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Triangle Setup | BJJ Technique | BJJ Graph

Oct 25, 202514 min read

Triangle Setup

bjjtransitionsetuptriangleguardsubmission

Visual Execution Sequence

From closed guard bottom, you break your opponent’s posture by pulling their head and shoulder down while controlling their posture with your legs. You establish a strong grip on one of their arms, isolating it by pulling it across your centerline. Your opposite leg comes up and over their shoulder on the controlled arm side, with your shin positioned across the back of their neck. You bring your other leg up and position your ankle behind your knee, creating the triangle configuration. Your hips angle slightly to create proper compression on their neck and arm, with their trapped arm positioned across their own neck. The setup creates the fundamental structure for the triangle choke, with control established over their posture and one arm trapped.

One-Sentence Summary: “From closed guard, you break posture, isolate one arm across centerline, throw leg over shoulder, and lock triangle configuration with ankle behind knee.”

Execution Steps

  1. Setup Requirements: Establish posture control in closed guard, breaking opponent’s upright position
  2. Arm Isolation: Control one arm and pull it across your centerline, creating separation from their body
  3. Leg Positioning: Bring opposite leg up and over their shoulder on controlled arm side
  4. Triangle Configuration: Position shin across back of neck, bring other leg up
  5. Lock Creation: Place ankle behind knee to create triangle lock around neck and arm
  6. Angle Adjustment: Angle hips to create proper compression, position trapped arm across their neck

Key Technical Details

  • Grip Requirements: Strong control on isolated arm, secondary control on head or gi to break posture
  • Base/Foundation: Hips must stay mobile to create proper angles for triangle configuration
  • Timing Windows: Execute when opponent’s posture is broken or when they reach with arms
  • Leverage Points: Leg position across neck combined with locked triangle creates choking mechanism
  • Common Adjustments: Adjust hip angle and leg depth based on opponent’s neck size and defensive posture

Common Counters

Opponent defensive responses with success rates and conditions:

Decision Logic for AI Opponent

If [posture_maintained] >= 60%:
- Execute [[Posture Up]] (Probability: 60%)

Else if [forward_pressure_available]:
- Execute [[Stack Defense]] (Probability: 55%)

Else if [arm_not_isolated]:
- Execute [[Arm Extraction]] (Probability: 50%)

Else [setup is advanced]:
- Accept transition (Probability: Base Success Rate + Applied Modifiers)

Expert Insights

John Danaher

“The triangle setup is fundamentally about creating a specific geometric configuration that maximizes compression on the carotid arteries. The critical element is proper arm isolation - the trapped arm must be positioned across the opponent’s own neck to create the necessary compression. The angle of your hips relative to their body is equally important, as improper angle reduces choking pressure significantly. Master the positioning first, then worry about finishing mechanics.”

Gordon Ryan

“In competition, my triangle setup focuses on breaking posture first, then capitalizing on their defensive reactions. When they try to regain posture, I pull the arm across. When they’re worried about the arm, I throw the leg over. The key is making them defend multiple threats simultaneously so they can’t focus on preventing the triangle. Speed in locking the legs is critical - hesitation gives them time to extract their arm.”

Eddie Bravo

“The triangle from closed guard integrates perfectly with the mission control system. I teach multiple entries depending on opponent reactions - traditional setup, dead orchard entry, or from rubber guard positions. The flexibility requirement is real, but it can be developed. Focus on getting that shin deep across the back of their neck - shallow triangles are easy to escape. Hip movement is everything in creating the proper angle.”

