5 Basic BJJ Submissions You Must Know!

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art that focuses on grappling and ground fighting. One of the most exciting aspects of BJJ is the variety of submissions that practitioners can use to finish an opponent. 

Here are five basic submissions that everybody must know:

Armbar:

This submission targets the opponent's arm. It is typically performed from the guard position, where the practitioner has their legs wrapped around the opponent's waist. At a higher level, a practitioner can pull an armbar from a variety of positions. For beginners, break the opponent’s posture is a priority. This helps to keep their arm trapped and allowing you to pivot and swing your leg around to their head. Apply pressure by pushing them down using your legs and arch your hip to pressure on the elbow joint.

Triangle Choke:

The triangle choke is targets the opponent's neck. A simple set up starts from guard position and having one leg wrap behind the opponent's neck over the shoulder and the other leg around their arm. Finish the triangle by locking your legs tight and apply pressure to the opponent's neck by cutting off their blood flow and oxygen.

Rear Naked Choke (RNC):

The RNC is one of the most effective submissions in BJJ. It is a chokehold that is applied from the back of an opponent. To perform the RNC, the practitioner wraps their arms around the opponent's neck and locks their hands together. They then apply pressure by squeezing their elbows together, cutting off the opponent's blood flow and oxygen to the brain.

Kimura:

The Kimura is an armlock submission that targets the shoulder. Start by trapping the opponent's arm from full guard by pushing their wrist to their back. Sit up to lock your other hand under their shoulder. Fall back to the ground to finish the submission by apply pressure to the shoulder joint.

Guillotine Choke:

The Guillotine choke is a chokehold where the practitioner wrap the arm around the opponent's neck and lock it with a gable grip with the other hand. Tighten the space between your hand to the neck by falling backwards and apply pressure to the opponent's neck. Similarly, this will cut off their blood flow and oxygen and cause them to tap.

While these submissions are considered basic, they are effective and widely used in BJJ. Knowing how to execute these submissions and defend against them is crucial for any BJJ practitioner. It is important to note that proper technique and training is necessary to execute these submissions safely and effectively as these techniques are designed for self-defence and may seriously injured someone without proper training and supervision from a qualified coach. 

Learning these basic submissions is just the beginning of a lifelong journey in BJJ. By mastering these fundamental techniques, practitioners can develop a solid foundation for their BJJ game and work towards more advanced submissions and techniques.

Come down to Sydney Wrestling Academy to learn about these effective submissions from high level coaches who are active competitors in the BJJ scene. We have over 70 years of combined experiences and have competed on national and international level.