The Back position, AKA Rear Mount, Back Mount, and Back Control (whatever you want to call it) is one of BJJ’s most important and effective positions. It’s a position that allows you a lot of control, more than most other positions, such as Closed Guard, Spider Guard, and Turtle Position.
Learning how to finish from the Back Mount position—is critical. It’ll allow you to finish fights whenever you manage to attain it. Now, attaining this position—is slightly more challenging than attaining other positions, such as Full Mount or Side Control.
Therefore, you also want to work on attaining Rear Control before you learn to finish it. So if you want to learn about the Back Mount position and how to attain it properly, follow this link.
Anyways, this article is going to be about finishing moves from Rear Mount. If you ever get into this position, regardless of how you got there, you want to finish as soon as you get it.
Because it allows you a lot of control, you’ll be able to go for the finishing move soon after attaining the position. I want you to get on the mat and practice already; so without further ado, let’s dive into the 1st submission from the Back!
#9 – Chilean Necktie
| Submission | Effectiveness | Simplicity | Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chilean Necktie | 6/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 |
The first submission we’ll review from the Back Mount position is the Chilean Necktie. If you’re unfamiliar with neckties, they’re basically chokes. Typically, you’ll perform them from the Sprawl and front headlock positions, which means they’re more common in wrestling.
The Chilean Necktie is exceptionally effective because you’ll apply neck pressure on the opponent using both your lower and upper body. Thus, if you execute it correctly, it’ll be an unbearably painful choke, forcing your opponent to tap out quickly.
There’s a solid variation of the Chilean Necktie from the Back Mount position. Here’s what it looks like.
- Start in Back Mount
- Free your lapel
- Feed your lapel to your overhook hand
- Grab your lapel with both hands
- Stretch it across the opponent’s chest
- Release the 1st hand
- Underhook the opponent’s biceps with your 1st hand
- Pull the opponent while leaning back
- Hook your far leg across his neck
- Pull your lapel
- Apply downward pressure with the leg you hooked
- Get the tap
To be frank, it’s quite an easy to execute Gi submission. If you don’t own a Gi yet, it’s one of these items you must own to call yourself a BJJ trainee, or a grappler, in general. So if you want to buy a high-quality Gi that’ll serve you for many years, follow the link!
Here’s a visual aid of the Chilean Necktie that will deepen your understanding of this execution. Likewise, if you want to learn more about the Chilean Necktie, including another variation, follow this link.
Learn more about the Chilean Necktie by following this link!
#8 – Lapel Choke
| Submission | Effectiveness | Simplicity | Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lapel Choke | 9/10 | 5/10 | 7/10 |
The 2nd submission we’ll review is the Lapel Choke. This is a widely known submission, so I’ll assume you’ve heard of it at least once throughout your BJJ journey. And if you haven’t, it’s totally fine.
The Lapel Choke from the Back is highly effective. It allows you to apply a lot of neck pressure using your lapel, as the name of the submission suggests. Think about how excruciating of an experience it can be to get choked by a piece of clothing, and especially with a strong fabric, such as with the Gi.
Here’s how to perform the Lapel Choke from the Back Mount position:
- Start in Back Mount
- Go for the Rear Naked Choke
- Free your lapel
- Grab your lapel with your other hand
- Slide your lapel across his neck
- Underhook the opponent’s biceps
- Pull his shoulder toward you
- Grab your choking arm’s shoulder with your underhooked arm
- Squeeze your lapel around his neck
- Get the tap
We’ll review the Rear Naked Choke in the upcoming sections, so don’t worry if you don’t know how to execute it. Anyways, this Lapel Choke from the Rear is a fantastic follow-up to the Rear Naked Choke.
If you fail to get it right, you’ll be able to continue your endeavors and follow up with this choke. It’s a fantastic, not less painful, alternative. Here’s how it looks.
Learn more about the Lapel Choke and how to perform it from other positions, such as Side Control, by following the link!
#7 – Clock Choke
| Submission | Effectiveness | Simplicity | Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clock Choke | 6/10 | 7/10 | 7/10 |
Alright. Next up on our list is the Clock Choke. It’s one of these submissions you want to learn as soon as possible—and that’s for two primary reasons. First, it’s a choke that’s very unexpected, so the opponent won’t see it coming.
Secondly, it’s a highly effective choke that will allow you to inflict a lot of neck pressure on the opponent, which in turn will force him to tap out. And again, the Rear position allows you countless options, especially submission. This variation can be another color in your pallet that you can pull whenever you desire.