Common Errors

Error 1: Attempting triangle without proper arm isolation

  • Why It Fails: Without arm control across centerline, opponent can posture up and defend easily
  • Correction: Secure strong arm control and pull it definitively across your body before attempting leg position
  • Recognition: Opponent easily escaping by pulling arm back or maintaining posture

Error 2: Throwing leg over without breaking posture first

  • Why It Fails: Strong posture makes it nearly impossible to get leg in proper position across neck
  • Correction: Break posture down first using grips and hip movement, then throw leg over
  • Recognition: Leg bouncing off their shoulder or unable to get shin across neck

Error 3: Locking triangle with poor hip angle

  • Why It Fails: Improper angle reduces compression and makes submission ineffective
  • Correction: Angle hips approximately 45 degrees to their body, creating perpendicular pressure
  • Recognition: Opponent appearing comfortable despite triangle being locked

Error 4: Insufficient leg depth across neck

  • Why It Fails: Shallow triangle is easy to escape and doesn’t create proper compression
  • Correction: Get shin deep across back of neck before locking, pull head down if needed
  • Recognition: Triangle feels loose or opponent has space to breathe

Error 5: Locking triangle before arm is properly trapped

  • Why It Fails: Arm can escape if not positioned correctly across opponent’s neck
  • Correction: Ensure trapped arm is across their neck before completing triangle lock
  • Recognition: Opponent extracting arm after triangle appears locked

Timing Considerations

  • Optimal Conditions: When opponent’s posture is broken, when they reach with arms, during gi grip fighting
  • Avoid When: Opponent has strong upright posture, when they have strong grips on your hips controlling guard
  • Setup Sequences: After armbar attempts, after failed sweeps that break posture, following collar drags
  • Follow-up Windows: Must complete lock within 3-4 seconds before opponent recovers posture or extracts arm

Prerequisites

  • Technical Skills: Closed guard control, posture breaking, arm isolation mechanics
  • Physical Preparation: Hip flexibility for proper angles, leg mobility for positioning
  • Positional Understanding: Guard concepts, submission mechanics, angle creation
  • Experience Level: Intermediate technique requiring coordination and timing

Knowledge Assessment

  1. Mechanical Understanding: “What creates the choking mechanism in a triangle?”

    • A) Just the legs squeezing
    • B) The trapped arm across opponent’s neck combined with leg compression
    • C) Only pulling their head down
    • D) Squeezing the knees together
    • Answer: B

  2. Timing Recognition: “When is the optimal moment to throw leg over for triangle?”

    • A) When opponent has strong upright posture
    • B) After breaking posture and isolating the arm
    • C) Before controlling any grips
    • D) When they’re passing your guard
    • Answer: B

  3. Error Prevention: “What is the most common mistake that causes triangle setups to fail?”

    • A) Attempting setup without proper arm isolation across centerline
    • B) Breaking posture too much
    • C) Using too many grips
    • D) Moving hips too much
    • Answer: A

  4. Setup Requirements: “Why must the trapped arm be across opponent’s neck?”

    • A) For style points
    • B) To create compression on their own carotid artery with their own arm
    • C) To make it look better
    • D) It doesn’t need to be
    • Answer: B

  5. Adaptation: “How should you adjust if opponent maintains strong posture?”

    • A) Try harder to throw leg over anyway
    • B) Give up on triangle
    • C) Focus more on breaking posture first before attempting setup
    • D) Stand up
    • Answer: C

Variants and Adaptations

  • Gi Specific: Can use collar grips to break posture and control head position more easily
  • No-Gi Specific: Requires more reliance on overhooks and head control without gi grips
  • Self-Defense: Effective control position that can be used if mounted or in guard
  • Competition: High-percentage setup that creates immediate submission threat
  • Size Differential: Smaller practitioners benefit from leg length advantage in triangle setups

Training Progressions

  1. Solo Practice: Practice triangle locking mechanics without partner to develop muscle memory
  2. Cooperative Drilling: Partner allows posture break and arm isolation to develop smooth entry
  3. Resistant Practice: Partner maintains posture and defends arm isolation to test technique
  4. Sparring Integration: Attempt setups during live rolling, recognizing opportune moments
  5. Troubleshooting: Identify specific failure points - posture, arm isolation, or angle issues

LLM Context Block

Purpose: This section contains structured decision-making logic for AI opponents, narrative generation, and game engine processing.

