Category: Turtle Submission

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How To Do A Crucifix Choke From Turtle In BJJ

The turtle position can be one of the most frustrating defensive positions in BJJ. A good Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter can sit in turtle for what seems like forever, wasting your time and making you feel like your advantageous position is a complete waste. Just like a turtle in its shell.

When you’re frustrated by someone who is good at turtling, all you want to do is obliterate them and use their defensive position as a jumping off point for your attacks. One of the greatest attacks for absolutely destroying your opponent from turtle and leaving them completely exposed and vulnerable like a turtle on its back is the crucifix choke which splays your opponent out, arms spread like Jesus on the cross.

Start: Turtle

Step 1: Drive your knee between opponent’s elbow and knee

Step 2: With free leg, hook your foot over opponent’s arm

Step 3: Reach over opponent’s body and secure their free arm by snaking your bottom-side hand underneath their armpit and grabbing their hand

Step 4: Look towards top of opponent’s body and roll over your trapping shoulder, landing on your back with opponent in crucifix position

Step 5: Reach free arm across opponent’s neck and get cross-collar grip and bridge into choke

Finish: Submission via crucifix choke

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How To Do An Anaconda Choke in BJJ

The anaconda choke submission in BJJ might just be the best named submission in the whole sport (though guillotine choke and crucifix choke are pretty good names too, comment below with your favorite submission name from BJJ). The anaconda choke or gator roll is a choke that usually comes from defending a takedown or while attacking the turtle.

The anaconda choke is similar to the D’Arce choke submission but the essential difference is that in an anaconda choke, your choking arm starts at the neck and snakes (lol) through to the armpit, while with the D’Arce choke, your choking arm starts at the armpit and feeds through to the neck.

Both are great chokes that belong in every Brazilian jiu-jitsu player’s arsenal, but if you have to pick one, anaconda has the better name.

Start: Turtle

Step 1: Snake attacking arm under opponent’s chin and through underneath their elbow and grip shoulder

Step 2: Gripping your hands together, use your supporting arm’s elbow to crank opponent’s trapped arm in towards their neck

Step 3: Figure four your supporting arm onto your attacking arm 

Step 4: Switch your head position to trap opponent’s shoulder with your head

Step 5: Roll over your supporting shoulder onto your back

Step 6: Rotating your body towards the choke, catch your opponent on your stomach and walk your hips around perpendicular to their body, bridging into them to add extra strength to the choke

Finish: Submission via anaconda choke

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How To Do a D’Arce Choke in BJJ

The D’Arce choke or inverted arm triangle choke is named after American grappler Joe Darce, who made the choke famous in the early 2000’s thanks to its brutal and efficient effectiveness. 

The D’Arce choke, which like the arm triangle involves a figure four of your arms around your opponent’s neck and one of their arms, is a great submission from a common position in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The D’Arce choke is a great addition to any BJJ practitioner’s arsenal since it is simple and effective and is a great answer to a takedown attempt. Even if you are unable to finish the D’Arce choke, the position allows you to stop your opponent’s takedown, allows you to pour your weight onto them and force them to turtle, and threatens them enough that they may hesitate or even decide not to attempt a takedown. 

Not just limited to a single position, the D’Arce choke is effective from half-guard top, side control, mount, turtle, or even knee-on-belly. It is a truly utilitarian submission.

Here is great teacher Stephan Kesting’s guide to landing the D’Arce choke submission from half guard top.

Start: Half guard top

Step 1: Get whizzer overhook on far-side arm

Step 2: Reach arm with whizzer overhook through until hand reaches past opponent’s neck

Step 3: Hold behind opponent’s head with both hands and clinch their head forward and in towards you

Step 4: Keeping opponent’s head clinched, figure four arms and reach near-side hand towards far-side shoulder

Step 5: Drive weight forward towards opponent

Finish: Submission by D’Arce Choke