Here’s how to perform the Clock Choke from the Back Mount position:
- Start in Back Mount
- Pull the opponent, breaking his posture
- Control the opponent’s arms
- Feed one hand under the opponent’s chin (wrapping it)
- Grab the opponent’s lapel with the same hand
- Grip the other side of his lapel with your other hand
- Roll with the opponent, using hip leverage
- Finish by walking in the direction of his head
- Wait for the tap
Watch how the opponent is unable to respond defensively in the video. It’s an agonizing choke that will allow you to get the tap quickly and effectively. Most importantly, there isn’t a lot of risk in executing it.
Learn more variations of the Clock Choke, including from Closed Guard and Side Control—by following this link.
#6 – Kneebar
| Submission | Effectiveness | Simplicity | Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kneebar | 8/10 | 7/10 | 8/10 |
The Kneebar is the next submission we’ll review. It’s the first and last leg lock we’ll review in this article. But if you want to learn more leg locks, which will allow you to submit the opponent using the lower body, follow the previous link.
Leg locks are crazy effective. They allow you to manipulate the opponent’s lower body to cause extreme levels of pressure and force him to tap. The Kneebar can be extremely effective if you perform it correctly, which is what I’ll demonstrate following this paragraph.
Here’s the Kneebar from the Back:
- Start in Tripod Back Mount
- Grip the opponent (double under)
- Hop on the opponent’s back at an angle
- Hook the opponent’s leg
- Break the opponent’s posture by grabbing his far leg
- Pull his far leg
- Hyperextend the opponent’s same leg
- Get the tap
This is quite a fancy move. But still, it’s quite simple when you perform it in real-time. Therefore, don’t be scared of the fanciness it possesses. Rather, get comfortable with learning fancy moves.
It was important for me to add this Kneebar variation to my list, as it’s a fancy move. However, it helps me clarify a critical point: not all fancy moves are complicated. The only difficult part here is hopping on the opponent’s back. Once you got that, you’re good to go!
Master the Kneebar leg lock by following this link.
#5 – Bow and Arrow Choke
| Submission | Effectiveness | Simplicity | Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bow and Arrow Choke | 8/10 | 7/10 | 8/10 |
The Bow and Arrow Choke is one of my personal favorites because it’s a beautiful and effective submission. You can perform it from many positions, such as Closed Guard, Side Control, and from the Back Mount (which we’ll cover in this section.)
It’s also a fancy-looking submission, but not as much as the previous Kneebar variation we’ve reviewed. So it shouldn’t be difficult to start learning and executing it properly.
Anyways, I don’t want to spend too much time introducing it. Here are the steps to performing it from the Back:
- Start in Back Mount
- Lean back to your weak side
- Open his collar
- Grab his collar with your dominant hand
- Bring your left foot across the opponent’s hips
- Grab the Gi around his knee
- Pull in
- Isolate the opponent’s far arm
- Kick your feet away
- Squeeze the collar
- Apply more pressure
- Wait for the tap
I absolutely and utterly love how this choke plays out. The coach who demonstrates this submission in the video below showcases just how perfect it can be when you know what you’re doing.
Following the steps I’ve presented in this section, you’ll be able to execute it flawlessly, with enough practice. However, a single section isn’t enough to review such a potent choke. So if you want to read more about the Bow and Arrow Choke, follow this link!
#4 – Armbar
| Submission | Effectiveness | Simplicity | Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Armbar | 9/10 | 6/10 | 8/10 |
The Armbar is one of BJJ’s most popular and effective submissions. It allows you to manipulate the opponent’s arm and shoulder and cause immense pressure. All in all, it’s a submission you must learn to call yourself a BJJ trainee, or even a grappler.
Here’s how to perform the Armbar from the Back Mount position:
- Start in Back Mount
- Lean to the side (so your head will be at the bottom)
- Kimura Grip the opponent’s right arm
- Bring it around his head
- Release your left leg hook
- Push the opponent
- Hook your right leg around his head
- Swing your left leg to isolate his right arm
- Make sure his thumb is facing up
- Pull his arm down
- Arch your lower back
- Get the tap
This is one of these submissions I believe everyone should strive to learn. You can execute it very quickly, leading to a much more surprising and effective submission. The faster (while remaining smooth) you can execute a submission, the less the opponent will be able to defend, which is great!
I’m a big fan of the Armbar and I believe everyone should learn and get comfortable with all its variations. Unfortunately, I can’t write more about it since I’m getting off-topic, as this article is about Back submissions. So if you want to learn more about the Armbar and how to execute it flawlessly with all variations, follow this link.