Execution Decision Logic

decision_tree:
  conditions:
    - name: "Posture Control Check"
      evaluation: "posture_broken >= 60 AND head_controlled"
      success_action: "proceed_to_arm_isolation"
      failure_action: "maintain_posture_defense"
      failure_probability: 60
 
    - name: "Arm Isolation Check"
      evaluation: "arm_isolated AND across_centerline"
      success_action: "proceed_to_leg_position"
      failure_action: "extract_arm_defense"
      failure_probability: 50
 
    - name: "Triangle Lock Check"
      evaluation: "leg_over_shoulder AND ankle_behind_knee"
      success_action: "accept_transition_with_modifiers"
      failure_action: "stack_defense"
      failure_probability: 45
 
  final_calculation:
    base_probability: "success_probability[skill_level]"
    applied_modifiers:
      - setup_quality
      - timing_precision
      - opponent_fatigue
      - knowledge_test
      - position_control
    formula: "base_probability + sum(modifiers) - sum(counters)"

Common Troubleshooting Patterns

troubleshooting:
  - symptom: "Unable to get leg over opponent's shoulder"
    likely_cause: "Posture not sufficiently broken or arm not isolated"
    diagnostic_questions:
      - "Is opponent's head pulled down low enough?"
      - "Is the arm pulled across your centerline?"
      - "Are you trying to force the leg over from distance?"
    solution: "Break posture more completely, secure arm control first, pull their head lower before attempting leg position"
 
  - symptom: "Triangle feels loose or opponent seems comfortable"
    likely_cause: "Poor hip angle or insufficient leg depth across neck"
    diagnostic_questions:
      - "Is your shin deep across back of neck?"
      - "Are your hips angled approximately 45 degrees?"
      - "Is the trapped arm across their neck?"
    solution: "Adjust hip angle, pull head to get shin deeper, ensure arm is properly positioned"
 
  - symptom: "Opponent extracting arm after triangle is locked"
    likely_cause: "Arm not properly trapped before completing lock"
    diagnostic_questions:
      - "Did you lock triangle before arm was across their neck?"
      - "Is their arm free to move?"
      - "Did you rush the setup?"
    solution: "Ensure arm is definitively across their neck before locking triangle, control arm throughout"

Timing and Setup Guidance

timing_guidance:
  optimal_windows:
    - condition: "Opponent's posture is broken forward"
      success_boost: "+15%"
      recognition_cues: ["Head down", "Hunched forward", "Weak base"]
 
    - condition: "Opponent reaching with arms during grip fighting"
      success_boost: "+12%"
      recognition_cues: ["Arms extended", "Hands exposed", "Reaching forward"]
 
    - condition: "After failed armbar attempt breaks their posture"
      success_boost: "+10%"
      recognition_cues: ["Posture broken", "Defensive focus elsewhere", "Arm exposed"]
 
  avoid_windows:
    - condition: "Opponent has strong upright posture"
      success_penalty: "-20%"
      recognition_cues: ["Vertical spine", "Strong base", "Head high"]
 
    - condition: "Opponent has strong grips controlling your hips"
      success_penalty: "-15%"
      recognition_cues: ["Hip control", "Pants grips", "Guard pressure"]
 
    - condition: "Opponent actively passing guard"
      success_penalty: "-25%"
      recognition_cues: ["Passing pressure", "Guard opening", "Defensive emergency"]
 
setup_sequences:
  - sequence_name: "Armbar to Triangle"
    steps:
      - "Attempt armbar to break posture"
      - "As they defend armbar, arm becomes isolated"
      - "Transition to triangle setup with arm already controlled"
    success_boost: "+12%"
 
  - sequence_name: "Collar Drag to Triangle"
    steps:
      - "Establish collar control and pull down"
      - "Drag arm across centerline"
      - "Immediately throw leg over for triangle"
    success_boost: "+10%"

Narrative Generation Prompts

narrative_prompts:
  setup_phase:
    - "You break their posture down, pulling their head and controlling their arm."
    - "Their arm is pulled across your centerline, isolated and vulnerable."
    - "You feel the setup developing as their posture crumbles."
 
  execution_phase:
    - "Your leg swings up and over their shoulder, shin crossing the back of their neck."
    - "The triangle configuration locks into place, ankle behind knee."
    - "You angle your hips, creating compression on their neck and trapped arm."
 
  completion_phase:
    - "Triangle control established - their arm trapped across their own neck."
    - "The setup is complete, submission position secured."
    - "From guard to triangle control - the position is yours."
 
  failure_phase:
    - "They maintain their posture, preventing your leg from getting position."
    - "Their arm extracts before you can complete the triangle lock."
    - "They stack you forward, defending the triangle setup."

