Rear Naked Choke

SAFETY: Rear Naked Choke targets the Carotid arteries and jugular veins. Risk: Loss of consciousness from blood choke. Release immediately upon tap.

Play as Attacker Play as Defender

The Rear Naked Choke (RNC) is widely considered the highest-percentage submission in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and mixed martial arts. This blood choke targets the carotid arteries on both sides of the neck, cutting off blood flow to the brain and causing unconsciousness in 6-10 seconds if not released. Unlike air chokes that can take 30+ seconds and cause panic, the RNC is efficient and relatively safe when applied correctly with proper training protocols. The position’s effectiveness stems from the back control position itself - the opponent cannot see you, cannot effectively defend with their arms, and must deal with your body weight and control while their breathing and circulation are compromised. The RNC is the most common submission finish in high-level competition, with statistics showing it accounts for approximately 25-30% of all submission victories in professional MMA and 15-20% in gi BJJ competition. The technique’s universality across gi and no-gi contexts, combined with its mechanical simplicity and high success rate even against larger opponents, makes it an essential technique for all practitioners regardless of style or body type.

Category: Choke Type: Blood Choke Target Area: Carotid arteries and jugular veins Starting Position: Back Control From Position: Back Control (Top) Success Rate: 65%

Safety Guide

Injury Risks:

Injury	Severity	Recovery Time
Loss of consciousness from blood choke	High	Immediate to 30 seconds with proper release
Trachea damage from improper forearm placement	CRITICAL	2-6 weeks, potential permanent damage
Neck strain or muscle damage	Medium	3-7 days
Carotid artery injury from excessive force	CRITICAL	Immediate medical attention required

Application Speed: SLOW and progressive - 3-5 seconds minimum in training. Never snap or jerk the choke. Partner should have full awareness of pressure building.

Tap Signals:

Verbal tap (say ‘tap’ or make any verbal sound)
Physical hand tap on opponent’s body or mat
Physical foot tap on mat
Going limp or loss of consciousness
Any distress signal or unusual sound

Release Protocol:

Immediately release choking arm upon tap signal
Remove hooks and body triangle if present
Gently guide partner to side-lying recovery position
Monitor consciousness and breathing for 30 seconds
If partner was unconscious, keep them lying down until fully alert
Never allow unconscious partner to stand immediately

Training Restrictions:

Never use competition speed or intensity in drilling
Never apply the choke to the trachea or windpipe
Always ensure partner has clear tap access with both hands
Stop immediately if partner makes any distress sound
Never hold a choke past the tap for any reason
Beginners must practice with extremely slow progression only

Outcomes

Result	Position	Probability
Success	game-over	78%
Failure	Back Control	22%

Attacker vs Defender

	Attacker	Defender
Focus	Execute and finish	Escape and survive
Key Principles	Forearm blade across carotid arteries, not windpipe…	Protect the neck as absolute first priority - chin tuck and …
Options	6 execution steps	4 defensive options

Playing as Attacker

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Key Principles

Forearm blade across carotid arteries, not windpipe
Elbow position in front of chin prevents escape
Back hand on bicep creates structural compression frame
Head control by placing your head beside opponent’s head
Hip and hook control prevents opponent from escaping position
Expansion of chest while constricting arms creates maximum pressure
Progressive tightening allows partner to tap before unconsciousness

Execution Steps

Establish back control foundation: From back control position, ensure you have both hooks in or a body triangle secured. Your chest sho…
Hand fight and create entry angle: Use your top hand (over the shoulder) to control opponent’s hand or collar, preventing them from def…
Insert choking arm under chin: Slide your choking arm under the chin, driving deep until your elbow is past the centerline of their…
Secure back hand position on bicep: Bring your non-choking arm behind opponent’s head. Grab your choking arm’s bicep with your back hand…
Position choking hand on back of head: With your back hand secured on your bicep, bring your choking hand to the back of opponent’s head. Y…
Apply progressive finishing pressure: Expand your chest while simultaneously bringing your elbows together. Pull your choking arm back tow…

Common Mistakes

Placing forearm across the windpipe/trachea instead of carotid arteries
- Consequence: Creates painful air choke instead of efficient blood choke. Partner struggles violently, takes much longer to tap, and creates risk of trachea injury. This is the most dangerous error.
- Correction: Position the blade of your forearm (thumb-side) on the sides of the neck where you can feel the pulse. Your forearm should be angled at 45 degrees, not straight across. Elbow should be in front of chin, not under it. Practice slow application to ensure you feel the correct artery position.
Inserting choking arm too shallow with elbow not past chin centerline
- Consequence: Opponent easily defends by tucking chin. You expend energy fighting against their neck muscles instead of structure. Choke is weak and easy to escape.
- Correction: Drive your choking arm deep until your elbow is clearly past the center point of their chin. Your opponent should not be able to look toward your choking arm side. Think of your arm as sliding under their chin like a seatbelt, not just resting on top of their neck.
Choking arm elbow flaring out to the side instead of pointing forward
- Consequence: Creates weak structure with gaps. Opponent can create space by pulling your arm, or they can turn into you. The choke loses effectiveness and becomes easy to defend.
- Correction: Keep your choking elbow pointing forward toward where their chest is. Your entire forearm should be in contact with the side of their neck. Imagine trying to touch your elbows together behind their head when finishing.

