Overview
The anaconda strangle is a figure-four strangle applied from the front headlock, where the attacker threads the strangle arm under the opponent’s neck and through to the far armpit before locking a tight figure-four grip. Popularized in modern no-gi by Rafael Mendes, the anaconda is one of the strongest rotational strangles available from the front headlock system.
The key structural difference between the anaconda and the darce lies in the placement of the strangle-arm hand. In the anaconda, the strangle-arm hand finishes near the opponent’s far shoulder, whereas in the darce it finishes closer to the opponent’s neck.
The submission is typically applied after establishing a front headlock when the opponent’s head is low and their far arm is exposed. Once the figure-four is secured, the attacker tightens the loop by rolling, circling, or trapping the isolated arm with their leg, drawing the opponent’s arm across their own neck while compressing both carotid arteries. The combination of rotational torque and figure-four leverage makes the anaconda one of the highest-percentage submissions in both grappling and MMA.
Related Techniques
Darce, Guillotine, Arm-in guillotine