Image Generation Prompts

image_prompts:
  setup_position:
    prompt: "Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu closed guard position, bottom practitioner breaking opponent's posture, controlling arm across centerline, preparing triangle setup, both wearing blue and white gis, mat background, technical illustration style"
    key_elements: ["Closed guard", "Broken posture", "Arm control", "Setup position"]
 
  mid_execution:
    prompt: "BJJ triangle setup in motion, practitioner's leg coming over opponent's shoulder, shin positioning across neck, arm isolated, dynamic movement captured, technical illustration"
    key_elements: ["Leg over shoulder", "Shin across neck", "Arm isolated", "Triangle forming"]
 
  completion_position:
    prompt: "BJJ triangle control position, practitioner with triangle locked around opponent's neck and arm, ankle behind knee, hips angled, control established, technical illustration style"
    key_elements: ["Triangle locked", "Arm trapped", "Ankle behind knee", "Control position"]

Audio Narration Scripts

audio_scripts:
  instructional_narration:
    script: "From closed guard, break your opponent's posture by pulling their head and controlling their arm. Pull one arm across your centerline, isolating it. Swing your opposite leg up and over their shoulder on the controlled arm side. Position your shin across the back of their neck. Bring your other leg up and place your ankle behind your knee, creating the triangle lock. Angle your hips to create proper compression with their arm trapped across their neck."
    voice: "Onyx"
    pace: "Moderate"
    emphasis: ["break posture", "isolate arm", "shin across neck", "ankle behind knee", "angle hips"]
 
  coaching_cues:
    script: "Break that posture. Good. Control the arm. Pull it across. Now leg over. Deep across the neck. Lock it. Ankle behind knee. Angle those hips. Perfect triangle setup."
    voice: "Onyx"
    pace: "Energetic"
    emphasis: ["Break posture", "Pull it across", "Deep", "Lock it", "Perfect"]
 
  competition_commentary:
    script: "Watch the posture break. Arm control established. Leg comes over the shoulder beautifully. Shin deep across the neck. Triangle locked. Hip angle adjusted perfectly. This is textbook triangle setup."
    voice: "Onyx"
    pace: "Fast"
    emphasis: ["posture break", "Shin deep", "Triangle locked", "textbook triangle setup"]

Competition Applications

  • IBJJF Rules: Legal at all belt levels except white belt (restricted), creates immediate submission threat
  • No-Gi Competition: Requires adapted grips but remains highly effective submission setup
  • Self-Defense Context: Effective control and submission from defensive position
  • MMA Applications: Can be used from guard with modifications for striking defense

Historical Context

The triangle choke (and its setup) has roots in judo where it’s called sankaku-jime, but was refined and popularized in BJJ by the Gracie family. The technique became a fundamental submission in modern BJJ, with countless variations developed. The setup methodology has evolved to include entries from multiple positions, making it one of the most versatile submissions in grappling.

Safety Considerations

  • Controlled Application: Apply triangle pressure gradually to allow partner to tap safely
  • Mat Awareness: Ensure adequate space for position transitions
  • Partner Safety: Release immediately upon tap, never force or crank the position
  • Gradual Progression: Build flexibility and technique slowly to avoid injury

Position Integration

Common combinations and sequences:

  • Armbar Setup - Similar arm isolation mechanics and posture breaking
  • Omoplata Setup - Related shoulder attack from similar position
  • Triangle Choke - The finishing technique following this setup
  • High Guard - Control position that facilitates triangle entries

Graph View

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