Category: BJJ Techniques

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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 Twister in BJJ

The BJJ twister is an absolutely brutal submission. The twister in BJJ involves twisting your opponent’s shoulders and hips in opposite directions, wringing their body out like a wet towel. Add in a crank to their neck to finish the submission and the pain is quickly too much. 

The twister BJJ submission is not allowed under IBJJF rules, but it is a legitimate submission in MMA, many no-gi grappling tournaments, and of course in a street fight (and what better way to win a street fight than a cool looking, utterly devastating and demoralizing BJJ submission like the twister?)

Start: Back

Step 1: Get one leg hook in

Step 2: Without a hook, figure-four the other leg over you hook-side leg’s ankle and hook that ankle under opponent’s trapped ankle

Step 3: Hook under opponent’s non-trapped side arm with your same-side arm (similar to the bottom of a seatbelt position)

Step 4: Weave your opposite-side arm underneath opponent’s hooker armpit

Step 5: Swim arm around top of opponent’s head and chain-grip hands together

Step 6: Pull opponent’s head in

Finish: Submission via twister

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How To Do A Kimura From Side Control in BJJ

The kimura is a legendary submission in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Made famous by Masahiko Kimura when he sunk in the shoulder lock on Helio Gracie during their super fight, the kimura is such a strong submission that Helio’s arm broke when he refused to tap. The Brazilian was so stubborn that his brother Carlos Gracie had to throw in the towel and charge onto the mat to stop the fight.

The kimura from side control that broke Helio Gracie’s arm is not a complicated, hard to master trick submission that comes from left field and surprises people, it is a simple, basic BJJ submission that is still effective at any level.

This video by Bernardo Faria and John Donaher has the basic instructions for the kimura from side control along with a lot of details and explanations that are important to understand in order to actually land the kimura from side control in a BJJ roll.

Start: Side control top

Step 1: Grab opponent’s far-side wrist with your top-side hand by snaking the hand under opponent’s bicep

Step 2: Walk your hips up towards opponent’s head, putting your body at the eleven o’clock position relative to opponent’s body

Step 3: Grip your top-side wrist with your bottom-side hand

Step 4: Pull opponent’s wrist up along the mat towards their head

Finish: Submission via kimura

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How To Do A BJJ Granby Roll From Turtle

The turtle position is a common one in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. On your knees with your head and arms bunched together protecting all of your vulnerable areas, turtle is a natural, instinctive defensive position. 

But while the BJJ turtle can be a strong defensive position, it can also be a frustrating one. With your back exposed and no means of attack, it is easy to get stuck in turtle and end up with your back taken. 

To prevent the BJJ turtle position from being just a stopover to delay your opponent taking your back (or spinning around and attacking you with the turtle arm bar, guillotine choke, d’arce choke, or anaconda choke), being able to perform an effective turtle escape with the granby roll is essential. 

Start: Turtle on bottom

Step 1: Shoot inside hand between your legs and drop inside shoulder to the mat 

Step 2: Tuck head underneath your body and spin onto your inside shoulder, kicking and rotating your legs away from opponent and over your body

Finish: Scramble with opponent potentially in turtle position, potentially in your guard

Turtk
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How To Do an Arm Drag From Guard in BJJ

The closed guard is an incredibly versatile position. It’s the hallmark of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu since the closed guard is where a smaller fighter might find themselves when in a street fight and allows a whole spectrum of submissions. That’s why the closed guard is considered an advantageous position in BJJ. 

But the closed guard can be frustrating for new Jiu Jitsu fighters. Chances are you’re going to get passed, your opponent will wear you out with pressure from above (particularly if it is another new BJJ fighter using strength more than technique) or your submission attempts will fail and you’ll get passed. 

The arm drag sweep from closed guard is an option that makes playing guard less scary. It allows you to attempt a sweep without abandoning your position, it is pretty simple, and since it takes advantage of an isolated arm it can be strung together with arm bar attempts to keep your opponent on the defensive.

This sweep works in both gi or no gi BJJ, and this video by BJJ Fanatics shows Gordon Ryan teaching the arm drag in no gi.

Start: Closed guard

Step 1: Get a two-on-one grip on opponent’s arm with your same-side arm on their wrist and your cross-side hand underneath their arm and behind their tricep

Step 2: Pull opponent’s body into you with your knees, 

Step 3: Lift your cross-side elbow off of your stomach and slide opponent’s trapped hand under your elbow, trapping it there

Step 4: Reach your same-side hand over opponent’s back and grip their lat

Step 5: Switch onto your opposite-side hip

Step 6: Pendulum your same-side leg up and use that momentum to sit up into

Opponent, pointing your chest at them and maintaining the grip on their tricep to prevent them posturing up

Step 7: Use the grip on their lat to climb onto their back

Finish: Back control

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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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How To Do An Americana in BJJ

The Americana is an incredibly simple (you twist someone’s arm until their shoulder reaches its limit) but incredibly versatile (it can be used from just about any position) submission in BJJ. The Americana submission is so common that it is a part of the Gracie Jiu Jitsu How To Get a BJJ Blue Belt curriculum.

