Rear Naked Choke from Invisible Collar

SAFETY: Rear Naked Choke from Invisible Collar targets the Carotid arteries and jugular veins. Risk: Loss of consciousness from bilateral carotid compression. Release immediately upon tap.

Play as Attacker Play as Defender

The Rear Naked Choke from Invisible Collar exploits the inherent deception of the invisible collar position to create a devastating bait-and-switch attack sequence. While the opponent commits defensive resources to removing the concealed collar grip, the attacker releases the collar and immediately threads the choking arm beneath the chin during the window when both of the defender’s hands are occupied with the now-abandoned grip. This timing-dependent transition converts a gi-based positional threat into a universal finishing hold that bypasses conventional neck defense.

What distinguishes this technique from a standard Rear Naked Choke is the forced defensive reaction that precedes it. The invisible collar grip demands two-handed removal from the defender, creating a predictable moment where the neck is unprotected. Advanced practitioners use incremental collar deepening to escalate the perceived threat, drawing increasingly committed defensive responses that widen the transition window. The deeper the opponent believes the collar threat to be, the more aggressively they commit their hands to removal, and the more exposed they become to the RNC switch.

This submission functions as a critical component of back attack systems where the collar and RNC form a binary dilemma. Defending one attack directly enables the other, forcing the opponent into a lose-lose decision cycle. Competition-level practitioners chain this transition repeatedly, alternating between collar deepening and RNC attempts until the opponent’s defensive timing deteriorates and the finish presents itself.

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

Safety Guide

Injury Risks:

Injury	Severity	Recovery Time
Loss of consciousness from bilateral carotid compression	High	Immediate to 30 seconds with proper release
Trachea damage from improper forearm placement across windpipe	CRITICAL	2-6 weeks, potential permanent damage
Cervical spine strain from neck cranking during application	Medium	3-7 days
Carotid artery dissection from excessive or sudden force	CRITICAL	Immediate medical attention required, potential stroke risk

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 before compression becomes dangerous.

Tap Signals:

• Verbal tap (say ‘tap’ or make any verbal sound indicating submission)
• Physical hand tap on opponent’s body, arm, or mat
• Physical foot tap on mat when hands are trapped
• Going limp or loss of consciousness requires immediate release
• Any distress signal, unusual sound, or gurgling

Release Protocol:

1. Immediately release choking arm pressure upon any tap signal
2. Remove hooks and all lower body control
3. Gently guide partner to side-lying recovery position
4. Monitor consciousness and breathing for minimum 30 seconds
5. If partner lost consciousness, keep them lying down until fully alert and oriented
6. Never allow an unconscious partner to stand or sit up immediately

Training Restrictions:

• Never apply competition speed or intensity during drilling
• Never place forearm directly across the trachea or windpipe
• Always ensure partner has clear tap access with at least one hand
• Stop immediately if partner makes any distress sound or goes silent
• Never hold a choke past the tap for any reason
• Beginners must practice with extremely slow progressive pressure only

Outcomes

Result	Position	Probability
Success	game-over	65%
Failure	Invisible Collar	23%
Counter	Closed Guard	12%

Attacker vs Defender

	Attacker	Defender
Focus	Execute and finish	Escape and survive
Key Principles	Make the collar threat genuinely dangerous before attempting…	Never commit both hands to collar removal simultaneously—alw…
Options	7 execution steps	4 defensive options

Playing as Attacker

→ Full Attacker Guide

Key Principles

• Make the collar threat genuinely dangerous before attempting the RNC switch to force committed two-handed defense

• Time the transition for the exact moment both opponent hands are engaged on your collar wrist and forearm

• Maintain seatbelt control with the non-collar arm throughout the entire transition to preserve back control

• Execute the release-and-thread as one continuous fluid motion rather than two separate actions

• Keep hooks active and controlling during the upper body transition to prevent hip escape

• Apply finishing pressure progressively through bilateral carotid compression, never across the trachea

• Chain between collar deepening and RNC attempts to create an unsolvable dilemma cycle

Execution Steps

• Establish Invisible Collar: Secure back control with hooks and seatbelt grip, then gradually walk your over-hook hand into the c…

• Deepen Collar Threat: Incrementally increase collar grip depth by driving fingers deeper into the gi material during momen…

• Bait Two-Handed Defense: Continue applying intermittent collar pressure until your opponent commits both hands to removing th…

• Release and Thread Choking Arm: In one fluid motion, release the collar grip and immediately thread your forearm beneath your oppone…

• Secure Figure-Four Lock: Connect your choking hand to your opposite bicep to establish the figure-four configuration behind t…

• Apply Bilateral Compression: Squeeze your elbows together while expanding your chest to create compression on both carotid arteri…

• Complete and Release: Maintain steady progressive pressure until your opponent taps or the referee stops the match. The bl…

Common Mistakes

• Releasing the collar grip too slowly or in two stages rather than one fluid motion

  • Consequence: The opponent has time to recognize the switch and redirect their hands from collar defense to chin protection, eliminating the transition window entirely
  • Correction: Drill the release-and-thread as a single continuous movement. The collar hand should never pause in open space between releasing the collar and contacting the neck. Practice the motion without a partner until it becomes one reflexive action.

