Submissions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu come in all shapes and sizes. Some work by carefully advancing inch by inch until the opponent has nowhere to go. Others come at you like a freight train, you know what’s going to happen and you’re powerless to avoid it. Another category is blitz submissions, those opportunistic moves that are usually low percentage until the circumstances are just right. And then, there are the sneaky submissions, the moves that get you when you think you’re safe. BJJ necktie submissions fall under each of these categories, depending on circumstances. They’re a large family of attacks that can work together as a comprehensive submission system.
With BJJ necktie submissions, the main question that arises is whether they’re choice or neck cranks? It is one we’re going to answer further down in this article. In essence, BJJ necktie submissions are arm-in choke variations, that usually work from a front headlock-like position. They are brutal submissions that are hiding in plain sight. Neckties also work as pit stops between other chokes, offering much fewer escape possibilities for your opponent.s And, which is probably their greatest advantage, they’re as versatile as it gets.
Naming the neckties is another very interesting aspect of these submissions. Where and how it all started is unclear, but what we know is that every necktie is connected to a country. In that sense, you have Peruvian, Japanese, Mexican, German, Jamaican and many more neckties. At some point in time, there’ll probably be as many BJJ necktie submission variations as there are nationalities. So far, there are a bunch that works and a few others that need some fine-tuning. However, they’re a very powerful weapon to have, especially for those training and competing in the Gi. Let’s take a look at the world of neckties and the variations you need if you’re going to be a formidable grappler.
What Makes BJJ Necktie Submissions Effective
The mechanics of the BJJ necktie submission are fairly simple to grasp. As far as the mechanics go, neckties work primarily as arm-in chokes. the whole difference between an arm-triangle choke or guillotine is in body positioning and gripping. With neckties, your whole body acts as a wedge against the opponent’s head, helping the choke along. there’s also a twisting component to most neckties, courtesy of the grips. This adds both pressures on a choke, or a neck crank option, depending on circumstances.
Since it’s impossible to explain how a BJJ necktie submission works in general, we’ll use one of the variations as an example to explain the mechanics. Further on, we’ll look at many other variations and compare them to our “gold standard” necktie. For that purpose, we’re going to focus on the Japanese Necktie.
Let’s say you’re hunting a D’arce choke from a top half guard position. You have one arm trapped and your forearm is threaded under the opponent’s neck. However, the fact that your leg is stuck in half guard means that you can’t get the right angle to switch to a D’arce. You can, however, get a necktie. In terms of grips, a palm to palm grip behind the opponent’s head is your best bet. It provides the added benefit of wedging the head with one of your elbows.
finishing the necktie involves lying down on the shoulder of your top arm side. This puts your belly behind the opponent’s head. It provides a source of immense pressure as well as adding a twisting motion to the neck. The leg in half guard is something you actually need to finish, as it crunches and twits your opponent up even further.
BJJ Necktie Variations
In terms of the neck-crank conundrum let’s make something clear, rule-wise. Any and all neck cranking stemming from BJJ neckties submissions is not grounds for disqualification. These submissions are primarily chokes, constricting the carotid arteries to block the blood supply to the brain. So, any cranking effects are the same as a badly placed Rear Naked Choke. They’re legal and more of a side-effect. This means you can use neckties to your advantage as you can turn them into cranks on purpose if you wish so.
The origins of the neckties are not really clear. this is just a guess, but whoever came up with the Peruvian necktie must’ve used the name as it sounds coo land very appropriate. a Peruvian (or Bolivian necktie) is a method of murder common to prisons, involving a V-shaped cut on the neck. Most likely, from there on, people just started adding nationalities in front of BJJ necktie setups, resulting in today’s arsenal. Whatever the history, they’re a bunch of really slick submissions at present!
Neil Melanson knows all there is to know about neckties. Actually, he is the one behind the German necktie variation. If you want to learn how to use them in conjunction with other front headlock chokes, check out Neil’s “Headhunter Guillotine Series” DVD instructional. Check out what this amazing DVD has to offer in our detailed review.
Peruvian Necktie
Since we already covered the Japanese necktie, we’re now going to go over a BJJ necktie classic – the Peruvian. The Peruvian necktie is the perfect submission to hit a from a front headlock against the turtle position. Very often you can get the front headlock but not sufficiently deep grips for a guillotine or an Anaconda choke. This means you can either transition to the back or use the Peruvian necktie to finish directly and painfully.
The Peruvian necktie is actually quite simple. You just need an S-grip under an opponent’s chin. A gable grip is tighter but might throw the angle of your forearms off. Once you have the grip, you’ll look to extend your arms, pinching your elbows together. Next, you need to place one on the opponent’s head, hamstring over the back of their head. From there, you just sit back, getting your butt as close as possible to their head. be sure to swing your free leg over their back, just like with a Guillotine, to stop them from rolling over.
German Necktie
The German necktie is kind of a blend between the Japanese and the Peruvian neckties. Since we already know that both these moves work perfectly, a hybrid must double the effectiveness, right? Well, that’s actually not far from the truth.
The German necktie starts off from the same position as the Japanese – top half guard. The grip is similar to the one used in the Japanese, with a slight variation. Instead of going from palm to palm, look to thread the thumb of the bottom arm in between the forefinger and middle finger of the other palm. This provides a really tight grip that your opponent won’t be able to break.