The Americana in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is typically executed from mount or side control, though it is also common from half guard and since it is a simple twisting of the arm it is applicable from just about any position and a useful tool to always have in your arsenal.

Start: Mount

Step 1: Pin opponent’s wrist to mat above their head with opposite side hand with their arm bent at 90 degrees, as if they were throwing a football

Step 2: Slide same-side hand underneath opponent’s upper arm at the bicep and tricep

Step 3: Grip your opposite side hand with your same-side hand, using a C grip or monkey grip. At the same time, hook your opposite-side foot inside opponent’s leg to prevent being swept or bumped off of mount

Step 4: Drag opponent’s wrist down towards their feet, keeping it pinned to the mat like a paint brush

End: Submission by Americana

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How To Do A Neck Hug Americana Armlock Submission

The Americana armlock submission is a versatile sub in BJJ. The Americana submission is available from mount, side control, half guard, guard, and even back.  Basically anywhere you have control of your opponent’s hips, you can complete an Americana armlock and put enough force on their shoulder to make them tap. 

The Americana submission is so common in BJJ that it is one of the essential techniques included in the Gracie BJJ Blue Belt Test.

Start: Mount

Step 1: Get scoop neck hug under opponent’s neck

Step 2: With free hand, grab opponent’s wrist and pin to mat

Step 3: Feed opponent’s hand to your hand behind their head

Step 4: Post out with your knee on the same side as the attack while wrapping opponent’s leg with the other

Step 5: Slide free hand under opponent’s arm and grip your own wrist with an overhand c-grip

Step 6: Slide your elbow behind and around opponent’s head, creating the space to complete the Americana and stopping their head from blocking

Step 7: Suck elbows in towards the attack and paint opponent’s wrist down the mat towards their hips

Finish: Submission via Neck Hug Americana Armlock Submission

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How To Do A Bow And Arrow Choke in BJJ

The bow and arrow choke in BJJ is an essential submission for every Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter to have in their quiver (pun intended). This choke submission from the back is very strong and is a great option for when an opponent is very good at defending the rear naked choke. Being able to switch submissions between the bow and arrow choke and rear naked will keep your opponent on the defense and prevent them from working on escaping your back control, keeping you in charge of the roll.

Start: Back control with seatbelt control

Step 1: With top-side hand, grip opponent’s opposite lapel with a thumb in grip

Step 2: Step feet over so that side with grip is on outside of opponent’s hip and other side is across their body

Step 3: Shoot free hand underneath opponent’s arm and fall onto your back, letting free foot float up toward opponent’s head

Step 4: Grip opponent’s pant leg with free hand and cross feet

Step 5: Pull with both hand while pushing down with both legs

Finish: Submission via bow and arrow choke

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How To Do A Berimbolo Sweep in BJJ

The berimbolo sweep is a complicated sweep that provides a way to take an opponent’s back from a relatively neutral position of an open guard, a position many BJJ practitioners find themselves in without many options beyond playing a guard game that they are skilled at. This video breaks down the berimbolo sweep, which is a powerful option to take the back from an open guard in BJJ.

Plus you get to go inverted and look like a ninja, which is awesome.

Stephan Kesting from GrappleArts also shows two great drills to train your body to do the berimbolo sweep. Even if you aren’t dead set on learning the berimbolo, these drills are a worthwhile addition to your drilling for BJJ (and as we all know, you have to drill to win!)

Start: Seated, facing a seated opponent (after guard pull or during scramble)

Step 1: Get De La Riva hook (wind foot around outside of opponent’s shin and inside their thigh) with one leg

Step 2: Grip opponent’s trapped ankle or pant leg with the same-side hand as your hook

Step 3: Grip their belt with your other-side hand at the hip with the De La Riva hook

Step 4: Pull your head towards opponent’s hip on side of hook, inverting and rolling onto your shoulders

Step 5: Step your free foot onto opponent’s belly

Step 6: Switch ankle grip to opponent’s free leg

Step 7: Use ankle grip and De La Riva to spin opponent over, completing your roll and sweeping them onto their side with their back to you

Step 8: Drive knee into opponent’s trapped knee to prevent them from turning into you

Step 9: Climb or scramble onto opponent’s back

Finish: Back control