10 Basic BJJ Submissions for Beginners to Learn

How many times have you been in this scenario? You’ve finally made it to a dominant position, whether on top of mount of side control, or with someone in your closed guard, or maybe you took your opponent’s back, but your mind goes blank trying to figure out what to do next. You know you’ve learned several submissions, but you can’t seem to remember any of them.

The secret to knowing what to do in those situations is to drill immediately going for a submission as soon as you have the chance. But with so many submissions, how do you decide which ones to practice?

In this article, I’ll give you two or three of my favorite basic BJJ submissions from each position. That way you’ll always have a couple of options to try, and if you learn these submissions, you’ll have a solid foundation to build on.

Submission Tips

Before we go over specific submissions, here are a few tips related to submissions in BJJ:

Tip #1: Don’t Be an asshole.

There are many ways to be an asshole in Jiu Jitsu. Here are a few ways to avoid being one when it comes to submissions:

1. Don’t make excuses after tapping. Maybe you tapped because of an injury. Maybe you gave them the tap to let them work. Maybe you gave up your good position to work on late escapes. Maybe you tapped because their sweat dripped into your eye. It doesn’t matter. Swallow your pride and keep it to yourself. Stealing your training partner’s joy by explaining why they didn’t really earn the tap makes you an asshole.
   
2. Don’t hurt your training partners. If you rob your training partner of the chance to enjoy Jiu Jitsu for years to come as well as other physical activities like hiking or playing sports in the backyard with their kids because you finished a submission without control and before they had a chance to tap, you’re an asshole.
   
3. Don’t start coaching your training partner as they are about to submit you. If you start coaching them because you are losing and want it to look like you’re letting them win as a chance to learn, you’re an asshole. If you start coaching your partner because they are struggling and you want to help, you’re robbing them of the chance to problem solve. I will give you a reluctant exception if you are least two belt colors ahead of your training partner.

Tip #2: Position Before Submission

The most common mistake beginners make (okay, purple belts sometimes do this too….) is going for a submission when they haven’t yet controlled the position, giving their opponent an opportunity to escape. That’s why one of the most frequently repeated maxims in Jiu Jitsu is “Position before submission,” and another one is, “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.” It’s better to work slowly toward finishing a submission while maintaining control of your opponent than to move too quickly and allow them to escape.

If you’re new to Jiu Jitsu, practice achieving and maintaining a dominant position rather than spending too much time practicing submissions. Learn about the basic positions and which ones are most dominant in my article “Basic BJJ Positions: A Guide for Beginners.”

Tip #3: Use Submission Attempts to Create Opportunities.

Sometimes, attempting a submission can be a good way to improve your position. For example, maybe you’re on top of side control and are having a hard time finding an opportunity to move to mount. Attempting a submission can cause your training partner to change their position, giving you the chance to mount while they’re focused on defending.

Tip #4: Chain Together submissions.

If you are focused on getting an Americana from mount at all costs, your training partner will be focused on defending it at all costs. However, you might be able to get an Americana by first going for a cross collar choke so your opponent will have to move their hand to defend their neck.

Chaining together techniques in order to create opportunities to escape, advance your position, or finish a submission are why many people compare Jiu Jitsu to chess, and it’s what makes Jiu Jitsu a ton of fun.

Let’s start with some submissions from one of the most basic Jiu Jitsu positions: The Mount position.

Submissions from Mount

Mount is one of the most dominant positions in Jiu Jitsu and offers several high-percentage submission opportunities. Here are some of the most fundamental ones to master:

1. Americana

The Americana is one of the first submissions many people learn from mount. It’s especially effective against stronger opponents who try to bench press you off.

Things to remember:

• To isolate your opponent’s arm, lock your arms straight and use the full weight of your upper body to pin their arm to the mat.
• To avoid being bridged off while finishing the submission, stay heavy through your hips, with a hook in on the side opposite the arm you’re attacking.
• If you have trouble getting the finish, try moving their wrist farther down the mat closer to their shoulder before lifting the elbow.

2. Cross Collar Choke

I don’t often finish this choke from mount, but I really like attacking it as a way to get my opponent to move their hand, giving me a chance to slide my knee up to a high mount position or transition to technical mount.

Things to remember:

• Make sure to put your first grip in deep enough, past their ear.
• Base your head on the mat to avoid being bridged off.

3. Straight Armbar

Often, your opponent’s attempt to escape from mount will give you the chance to move into technical mount, which is the perfect position for setting up a the classic armbar from mount. The key to getting this submission is to take your time and focus on maintaining control each step of the way.

Things to remember:

• Keep their upper arm glued to your chest while moving into the position.
• Be careful to maintain your balance while swinging your leg over their head. I usually sit my weight onto my opponent, but don’t do this if you are training with a much smaller partner as you could injure their ribs.
• Keep your knees pinched tight and your heels pulled in close as you fall back.
• Scoot your hips as close to their shoulder as possible, and pull their elbow through as far past your hips as you can.
• Make sure their thumb is pointing up before you go for the finish.

Side Control Submissions

Side control offers several strong submission opportunities, particularly against an opponent who turns away from you.