Playing as Defender

→ Full Defender Guide

Key Principles

Protect the neck as absolute first priority - chin tuck and two-on-one grip fighting on the choking arm before any escape attempt
Fight the choking arm early before it reaches full depth past the chin centerline, where defense becomes exponentially harder
Use two hands on one arm principle to strip the most dangerous control point rather than fighting multiple grips simultaneously
Create space through hip movement and frame before attempting to turn - turning without space creation allows attacker to follow
Address escape in strict sequence: defend neck, strip grips, remove hooks, create angle, turn or recover guard
Maintain controlled breathing and composure under pressure - panic accelerates energy depletion and creates defensive errors
Accept incremental positional improvement as success rather than demanding complete escape in a single movement

Recognition Cues

Attacker’s top arm (over-shoulder arm in seat belt) releases collar or shoulder control and begins sliding toward your chin - this is the primary insertion signal
Attacker angles their body to one side and increases head pressure against your temple, creating the entry angle for the choking arm
Feeling the forearm blade begin to slide across the front of your throat or under your chin, indicating the choking arm is being inserted
Attacker strips your defensive hand away from your neck using their free hand, clearing the path for arm insertion
Increased chest-to-back pressure and tightening of hooks or body triangle, signaling the attacker is consolidating position before committing to the choke

Escape Paths

Strip choking arm grip, remove near-side hook by pushing with both feet, hip escape to create angle, turn into attacker to recover half guard or closed guard
Defend neck with two-on-one, scoot hips down to lower attacker’s control point, extract one hook by trapping foot with both legs, bridge and rotate to turtle position
Control choking arm at wrist, bridge explosively to the choking arm side, use momentum to slide shoulders to mat and begin turning to face attacker recovering to guard
Strip seat belt grip entirely, immediately hand fight to prevent re-establishment, stand up using technical standup while keeping back away from attacker’s chest

Variations

Short Choke (Palm on Head): Instead of grabbing your bicep with the back hand, place your palm directly on the back of opponent’s head. Your choking arm’s hand grabs your own wrist behind their head. This variation is faster to apply and useful when opponent is defending their neck heavily with their hands. (When to use: Use when opponent has strong hand fighting and is preventing you from securing the bicep grip. Also effective in scrambles where you need to finish quickly before they escape back control.)

Body Triangle Rear Naked Choke: Apply the same choke mechanics but with a body triangle instead of hooks for lower body control. Lock your foot behind your opposite knee across their stomach. The body triangle prevents hip escape and makes it impossible for opponent to turn into you while you work for the neck. (When to use: Use when opponent is aggressively defending hooks by clearing them, or when you have a size/flexibility advantage. Particularly effective when opponent is attempting to stand up or roll to escape.)

Rear Naked Choke from Standing Back Control: Apply the same upper body mechanics while standing with your hooks in on a standing opponent, or with feet on the ground. This is common in MMA and self-defense contexts. The standing variation requires you to pull opponent’s weight backward onto you. (When to use: Use when you take the back from a standing position, in MMA when opponent stands up with you on their back, or in self-defense scenarios. Jump to hooks or drag opponent to ground for better control.)

High Elbow Rear Naked Choke: Position your choking arm’s elbow higher up, almost level with their ear. This creates a different angle of pressure on the carotid arteries and can be more effective against certain opponent neck types. The finish involves pulling your elbow upward and back rather than straight back. (When to use: Use when opponent has a very thick or muscular neck where standard positioning isn’t creating enough pressure. Also useful when you’re shorter than your opponent and cannot easily position the standard way.)

From Which Positions?

Match Outcome

Successful execution of Rear Naked Choke leads to → Game Over

All submissions in BJJ ultimately converge to the same terminal state: the match ends when your opponent taps.

Safety Guide

Outcomes

Attacker vs Defender

Playing as Attacker

Key Principles

Execution Steps

Common Mistakes

Playing as Defender

Key Principles

Recognition Cues

Escape Paths

Variations

From Which Positions?

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Match Outcome

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