The Anaconda Choke setup is a fundamental front headlock attack that capitalizes on an opponent’s defensive turtle position. This technique involves securing a specific arm-in configuration where you thread your arm under the opponent’s neck and trap their near-side arm, creating the distinctive anaconda grip position. The setup is particularly effective in no-gi grappling but translates well to gi competition with proper adaptations.
Unlike the traditional guillotine or D’arce choke setups, the anaconda requires precise arm positioning and body mechanics to create the crushing pressure characteristic of this submission. The key distinguishing feature is the direction of your choking arm - it threads under the opponent’s neck from the near side, wrapping around to capture their far shoulder while your other arm completes the gable grip or S-grip configuration.
This technique exemplifies the modern front headlock system’s emphasis on control, patience, and positional dominance before attempting the finish. Rushing the setup often results in the opponent escaping to guard or achieving a single leg position, making methodical execution essential for success at all levels of competition.
Starting Position: Turtle Ending Position: Anaconda Control Success Rates: Beginner 35%, Intermediate 55%, Advanced 75%
Key Principles
- Secure tight front headlock control before attempting arm capture
- Drive opponent’s weight forward onto their trapped arm to prevent defensive posting
- Thread choking arm deeply under the neck, aiming for the far shoulder
- Maintain heavy shoulder pressure on opponent’s head throughout the setup
- Keep your hips low and base wide to prevent opponent from rolling through
- Use your body weight to compress the space and prevent the opponent from turning into you
- Commit fully to the position - half measures allow easy escapes
Prerequisites
- Opponent in defensive turtle position with weight distributed on hands and knees
- You have established front headlock control with at least one hand behind opponent’s head
- Opponent’s near-side arm is accessible and not completely tucked to their body
- Your body position is perpendicular or slightly angled to opponent’s spine
- Your hips are lower than opponent’s hips to maintain downward pressure
- Space exists to thread your arm under opponent’s neck without them sitting back to guard
Execution Steps
- Establish front headlock control: From a position perpendicular to your opponent’s turtle, secure your near-side arm around their head with your palm on the back of their skull. Your chest should be heavy on their upper back/neck area. Your opposite hand should be controlling their near wrist or posted on the mat for base. Keep your hips low and weight driving downward. (Timing: Initial control phase)
- Break opponent’s posting arm: Use your free hand to pull the opponent’s near-side arm away from their base, typically by gripping their wrist or tricep and pulling it across their body. Simultaneously drive your shoulder pressure into their head to force their weight onto their far arm. This creates a moment where they cannot post with the near arm. (Timing: As opponent attempts to base out)
- Thread the choking arm: Release your headlock grip and immediately shoot your arm under the opponent’s neck, driving deep until your hand reaches past their far shoulder. Your palm should be facing down/away from you. Think of threading a needle - your arm goes under their neck, around their trapped arm (which is pinned against their own neck), reaching for their opposite shoulder blade. (Timing: Immediately after breaking their base)
- Secure the trapped arm position: As you thread your choking arm deep, use your body weight and the crook of your elbow to trap their near arm against their own neck. Their tricep should be pressed into the side of their neck by your bicep and forearm. Adjust your depth until you feel their arm is completely immobilized - this is critical for the choke’s effectiveness. (Timing: During arm threading)
- Complete the grip: Bring your opposite hand underneath your own body to meet your choking arm’s hand. Secure a gable grip (palm-to-palm with fingers interlaced) or S-grip (your choking arm’s hand grabs your opposite wrist). The grip should be tight to your own chest/sternum area. Your forearms create a vice around the opponent’s neck and trapped arm. (Timing: Once arm threading is complete)
- Adjust body position for control: Walk your feet away from the opponent’s body while keeping your hips low, creating an angle perpendicular to their spine. Your chest should remain heavy on their upper back. From here, you can choose to finish immediately or transition to a more dominant position like side control before completing the choke. Maintain constant pressure to prevent them from rolling or extracting their arm. (Timing: After securing grip)
- Establish finishing position: If finishing from the setup position: Drop to your hip on the side of their trapped arm, bringing them with you. If transitioning first: Walk your body toward their head to force them flat, then step over with your far leg to establish side control while maintaining the anaconda configuration. Both positions allow you to complete the choke by driving your shoulder into their head and expanding your chest. (Timing: Transition to finish)
Opponent Counters
- Opponent sits back to guard before arm threading (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Follow them back while maintaining head control, transitioning to guillotine attack or passing to side control by driving forward and circling to their back
- Opponent rolls through toward the choking arm side (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Follow the roll while maintaining your grip, allowing them to give you their back or mounting them as they complete the roll. The anaconda grip transitions well to mounted position.