• Abandoning seatbelt control with the supporting arm during the collar-to-RNC transition

  • Consequence: The opponent escapes back control during the critical moment when the choking arm is in transit, losing both the submission opportunity and dominant position
  • Correction: The non-collar arm must maintain active seatbelt or underhook control throughout the entire transition. Never release the supporting arm to assist the threading motion. Your back control depends entirely on this arm during the switch.

• Placing the forearm directly across the trachea instead of the blade against the carotid arteries

  • Consequence: Creates a painful but ineffective windpipe crush that causes coughing and tracheal injury rather than a clean blood choke, and gives the opponent more time to escape before losing consciousness
  • Correction: Thread the forearm so the bony radius bone aligns against one carotid artery while the bicep compresses the other. The chin should rest in the crook of your elbow, not on top of the forearm. Adjust by rotating your wrist slightly toward the ceiling.

Playing as Defender

→ Full Defender Guide

Key Principles

• Never commit both hands to collar removal simultaneously—always keep one hand available for chin and neck protection

• Recognize the collar grip as potential RNC bait rather than treating it exclusively as a direct choking threat

• Maintain an aggressive chin tuck throughout all defensive actions to limit the threading angle for the choking arm

• Monitor the attacker’s collar hand for the release movement that signals the RNC transition is beginning

• Coordinate hand fighting with hip escape to address both grip control and positional escape simultaneously

• Time explosive escape attempts for the transition moment when the attacker’s choking arm is between collar and neck

• Prioritize escaping back control entirely over simply defending individual submission attempts

Recognition Cues

• Attacker’s collar grip hand appears to be controlling rather than actively finishing, with intermittent pressure that invites your defensive hand commitment

• Attacker maintains patient positioning and does not rush the collar finish despite having depth, suggesting they are waiting for your defensive reaction

• You feel the attacker’s collar hand suddenly release tension or let go of the gi material entirely, signaling the transition to RNC threading

• Attacker watches your hand positioning rather than focusing on their own grip depth, indicating they are reading your defense to time the switch

Escape Paths

• Hip escape toward the non-collar side while maintaining chin tuck to create space for turning into half guard or closed guard

• Turn toward the choking arm side and clear hooks to recover to closed guard before the figure-four lock connects

• Stand up escape by removing hooks with hand fighting while keeping chin tucked and one hand protecting the neck

Variations

Direct Release Transition: The standard collar-to-RNC switch where you release the collar grip and immediately thread the choking arm beneath the chin in one fluid motion. Relies on timing the release for maximum opponent hand commitment on the collar. (When to use: When opponent has committed both hands to removing your collar grip and their chin is slightly elevated from the effort of stripping)

Collar Drag Setup: Use the collar grip to pull the opponent’s head and chin upward before releasing, creating additional space beneath the chin for the choking arm to enter. The upward collar pressure lifts the chin momentarily, widening the threading window. (When to use: When opponent maintains a strong chin tuck that makes direct threading difficult, using the collar leverage to break their chin defense before switching)

Body Triangle Assisted Transition: Establish a body triangle before initiating the collar-to-RNC switch to eliminate the opponent’s ability to hip escape during the critical transition moment. The body triangle locks their lower body in place, allowing full focus on the upper body grip change. (When to use: Against opponents who use explosive hip movement to create escape opportunities during grip transitions, the body triangle removes their primary escape mechanism)

From Which Positions?

• Invisible Collar
• Back Control

Related Submissions

• Rear Naked Choke
• Bow and Arrow Choke
• Cross Collar Choke
• Clock Choke

Additional Related Content

• Invisible Collar - Starting position where concealed collar grip baits defensive reaction
• Back Control - Primary position from which invisible collar is established
• Seat Belt Control Back - Grip structure maintained by support arm during collar-to-RNC transition
• Body Triangle - Enhanced lower body control that prevents escape during transition window
• Crucifix - Alternative position when opponent over-defends the RNC by extending arms

Match Outcome

Successful execution of Rear Naked Choke from Invisible Collar leads to → Game Over

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