Category: Guard Submission

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How To Do A Triangle Transition Straight Armbar From Guard

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has been compared to chess. While nobody ever got choked out during a chess match, the similarities are striking (no striking allowed in either chess or Jiu-Jitsu). In both games, you could easily achieve your goal if the other player were not playing, or followed simple responses to all of your moves so that your far side arm bar from side control worked perfectly every time. But in both chess and BJJ, your opponent wants to beat you as badly as you want to beat them, so they will fight and do everything in their power to stop your strategy while furthering their own. While that’s what makes this sport fun, it can be frustrating to hit a move dead on in practice a hundred times only to have it easily countered while rolling. But there’s always a counter to a counter.

That’s why live rolling is so much more important to developing your BJJ game than just knowing techniques. Even an encyclopedic knowledge of BJJ submissions with no rolling isn’t as good as a shallow understanding with experience on the mat.  In that same vein, having two options for an attack is crucial to success. 

The first one of these two-for-one techniques that a BJJ fighter should learn is the triangle and arm bar from guard. The triangle from guard pairs perfectly with the arm bar. If your triangle attack is stopped, or you lose the trap you had on your opponent’s head, you still have control of their arm and the arm bar from guard is sitting waiting for you. The essential piece of this puzzle is called the diamond position, and you may recognize it as the step in the triangle from guard where you hang from your opponent’s neck like a scarf before you figure-four your legs. 

Furthermore, learning this combination proves what many BJJ coaches will tell you over and over as your journey progresses: position before submission. Once you have the diamond position, a step in the triangle setup, you can branch off into the arm bar if your triangle is defended.

Start: Diamond position (closed guard with one arm and head in, one arm out) with opponent posturing up to counter triangle

Step 1: Open guard and drop foot of non- choking leg (on side with opponent’s arm trapped) to their hip

Step 2: Kick off hip to swing that leg over opponent’s head

Step 3: Grab opponent’s trapped hand and drive hips forward into elbow

Finish: Submission via Triangle Transition Straight Armbar From Guard

This submission is an essential BJJ technique included in the How To Get a Blue Belt in BJJ Series.

This great video is by Connection Rio Jiu-Jitsu Academy on Youtube.

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How To Do A Stage 1.5 Triangle Choke Variation

The triangle choke is an essential choke in BJJ. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a martial art is focused on using body mechanics to submit an opponent even if they might be larger and stronger than you and the triangle from guard is a perfect example of that. Using the geometry of your legs and your opponent’s neck and arm, the triangle allows you to choke them without relying on strength.

The BJJ Stage 1.5 position is an open guard position that uses a push-pull on your opponent’s arm to secure them in a spot that prevents them from punching (in MMA or on the street), passing your guard, or backing out of the position. Stage 1.5 in Jiu-Jitsu is achieved by gripping your opponent’s wrist while pushing your knee into their elbow, blocking any movement forward or back.

The triangle choke stage 1.5 variation is a part of the How To Get A Blue Belt guide by Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.

Start: Stage 1.5 position, side with knee trapping opponent’s arm will be attacking side

Step 1: Push knee forward and then use the space created to slip foot up and over opponent’s shoulder, cross ankles

Step 2: Pull opponent’s trapped arm across your body to the attacking side

Step 3: Grab back of opponent’s head to pull them in and drop your non-attacking side leg to their hip, adjust your position so that opponent’s trapped arm is 90 degrees

Step 4: Bring attacking-side leg over opponent’s neck so that your hamstring is against their neck and figure four your non-attacking leg over your shin

Step 5: Push your knees together, pull opponent’s head down and push your hips up

End: Submission via stage 1.5 triangle choke

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How To Do a Giant Killer Triangle Choke Submission in BJJ

The triangle choke submission in BJJ is one of the defining submissions of the sport. Using the triangle choke a smaller or weaker person can use the mechanics of their legs to choke the neck of a larger, stronger opponent. The triangle perfectly illustrates the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu core belief that technique will beat strength. That belief is at the core of the name of this submission, the giant killer triangle choke. 

The giant killer triangle choke submission is a basic technique that is a part of the How To Get a BJJ Blue Belt guide for what the Gracie family expects every blue belt to know. 

The giant killer triangle submission is an option if your opponent is too large or too strong for you to secure the open guard 1.5 position and you are left without the push-pull necessary to fully control their upper body. 

