Rear Naked Choke – MMA And BJJ Submission Technique

The rear naked choke is a submission hold used in mixed martial arts that cuts off the flow of blood to the brain. If applied correctly, it will force the opponent to submit. If they do not submit, they will pass out within a matter of seconds.

The name “Rear Naked Choke” most likely comes from the name used in Judo for the technique, “Hadakajime” or in English “Naked Strangle”. It is called that in Judo because the choke does not make use of the uniform (gi), as other chokes do.

To apply the technique, the back mount, also known as the rear mount, must be achieved. From that position of back control, which can be secured even more by hooking the insteps of the feet into the inside of the opponents thighs, the choke can be effectively applied.

The technique involves wrapping one arm around the opponents neck so that the inside of your elbow is placed against his throat. This will naturally place your bicep against one side of his neck and your forearm against the other side. From there you have two options for sinking in the choke and applying the pressure needed for the tap. You can place the hand of the arm you have wrapped around the neck on the bicep of the other arm and the hand of the other arm on the back of the opponents head. From there you hug your arms together and push out with your chest. The other option is to use what is called the Gable Grip. Where you take the hands of both your choking arm and your free arm and place them together with the palms facing. From that position you can squeeze the choking arm tight against the neck and get the tap out.

One factor to keep in mind if you are planning on applying this in an actual MMA fight, as opposed to a BJJ, judo or submission wrestling match, is the gloves. The gloves used in MMA can make it quite a bit harder to sink in the rear naked choke. So if you are going to be wearing them when you fight, you should be getting in a lot of training sessions with them on so that you get used to the added difficulty. When you step into the cage for your next fight, you don’t want any surprises.

How to Perform the Rear Naked Choke with Bas Rutten

Get Past the Opponent’s RNC Defense with Marcelo Garcia

  1. bradley blake October 23, 2007 at 7:08 pm

    i have used this hold on others and have also had it used on me, very effective for control and submission…..

  2. Marks January 30, 2008 at 5:39 am

    Great description of a very powerfull technique

  3. Punch Kick Choke April 26, 2008 at 5:48 pm

    I feel, with the abundance of RNC tutorials out there, that it is important to note that the subtle details of attaining the choke itself is much more important than the choke itself, as with almost all techniques.

    just a few:
    -Don’t cross the ankles
    -Maintain the hooks
    -If you decide to triangle lock the body,make sure the hooked foot isn’t rolled into the ground
    -If the choke is being defended well, the choke isn’t the only attack from the rear mount.

  4. joe hopwood June 4, 2008 at 9:12 am

    As a new mma fighter i am thnakful for web sites like these to help me prepare for this fight i have used this choke in training and had it used on me as well it is not a hold i would like to find myself in again

  5. ks September 20, 2008 at 11:27 am

    you should also demonstrate the cobra with your legs because that creates extra constriction to your lungs and its useful during the rear naked choke because it hurts worse for them and makes them go out quicker.

  6. Bart May 27, 2009 at 8:59 am

    The RNC is one of the most essential subs to know – it probably ends 1 out of 5, 1 out of 6 MMA fights. Plus, it’s hard to escape and still usable when fighters get sweaty or slippery.