Common BJJ Submissions Explained for Beginners

Submissions are what most people picture when they think of jiu-jitsu — an arm bent the wrong way, a choke that ends a match in an instant. They can look alarming if you've never trained, but in a proper academy they're taught and drilled with control, with tapping built into the culture from day one. Here are four foundational submissions every beginner will encounter early, and how each one actually works.

Armbar (juji-gatame)

The armbar is one of the very first submissions taught in most BJJ curriculums, and for good reason — it's a clean, direct demonstration of leverage overpowering strength. The attacker traps the opponent's arm between their legs, controlling the wrist while pinching the knees around the elbow joint, then extends their hips to hyperextend the elbow. Because the attacker's entire hip and leg strength is working against a single joint, even a much smaller person can apply enough leverage to make a much larger opponent tap. It's often taught from mount or guard and remains one of the most common submissions at every belt level.

Rear naked choke

Widely considered one of the highest-percentage submissions in all of grappling, the rear naked choke is applied from back control. The attacker wraps one arm around the opponent's neck, then uses the other arm and both hands to lock in a tight seal, applying pressure to the sides of the neck to restrict blood flow. Because it's set up from directly behind the opponent — a position where they have very little ability to see or defend the attack — it's an extremely difficult submission to escape once it's properly locked in, which is exactly why back control is regarded as the most dominant position in the sport.

Triangle choke

The triangle choke is a signature submission of guard players, and it's a great example of using the legs as effectively as the arms in jiu-jitsu. The attacker traps one of the opponent's arms and their own head between their legs, then locks the legs into a figure-four shape — forming a triangle — around the opponent's neck and shoulder. The choke works by combining pressure from the attacker's leg against the opponent's own trapped arm, cutting off blood flow through the neck. It's technical enough that it usually takes real drilling to hit consistently, which makes it a satisfying milestone submission for many students.

Kimura

Named after Masahiko Kimura, the judoka who famously used the technique in a well-known match against Hélio Gracie, the kimura is a shoulder lock applied by controlling an opponent's wrist and elbow, then rotating the arm behind their back in a figure-four grip. It attacks the shoulder joint's rotation rather than the elbow, making it distinct from the armbar even though both target the arm. The kimura can be applied from several positions — guard, side control, and even standing — which is part of why it remains one of the most versatile submissions taught to beginners.

• Armbar — attacks the elbow via hip extension; taught early because the leverage is intuitive
• Rear naked choke — applied from back control; one of the highest-percentage finishes in grappling
• Triangle choke — guard-based leg choke using the opponent's own trapped arm against them
• Kimura — shoulder lock applicable from multiple positions; named after Masahiko Kimura

Why tapping early is always the smart move

None of these techniques are meant to injure a training partner — they're meant to be felt, respected, and released the instant someone taps. A tap isn't a loss; it's just the universal signal that says "you got me," and good training partners apply submissions gradually enough to give that signal time to happen. The entire culture of live sparring in BJJ depends on everyone tapping honestly and early rather than trying to tough out a fully locked submission. Every student — white belt through black belt — has tapped thousands of times, and that's exactly how the skill of finishing (and defending) these techniques is actually built over time.

Learning these submissions safely, with proper coaching and training partners who know how to apply them with control, is exactly what our Fundamentals program is built for. If you're ready to feel the real thing under supervision instead of just reading about it, your first class is free.