5 BJJ Submissions Every Beginner Should Learn First

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has thousands of techniques, but the most effective submissions have remained consistent for decades. These five fundamental submissions are the building blocks of every BJJ player's game — from white belt to black belt. Master these first, and you'll have a solid foundation to build upon.

1. Rear Naked Choke (Mata Leão)

The king of submissions. Applied from back control, the rear naked choke is the highest-percentage submission in both BJJ competition and MMA. It's a blood choke that restricts blood flow to the brain through the carotid arteries.

How it works: From back control with your hooks (legs) in, slide your choking arm under the opponent's chin. Your forearm presses against one side of the neck, your bicep against the other. The hand of your choking arm grabs your opposite bicep. Your free hand goes behind their head and squeezes.

Key details: Get your chin-arm deep before locking — reaching for the bicep grip with a shallow arm won't finish. Use your legs to control their body while you work the choke. Squeeze your elbows together, not just your arms.

2. Armbar (Juji-Gatame)

The most fundamental joint lock in grappling. The armbar hyperextends the elbow joint and can be applied from mount, guard, side control, and even from standing. Learning the armbar teaches essential concepts about controlling limbs and using hip pressure.

From closed guard: Control one wrist and the same-side collar/head. Place your foot on the hip of the controlled arm side. Pivot your hips perpendicular to your opponent. Throw your far leg over their head. Pinch your knees together around the arm. Lift your hips to apply pressure against the elbow.

Key details: Keep their thumb pointing up (this ensures the elbow is aligned to hyperextend). Squeeze your knees together tightly. Lift hips slowly and controlled — this isn't about explosive force.

3. Triangle Choke (Sankaku-Jime)

A choke applied using your legs from closed guard. One of your opponent's arms is inside the triangle, one is outside. Your legs create a figure-four around their neck and trapped arm, compressing the carotid arteries.

Setup: From closed guard, break their posture. Control one wrist and push it across your body. Throw your opposite leg over their neck while your other leg controls their torso. Lock the triangle (ankle behind knee). Pull their head down while squeezing your knees together.

Key details: Angle off to the side for a tighter finish. Pull their trapped arm across your body. The choke comes from squeezing your thighs, not your ankles.

4. Kimura (Ude-Garami)

A shoulder lock that can be applied from guard, side control, mount, and half guard. It's one of the most versatile submissions in BJJ and also functions as an excellent control position even when you can't finish it.

From closed guard: Sit up toward your opponent. Grab their wrist with your opposite hand. Thread your other arm under their arm and grip your own wrist (figure-four grip). Fall back to your hip on the same side. Keep their elbow tight to your body. Rotate the arm toward their head like painting a wall.

5. Guillotine Choke

A front headlock choke applied when your opponent's head is below yours — commonly after a failed takedown attempt. The guillotine works as both a choke and a self-defense technique.

Standing: When they shoot for a takedown, wrap your arm around their neck with your forearm under their chin. Grip your choking hand with your free hand. Pull up while sprawling your hips back.

From guard: Close your guard (legs around their waist) to prevent them from passing. Squeeze the choke while extending your hips away from them.

Training Tips for Beginners

Focus on one submission per week. Drill each one 50-100 times before moving to the next. When rolling, set up the submission even if you can't finish it — the setup is more important than the finish at this stage. Ask your training partners for feedback — "Did you feel the choke?" is a valuable question.