#3 – Triangle Choke
| Submission | Effectiveness | Simplicity | Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triangle Choke | 9/10 | 8/10 | 9/10 |
The Triangle Choke is perhaps the most known choke in the world of martial arts. It has its contenders, such as the Guillotine Choke or even the Rear Naked Choke. And still, it’s up in the top five most-known chokes in all martial arts, which means a lot.
The Triangle Choke utilizes trapping the opponent’s arm and head and applying neck pressure, usually with your legs. However, this variation will be quite different, and you’ll see why in just a second.
The point I’m trying to make is: you must learn the Triangle Choke, regardless of your BJJ belt color. You can be a white, blue, purple, brown, or black belt—and still enjoy the many benefits and opportunities the Triangle will give you.
So now, here’s how to Triangle Choke from the Back:
- Start in Back Mount
- Lean to your weak side
- Step on the opponent’s hips with your right foot
- Place your left foot on his right thigh
- Base your right foot
- Scoot out
- Hook your right leg around the opponent’s right shoulder
- Rotate your hips to the right
- Transition into the Triangle Lock (trap his head and arm)
- Drive his shoulder into his head
- Squeeze your legs
- Get the tap
All in all, extremely effective choke. Follow this link to learn more about the Triangle Choke and common mistakes novice grapplers make when using it.
#2 – Kimura
| Submission | Effectiveness | Simplicity | Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kimura | 7/10 | 9/10 | 8/10 |
Like the Triangle Choke, the Kimura is one of BJJ’s most infamous and effective submissions. It allows you to manipulate the opponent’s shoulder and apply immense pressure on it. At the end of the day, your grip is going to be tight and the chances of the opponent escaping—will be low.
This variation is much less common than the standard ones, such as from Side Control or even Closed Guard. The Closed Guard Kimura is more popular than all the others.
While this Back Kimura is less effective than the one from Guard, it doesn’t mean that you can’t learn and use it appropriately. So don’t hesitate to learn this variant if you feel that it won’t serve you; because it will serve you for a very long time.
Here’s how to perform the Back Kimura:
- Start in Back Mount
- Drop to the right side
- Open his lapel with your left hand
- Grip his lapel with your right hand (strong arm)
- Grip the opponent’s far lapel with your left leg
- Your opponent will take your hook out
- Hook and kick his left leg with your left leg
- Come up on your knees
- Stay low to keep control
- Switch to the Kimura Grip
- Step over his head
- Pull his isolated arm up
- Push the same arm to the other side
- Hyperextend his shoulder
- Get the tap
This is a must-know submission. If you want to learn to execute the Kimura flawlessly and learn about the Kimura Grip, follow this link.
#1 – Rear Naked Choke
| Submission | Effectiveness | Simplicity | Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rear Naked Choke | 8/10 | 10/10 | 9/10 |
We’re already in the last submission of this article. This has been one journey, if I may say so. You might have found it difficult to keep up with all the submissions. However, if there’s one submission I want you to take from this article—it’s this one.
The Rear Naked Choke is the classiest choke in all martial arts and for a good reason. It’s extremely simple and exceptionally effective. Your opponents will find it difficult to escape your Rear Naked Choke hold, especially if they don’t do martial arts.
Let’s dive straight into the steps to performing the Rear Naked Choke perfectly:
- Start in Back Mount
- Hook your right arm around the opponent’s neck
- Cross your wrists
- Grab your far shoulder with your left leg
- Lock your left arm using your chin
- Take your right elbow over his right shoulder
- Get the tap
I’ve thoughtfully decided to include a shorts YouTube video for the Rear Naked Choke. Although there’s much more to cover, I think it’ll be best if we keep it simple. This is how you perform the RNC properly. Work on the fundamentals before moving on to the more advanced techniques.
If you desire to learn advanced tips regarding the Rear Naked Choke, follow the link.
Final Words
So I want to finish this article by saying just one thing. It’s time for you to get on the mat and start working already. I know it might look more difficult to start doing the actual necessary work to get progress. However, it’s the most rewarding activity you’ll ever do in the world of BJJ.
I wish we could’ve learned from reading or watching YouTube instructionals because everyone then would be a competent grappler. However, that’s not the way it works. You have to get on the mat and practice what you just learned.
That’s the only way you’ll see progress
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Here are other articles you’d enjoy reading:
BJJ’s Best Neckties (Japanese, Peruvian, German…)
10 Best BJJ Guards You Want to Learn (With Great Tips)
The 10 Top BJJ Chokes You Need to Master
11 Best Half Guard Submissions From Top and Bottom