No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu

Rear naked

Category: Strangle Rank: #1 Used Count: 1027

Overview

The rear naked strangle is one of the most fundamental and effective submissions in grappling. Applied from back control, it targets the carotid arteries on both sides of the neck using a variety of arm configurations. When properly secured, it produces a rapid strangle, making it one of the highest-percentage finishes in both sport jiu-jitsu and MMA.

In modern no-gi, back control and the rear naked form a complete attacking system built around maintaining hooks or a body triangle, constantly threatening the strangle, and using hand-fighting to expose the neck. High-level athletes blend repeated strangle attempts with leg-based arm traps and controlled grip exchanges to break defenses and apply the submission. Its efficiency, reliability, and ability to finish elite opponents without relying on strength make it one of the most successful submissions in all of grappling.

Common Applications

From back control: Slide the primary arm under the chin, lock the figure-four, and compress the neck while maintaining chest-to-back connection.

Related Techniques

Rear triangle, Rear kata gatame, Armbar, Twister

Note: The term “rear naked” broadly refers to any strangle applied from back control in no-gi, including mandible strangles, non–figure-four finishes (such as gable-grip variations), and one-arm rear naked finishes.

REAR NAKED ATHLETES (RANKS 1–20)

Rank	Athlete	Count
1	Gordon Ryan	31
1	Gianni Grippo	31
2	Roberto Jimenez	30
3	Dante Leon	26
4	Andrew Tackett	24
5	Giancarlo Bodoni	20
5	John Combs	20
6	Andy Varela	17
6	Luke Griffith	17
6	Roosevelt Sousa	17
7	Alex Enriquez	16
7	Jett Thompson	16
7	Keith Krikorian	16
8	Felipe Pena	15
9	William Tackett	14
9	Ethan Crelinsten	14
9	Craig Jones	14
9	Davis Asare	14
9	Jacob Rodriguez	14
9	Marcelo Garcia	14
10	Max Hanson	13
10	Joao Miyao	13
11	PJ Barch	12
11	Dorian Olivarez	12
11	Nick Rodriguez	12
12	Mica Galvao	11
12	Declan Moody	11
13	Adam Wardzinski	10
13	Vagner Rocha	10
14	Ryan Aitken	9
14	Kevin Beuhring	9
14	Pedro Marinho	9
14	Nick Mataya	9
15	Deandre Corbe	8
15	Mateusz Szczecinski	8
15	Kyle Boehm	8
15	Matheus Diniz	8
15	Jozef Chen	8
15	Ffion Davies	8
16	Helena Crevar	7
16	Patrick Gaudio	7
16	Tommy Langaker	7
16	Mason Fowler	7
16	Nick Ronan	7
16	Haisam Rida	7
16	Mayssa Bastos	7
17	Garry Tonon	6
17	Gabriel Sousa	6
17	Kieran Kichuk	6
17	Kaynan Duarte	6
17	Paulo Miyao	6
17	Lucas Barbosa	6
18	Jasmine Rocha	5
18	Raquel Canuto	5
18	Reese LaFever	5
18	Keenan Cornelius	5
18	Oliver Taza	5
18	Nicky Ryan	5
18	Dominic Mejia	5
18	Fabricio Andrey	5
18	David Garmo	5
18	Jacob Couch	5
18	Izaak Michell	5
18	Andre Galvao	5
18	Victor Hugo	5
18	Elisabeth Clay	5
18	Josh Saunders	5
18	Charles Negromonte	5
18	Michael Sainz	5
19	Kennedy Maciel	4
19	Bobby Sandhu	4
19	Geo Martinez	4
19	Alan Sanchez	4
19	Roger Gracie	4
19	Beatriz Mesquita	4
19	Joao Gabriel Rocha	4
19	Faris Ben-Lamkadem	4
19	Injana Goodman	4
19	Andrew Wiltse	4
19	Fabian Ramirez	4
19	Victor Delibero	4
20	Hunter Colvin	3
20	Max Gimenis	3
20	Eddie Cummings	3
20	Elder Cruz	3
20	Nathan Haddad	3
20	Placido Santos	3
20	Alexandre Ribeiro	3
20	Ryan Hall	3
20	Felipe Costa	3
20	Felipe Machado	3
20	Taylor Pearman	3
20	Brandon Reed	3
20	Yigit Hanay	3
20	Cameron Mellott	3
20	Gairbeg Ibragimov	3
20	Gustavo Batista	3
20	Chris Wojcik	3
20	Amanda Bruse	3
20	Inacio Santos	3
20	Adam Benayoun	3
20	Janette Gloger	3
20	Jason Rau	3
20	Danielle Kelly	3
20	Johnny Tama	3
20	Jon Blank	3
20	Josh Cisneros	3
20	Josh Hinger	3
20	Kenta Iwamoto	3
20	Kron Gracie	3
20	Levi Jones-Leary	3
20	Diego Oliveira	3