- Opponent grabs your leg for single leg defense (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Sprawl your hips back while maintaining the anaconda grip, using your free leg to whizzer their head or establish a front headlock ride. Alternatively, limp-leg out of the single leg attempt.
- Opponent frames against your hip to create space (Effectiveness: Low) - Your Response: Shift your weight more onto their upper back/head and adjust your angle to remove the frame’s leverage. Drop your hips lower to eliminate the space they’re trying to create.
- Opponent tucks their near arm tight to their body (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Switch to D’arce choke setup (threading from the opposite direction) or transition to different front headlock attack like the guillotine. Can also work to flatten them first before attempting the arm capture.
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: What is the key difference between threading your arm for an anaconda choke versus a D’arce choke from the front headlock position? A: The anaconda choke threads from the near side under the opponent’s neck, wrapping around to trap their near arm against their own neck. The D’arce choke threads from the far side, going over the opponent’s trapped arm before diving under their neck. The arm threading direction is essentially opposite between the two techniques, though both end in similar grip configurations.
Q2: Why is it critical to break the opponent’s near-side posting arm before attempting to thread your choking arm? A: Breaking the posting arm eliminates the opponent’s ability to base out and creates a moment of instability where their weight shifts to their far arm. This brief window prevents them from sitting back to guard or turning into you during the vulnerable arm-threading phase. Without breaking this base first, the opponent maintains enough stability to defend the setup easily.
Q3: How should you respond if your opponent begins rolling through toward your choking arm side during the setup? A: You should follow the roll while maintaining your anaconda grip, allowing your body to move with them. As they roll, you can either take their back as they expose it, or end up in a mounted position with the anaconda still locked. The key is not to resist the roll but to flow with it while keeping your grip configuration intact. Many successful anaconda finishes come from mounted position after the opponent rolls through.
Q4: What specific anatomical landmark should you aim for when threading your choking arm to ensure proper depth? A: You should aim to reach their far shoulder blade with your fingertips, or at minimum, drive your hand past their far shoulder. This ensures your arm is threaded deeply enough to trap their arm effectively against their own neck and create the necessary compression for a successful choke. Shallow threading is one of the most common errors that leads to failed setups.
Q5: Explain the relationship between hip height and control during the anaconda setup, and why this matters for preventing common escapes? A: Keeping your hips lower than your opponent’s hips throughout the setup is essential for maintaining top pressure and preventing them from rolling through or securing leg attacks. High hips elevate your center of gravity, making you top-heavy and easier to roll or sweep. Low hips create downward pressure that pins the opponent and makes it very difficult for them to generate the momentum needed for escape attempts. The low hip position also protects against single leg attacks since your legs are positioned defensively rather than extended and vulnerable.
Q6: When should you consider switching from an anaconda setup to a D’arce setup, and what is the primary indicator that triggers this decision? A: You should switch to a D’arce setup when the opponent successfully tucks their near arm very tight to their body, making it impossible to trap that arm for the anaconda. The primary indicator is that when you attempt to thread your arm from the near side, you cannot get deep enough because their arm is glued to their ribs. In this scenario, switching to the D’arce (threading from the far side to trap their far arm instead) becomes the higher percentage option. Advanced practitioners flow between both setups based on which arm the opponent exposes.
Safety Considerations
The anaconda setup itself is relatively safe compared to the finishing mechanics of the choke. However, practitioners should be aware of several safety considerations. When drilling, ensure your partner can tap easily with their free hand - never trap both arms during training. Be mindful of neck cranking pressure when securing the position; the goal is a blood choke, not a neck crank. Partners with neck injuries should communicate this before drilling front headlock positions. When your opponent rolls through during the setup, control the speed of the roll to prevent neck strain or whiplash-type movements. In live training, if you feel excessive pressure on your neck rather than the carotid arteries, tap immediately and communicate this to your partner. The setup phase allows more time for communication than the finish, so use this time to ensure proper technique that targets the blood flow rather than the cervical spine. Beginners should focus on control and positioning rather than speed and power when learning this setup to develop safe habits that carry over to advanced training.