Start: Closed guard with opponent hugging close to you

Step 1: Use legs to push opponent’s hips down and away from your head

Step 2: Use two hands to push opponent’s head to one side (this will be attacking side)

Step 3: Post non-attacking side foot on the ground and shrimp to that side

Step 4: Put both feet onto opponent’s hips and grab opponent’s non-attacking side arm with both hand

Step 5: Stretch opponent out with push-pull of hips and arm to create enough space for triangle setup

Step 6: Swim attacking side leg up and over opponent’s neck and lock ankles

Step 7: Push opponent’s trapped arm across their body

Step 8: Post non-attacking foot on opponent’s hip and rotate your body in line with their trapped arm

Step 9: Figure-four non-attacking side knee over attacking shin

Step 10: Pull down on opponent’s head and squeeze triangle choke 

Finish: Submission via giant killer triangle choke submission

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How To Do An Americana From Guard

The americana is a very popular submission in BJJ. The americana armlock in BJJ is a simple submission that involves bending someone’s arm backwards in a way that puts an immense amount of pressure on their elbow and shoulder, and can cause serious damage if they don’t tap. That simplicity along with the pain and damage the americana armlock can cause makes it a very popular submission in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, and in a real street fight. 

The americana is a popular submission from mount, side control, and half guard, but can also work from the full guard position. The americana from guard doesn’t look exactly like the typical americana submissions, but it does put the same stress on the arm joints and is a useful addition to your guard game.

This is also a great addition to your usual transition between arm bar and triangle and offer another option to get the submission that your opponent may not be looking to defend automatically. It can even be added to your arm bar triangle omoplata drill to keep it in your mind while rolling.

Start: Guard

Step 1: Bring one leg up to just under opponent’s armpit and turn it 90 degrees across their body, dragging their shoulder down the same as an armbar from guard setup

Step 2: Bring other up onto opponent’s shoulder and cross feet to secure position

Step 3: When opponent fights arm bar by pivoting towards your lower leg, grip their wrist on the higher leg side pushing out and into your higher leg, keeping their thumb up

Step 4: bridge your hips into your opponent

Finish: Submission via americana from guard

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How To Do a Kimura From Guard in BJJ – Forced Variation

The Kimura is one of the first submissions you will learn as a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter. The reason you’ll learn the Kimura so soon in BJJ, usually right alongside the arm bar from guard and triangle from guard, is because you will often find yourself in guard as a new BJJ fighter (after you’ve recovered from mount or side control that is) and the Kimura is a simple yet very effective BJJ technique. The Kimura uses a simple two-on-one arm attack to twist the opponent’s arm until they can’t take it anymore and submit and it also uses the human body and simple geometry to do all that rather than strength.

This video by Ryron and Rener Gracie shows the Kimura Forced Variation, which is a part of the Gracie How To Get a Blue Belt in BJJ guide.

Start: Closed guard

Step 1: Use one hand (on attacking side) to push their head to one side and slide the other arm around, trapping their head with your armpit and tricep

Step 2: Post with your opposite-side foot and get onto your same-side hip

Step 3: Shoot opposite-side arm over opponent’s arm, trapping it at the tricep

Step 4: Grip opponent’s wrist with your same-side hand

Step 5: Grip your own same-side wrist with your opposite-side hand

Step 6: Drive with both feet, elevate your hips, and drive your shoulders back, collapsing opponent

Step 7: Post your same-side foot inside opponent’s legs, trapping their leg, walk your shoulders and hips so that you are onto your opposite-side shoulder and hip

Step 8: Keep opponent’s arm bent at a 90 degree angle and push their wrist back and up towards their head

Finish: Submission by Kimura from Guard

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BJJ Drill: Armbar, Triangle, Omoplata Drill from Closed Guard

Drilling BJJ is one of the most essential ingredients to getting fast and good at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. While it’s obvious that drilling is essential to improving your BJJ game, how you should drill is not as obvious. Shrimping across the mat at the start of class will help train that movement, and repeating techniques until you have the movements memorized is an excellent way to make muscle memory, but there are other drills that may prove to be equally useful to your BJJ game.

This BJJ flow drill from MMA Leach is a great example of a drill that will help your BJJ game rise to the next level. This drill for the closed guard uses three essential BJJ closed guard techniques: the armbar from closed guard, the triangle from closed guard, and the omoplata from closed guard. This drill will help you to quickly react when your opponent defends your closed guard attack and chain together submissions to develop a comfortable, dangerous closed guard game.

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How To Do an Armbar From Closed Guard

The armbar from closed guard is one of the basic and most essential submissions in Brazilian jiu jitsu. The arm bar from guard is popular because even at the highest levels of grappling, it is effective because of how simple and quick it is. No matter how many tricks are up your opponent’s sleeve, you are still applying the immense force of your hips to the relatively weak power of their elbow. Even a very tough opponent will have a hard time bicep curling your entire body.

