve been working the submission for more than 10-15 seconds without progress while feeling opponent’s defensive structure solidifying. The best transitions are to triangle choke (using their upward posture movement), omoplata (following their arm if they’re pushing), or armbar (if their arm becomes isolated during defense). A skilled practitioner recognizes these transition moments and flows to alternatives rather than forcing a failing attack.