Position Integration
The anaconda setup is a fundamental component of the modern front headlock system and represents one of the highest-percentage attacks from turtle position. It fits into the larger grappling system as a primary option whenever you establish front headlock control, particularly when the opponent turtles defensively. The technique chains naturally with other front headlock attacks - if the opponent defends the anaconda by tucking their near arm, you can switch to D’arce; if they pull their head out, transition to guillotine. From a positional hierarchy perspective, the anaconda setup allows you to maintain or improve position while threatening submission. Even if the choke doesn’t finish immediately, you can transition to side control or mount while keeping the submission locked, exemplifying position-before-submission principles. In no-gi competition, the front headlock position and anaconda setup have become essential skills at all belt levels, as the position frequently occurs during scrambles, failed takedown attempts, and guard passing sequences. The setup also integrates well with wrestling-based games, as it capitalizes on the turtle position that wrestlers naturally adopt when defending. Understanding this technique’s place in your overall game allows you to create systematic pathways from standing exchanges through ground control to submission finishes.
Expert Insights
- Danaher System: The anaconda choke setup represents a perfect example of creating control before seeking the finish - a fundamental principle in all submission grappling. The biomechanics of the setup require you to understand that the effectiveness of the choke comes not from muscular strength but from the precise configuration of your opponent’s own arm against their carotid arteries. When threading your arm, think of it as creating a frame - your radius and ulna bones become the rigid structure, while your opponent’s trapped arm provides the pressure point against their own neck. The depth of your arm threading is paramount; anything less than reaching their far shoulder blade indicates insufficient penetration. Notice how the setup exploits a fundamental defensive error: the opponent believes the turtle position provides safety, but in reality, it exposes the neck while limiting their own mobility. The key technical detail most practitioners miss is the direction of force - you’re not pulling your hands toward yourself to finish, you’re expanding your chest while driving your shoulder into their head, creating a vice-like pressure that makes the choke inevitable. From a systematic perspective, this technique should be the cornerstone of your front headlock attacks, as it has the highest finishing percentage when executed with proper depth and control. The transition from setup to finish should be viewed as a single flowing movement rather than discrete steps, with each phase naturally creating the conditions necessary for the next phase.
- Gordon Ryan: In competition, the anaconda setup is one of my highest-percentage attacks from turtle because most opponents don’t defend it correctly until it’s too late. The biggest mistake I see at all levels is people trying to be too gentle or technical with the setup - you need to be aggressive and commit fully to threading that arm deep. When I’m setting up the anaconda, I’m not thinking about the choke yet; I’m thinking about completely immobilizing my opponent’s defensive structure first. That means heavy chest pressure, breaking their posting arm decisively, and threading so deep that my hand is practically touching their opposite shoulder blade. Against high-level opponents, I’ve learned that the setup itself creates opportunities even if they defend the choke - they might roll through and give up their back, or flatten out and give me the mount. The key is maintaining the grip through these transitions because you can often finish the choke from mounted or back control positions where they have even fewer defensive options. One competition-specific detail: when you secure the anaconda grip, immediately start walking your body toward a more controlling position rather than trying to finish from the initial turtle position. This prevents referee standups and gives you multiple attacking options. The technique works exceptionally well in no-gi because there are no gi grips for your opponent to grab and defend with - they’re fighting against your body mechanics with very limited tools. If I had to choose one submission setup to master for no-gi competition, this would be in my top three because of its versatility and high success rate across all skill levels.
- Eddie Bravo: The anaconda setup is beautiful because it’s one of those techniques that looks complex but is actually based on very simple mechanics once you understand the core concept - you’re creating a noose with your own arm and their arm working together. In the 10th Planet system, we approach this setup a bit differently than traditional schools because we emphasize the scramble game and creating opportunities in transition. I teach my students to look for the anaconda not just from static turtle position but any time someone’s in that bent-over posture - failed takedown attempts, during guard passes, even sometimes from standing positions. The key innovation we’ve added is understanding that you don’t always need the perfect setup; sometimes you lock the grip first and work to improve your position after. This is especially effective in MMA contexts where the opponent might be focused on striking defense or cage positioning rather than grappling defense. One thing I really emphasize is the importance of the gable grip versus the S-grip - I prefer the gable grip because it’s tighter to your chest and harder for the opponent to break, but some of my guys prefer the S-grip for the quick lock and finishing mechanics. Experiment and find what works for your body type. The anaconda also chains beautifully with the twister system - if they defend by rolling through, you can often catch them in truck position and attack the twister or other leg attacks. Don’t think of this as just a submission setup; think of it as a control position that opens up multiple attacking pathways. The creativity comes in recognizing unconventional entries and being willing to hunt for this setup in positions where your opponent doesn’t expect it.