To finish, simply extend and pinch your elbows, throw your free leg over the opponent’s head and post on the top of your head behind the opponent’s back. You’re essentially using Peruvian necktie mechanics to finish hs from a Japanese necktie position. Really effective!
Texas Necktie
The Texas necktie is kind of the ultimate BJJ necktie finish you can go for. It is a way to counter the best way someone can defend a D’arce or Japanese necktie – lying down flat. Whenever this happens you can look to use the grip you have to force your opponent to their knees and back down on their side. Or, you can go for a direct finish, right then and there.
To hit the Texas necktie, first, you need to modify your grip. Instead of using the palm to palm, you’ll need the S-grip, just like with the Peruvian necktie. Once you have the S-grip, place the shin of our leg, on the side of the trapped arm. The shin should go directly on the back of their neck. From there, you go to your side, looking to end up on your shoulder. Your free leg should swing over the opponent’s back. Just pul land squeeze for the finish.
Chilean Necktie
The Chilean necktie is a BJJ necktie variation that involves the use of the Gi. Whenever an opponent turns away from you in side control, you can think about this submission. it’s easier to set up than taking the back and it opens up armbars and back takes in case it fails.
What you want to do is use your own lapel and push it through under the opponent’s arm. Basically, you want your lapel in place of your “under”arm of a seatbelt grip. Your other arm is going to grab it around the neck of the opponent. Before you proceed, you’ll secure the near sidearm with a biceps grip. From there, you’ll need to lie on your side, so that the opponent ends up on top of you. Now, you simply place your chin on their head and finish with ease.
Mexican Necktie
The Mexican necktie is the answer to an opponent rolling to their knees in order to defend a Japanese Necktie. To get it you keep your arms in position for the Japanese necktie, palm to palm grip tight behind their head. Once the opponent is on all fours, you’ll look to throw one leg over their lower back. This is going to help you break them down again, ending up in a kind of back control. You can either have both hooks in, like from back control or hit a body triangle if you have the length. Finish by squeezing your elbows together and pulling back.
Australian Necktie
As far as really cool chokes go, this one wins by a mile! The Australian necktie is a continuation of the German necktie. it comes into play whenever an opponent tries to lie flat on their back while you’re attacking a necktie from top half guard. Whenever you go for the German necktie and you feel the opponent is trying to lie down, you need to let go of your top arm. then, use the arm on the neck to grab the shin of the leg you have over their head. From there on you need to roll and replace your hands once again when you’re done. You end up in a necktie with your leg on their back supplying additional pressure.
Speaking of Australian neckties, Lachlan Giles is by far the ultimate authority. The “High Percentage Chokes: No-GI” 4 DVD set covers everything you’ll ever need to learn about choking people without the GI. It focuses heavily on front headlock chokes and includes very cool necktie setups. Get it ASAP and start getting a boatload of taps!
Armenian Necktie
Here’s an interesting one. The Armenian necktie is a shortcut between the German and Australian. Since it’s halfway there, you can look to wrap things up with it, instead of going all the way to an Australian.
For this variation, you’re going to use the grip you have on your leg to finish the choke. Once you release your palm to palm grip from a German necktie and you throw the leg over, grab it just like you would for an Australian. Instead of rolling over and re-gripping, though, simply use the position to finish by extending your leg and pulling up with your arm. It might not work always, but it’s a cool pit-stop between two proficient BJJ necktie variations.
Colombian Necktie
The best way to describe this one is as a back attack gone crazy. The Colombian necktie is the best way to finish someone from the back when all other usual attacks fail. Let’s say you have perfect back control, hooks in, seatbelt grip secure. You simply can’t find a way to win the hand fight. instead of wasting time, get your “under” arm out of the seatbelt configuration. Re-grip, this time over the shoulder of the opponent and with a ball in socket grip (like for a guillotine).
Once you have the grip in, angle off to one side, just like when attacking an armbar from the back. Throw the bottom leg over the neck/chest area, looking to lock in a triangle with the other leg. The second leg should go over the opponent’s opposite shoulder. Squeeze everything to get your opponent crying.
Brazilian Necktie
Wrapping things up is probably the simplest of the neckties, done with the help of the Gi. From the top of half guard, look to get a grip deep on the opponent’s near side lapel. The goal is to reach the back of the collar, or deeper if you can. It’s just like setting up a cross-face. Next, get their far arm between your head and arm, like you’re going for an arm-triangle choke on the opposite side. The goal is to place your far side arm directly under their spine, gripping the Gi. This adds a discomfort component to the submission.
Finishing is as easy as projecting forward in order to open up space to swing your leg over the opponent’s head. Aim to get your knee over the opponent’s chin so that you have maximal leverage. Use the leg to push their head towards your bottom arm, this creating a choke.
Related Articles:
Guillotine Choke – Basics, Secrets, and Variations to Make it Perfect
Turning A Choke Into A Neck Crank – Legit Or Cheap?
Top And Bottom Baseball Choke Setups For Jiu-Jitsu
Peruvian Necktie
Japanese Necktie
“I am posting this in response to the incident at Austin IBJJ Open:
The most important thing, in my opinion, is the way people training. or better yet, teach self-defense. While you do not want to scare away people on their first day, teaching them to block a punch and stay there for a couple of minutes setting something up is just plain dumb. Self-defense requires training scenarios based on realistic events. Unfortunately, today’s self-defense curriculums seem to be based on Steven Seagal movies rather than reality. This is the number one issue the art faces.