4. Kimura

The Kimura is a versatile shoulder lock that works from multiple positions (it’s usually taught from guard) but is particularly effective from side control.

Things to remember:

• Isolate their arm away from their body
• Get a figure-four grip on their arm
• Keep their elbow tight to their body until ready to finish
• To get the angle you need to finish, step your foot over their head.

5. Bread Cutter Choke

Also called the Paper Cutter Choke, this gi choke is particularly effective when your opponent turns into you from side control. It’s also useful for getting your partner to move their hand so you can attack it with a Kimura or Americana.

Things to remember:

• Get a deep grip on their collar
• Use your forearm like a blade across their neck
• Drive your shoulder toward the mat

Bonus submission: Americana from Kesagatame

Kesagatame, also known as Scarf Hold, is a variation of side mount that can be very difficult to escape from. Here you can sometimes use your legs to catch an Americana, which is fun to get when it comes as a surprise to an unsuspecting opponent.

Things to remember:

• Keep your head low to prevent your partner from framing against your face.
• Don’t extend your weight too far over your opponent or they may bridge you off.
• Use your legs to trap your partner’s arm and move it into the Americana shape.
• Lift your hips to finish.
• Finish slowly to avoid injuring your training partner.

Back Mount Submissions

Taking your opponent’s back is considered the most dominant position in BJJ. From here, you have excellent control and your opponent can’t see what you’re doing, making it an ideal position for submissions.

6. Rear Naked Choke

The rear naked choke (RNC) is arguably the most fundamental submission in BJJ. It’s effective both with and without the gi, and it’s one of the most common submissions in both BJJ competitions and MMA.

Things to remember:

• Get your choking arm deep under their chin. Your elbow should line up with their chin.
• Use your other arm to lock the choke by grabbing your bicep.
• Keep your head tight to the back of their head.
• Squeeze by bringing your elbows together, not by crushing their head.

7. Bow & Arrow Choke

This gi choke is one of the highest-percentage submissions that I get on larger, stronger opponents.

Things to remember:

• Grip deep on their collar with your choking hand
• Pull the collar tight while leaning away
• I find using their pants for the second grip to be particularly effective.

Guard Submissions

While guard is technically a neutral or slightly inferior position, it offers several powerful submission opportunities.

8. Triangle Choke

The triangle choke is one of the most powerful techniques from guard, but if you go for it too soon, you’ll get your guard past. The key is to make sure you have broken down your opponent’s posture before going for the triangle.

Things to remember:

• Your opportunity to set up a triangle is when your opponent has one arm in and one arm out.
• Control your opponent’s head using either your crossed legs or your hands at all times. If they can sit up straight, they’ll get away and pass your guard.
• Side-crunch to the side opposite the trapped arm to get the angle. Your leg should be going across the back of the person’s neck.
• To get the finish, do these three things at once: pull down on the head, squeeze your knees, and lift your hips.

Bonus Submission: Straight Armbar from Guard

If you attempt a triangle and your opponent pulls their arm away to escape the triangle, you can quickly side crunch to the opposite side and swing your leg around their head to attack their other arm with an arm bar.

Things to remember:

• You have to know which arm you’re attacking.
• If they try to stack you, elevate your hips closer to their shoudler.
• If they start to pass your guard, keep a tight grip on their arm, and as a last ditch attempt flip over and go for the belly-down armbar. I’ve gotten this on many larger opponents!

9. Guillotine Choke

The guillotine is perfect for when an opponent drives forward to shoot for a takedown. Getting this submission on a collegiate wrestler who visits your gym is particularly satisfying.

Things to remember:

• Get your choking arm deep around their neck
• Keep your elbow tight to your chest
• Close your guard to prevent them from popping out

Bonus Submission: Kimura from Guard

The Kimura is such a versatile submission that I wanted to mention it again here. From guard, it’s particularly effective against an opponent who posts their hand on the mat while trying to stand up or break your guard.

Things to remember:

• Look for the opportunity when they post their hand on the mat
• Use your legs (guard closed) to pull down their posture, then shoot your hips away to create a hole to pull them into.
• If you can’t finish the Kimura, it can be a great opportunity to set up an Omaplata.
• If they sit up to resist the Kimura, go for a hip-bump sweep instead.

10. Straight Ankle Lock

While hunting for leg locks isn’t recommended for beginners (because you should be focusing on improving your position instead), it’s important to know how to defend against the straight ankle lock, as you might encounter it when playing guard.

Things to remember:

• Keep your feet crossed when in someone’s guard to protect your ankles.
• If someone catches your foot, turn your toes outward and push your foot past them, driving your hips closer to theirs
• If in doubt, tap. Knee injuries are for life, and the tendons and ligaments in your knee can snap before you feel pain.

Conclusion

Getting good at submissions isn’t about learning a bunch of fancy moves. It’s about learning to advance to dominant positions, control your partner’s posture, and, when the time is right, isolate their arm, leg, or neck with control. Cranking submissions at full speed might feel good in the moment, but it will make you unpopular as a training partner. And I promise you, there’s no better feeling in the world than to submit your opponent in slow motion, with utmost control.