This attack particularly lends itself to street fighting and MMA since it is when, to an untrained eye or with an untrained person on bottom, the fighter on the ground is in the most danger. The reason the armbar has become an essential BJJ submission is that it allows a smaller fighter or one in a bad position to turn the tide of the fight and go from being on bottom and getting punched to breaking the other person’s arm. This submission is so essential to BJJ that it is part of the Gracie BJJ Blue Belt Test.

Start: Closed guard

Step 1: Get a two-on-one grip on opponent’s arm

Step 2: Get wrist grip with same-side arm and reach over to get cross grip behind opponent’s tricep

Step 3: On side of opponent’s trapped foot, step your foot onto their hip and squeeze knee into opponent’s shoulder, giving up tricep grip

Step 4: Reach free hand across to opponent’s opposite shoulder

Step 5: Lift free leg up towards opponent’s head and pivot your hips and head to that side

Step 6: Drop free leg down to break down opponent’s posture 

Step 7: Pass bottom-side leg over opponent’s head

Step 8: Ensure that opponent’s thumb is pointed up towards sky and pinkie is pointed down to your body and bridge your hips up toward sky

End: Submission via armbar

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How To Do an Omoplata From Closed Guard

The omoplata is one of the coolest moves in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. With this submission you use your hips to attack your opponent’s shoulder, using one of the most powerful areas of your  body against a much weaker part of theirs. When executed perfectly, the Omoplata uses pure body mechanics and does not require you to be stronger than your opponent, which is one of the fundamentals of BJJ.

The omoplata from guard is also very fun because you spin around and look like a ninja.

Start: Closed guard

Step 1: Get an overhook with one arm over one of opponent’s arms

Step 2: Move onto opposite hip and step that foot onto opponent’s hip so that arm with overhook is higher

Step 3: Reach top-side leg up and grab it with free hand

Step 4: Slide top-side leg over and in front of opponent’s head

Step 5: Figure-four legs to trap shoulder and grab opponent’s belt to prevent them rolling out of the submission

Step 6: Use grip on belt to sit up and hug across opponent’s back/hips

Step 7: Stretch legs out to flatten opponent down to mat

Step 8:  Post outside free leg and push hips towards opponent

End: Submission via omoplata

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How To Get a BJJ Blue Belt – The Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Blue Belt Requirements

In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), getting a blue belt is one of the first major milestone accomplishments in your grappling career. It’s a sign that you have really learned BJJ to the point that you’re not a beginner anymore. Of course, your road is still very long, but it is a great accomplishment and one that most white belts are focused on in their grappling training.

A major problem for white belts is a lack of information on what you need to know to get your blue belt. Luckily, Gracie University Jiu Jitsu has published the basic requirements needed to be eligible for a BJJ Blue Belt in their system. This isn’t a checklist that guarantees you a blue belt (if you’re that desperate, you can always just buy a blue belt but that’s not really the point) but it is a list of the basic knowledge expectations for someone looking to get a BJJ blue belt.

Mount Techniques

There are four sections to the Gracie BJJ Blue Belt test: Mount Techniques, Guard Techniques, Side Mount Techniques, and Standing Techniques.

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How To Do A Triangle Choke From Guard

how to do a bjj triangle choke from guard

The triangle choke is an essential and iconic part of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. If you’re describing BJJ to someone who has never grappled or watched MMA in their life, it’s the perfect place to start. You’re on your back with your opponent over you, a place where to the untrained eye you look like you’re losing the fight. From that position you can use your legs to choke your attacker unconscious, while still staying on your back! The BJJ triangle choke is a great example of the power of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu especially because a much smaller opponent can use it to incapacitate a stronger or larger one, just watch UFC 4 when Royce Gracie at 180 pounds used the triangle to submit the huge 260 pound Dan Severn.

While the BJJ triangle choke is one of the fundamental staples of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which is why it is a part of the Gracie BJJ Blue Belt Test. It’s a complicated move that can take hours to understand weeks to get comfortable with, months to feel good about, and years to master.

Rener Gracie, Ryron Gracie, and Reylan Gracie all got together to release this video detailing the finer points of the BJJ triangle choke from guard in this extensive video.

The video is awesome and filled with details that are worth watching over and over, but here are the steps:

Start: Closed guard with one of opponent’s arms inside of closed legs

Step 1: Control opponent’s wrist and pull it across your body

Step 2: Pull down on head

Step 3: Put outside foot on opponent’s hip

Step 4: Bite across person’s neck with top-side leg

Step 5: Grab ahold of your top-side shin to keep opponent in place

Step 6: Figure four bottom leg over top-side leg so that your knee is hooker over your ankle or shin

Step 7: Grip being head with both hands and pull opponent’s head down

Step 8: Squeeze thighs together and lift hips up to complete triangle choke