How to Finish the Rear Naked Choke: Avoid These 3 Common Beginner Mistakes!

In this post, I will provide you with tips and pointers on how to finish the rear naked choke.

If you're a practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) or Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), you know the rear naked choke is one of the most effective submissions.

However, beginners often struggle to finish the RNC due to these 3 common mistakes:

To start with, the key to finishing the rear naked choke is to block the blood flow to your opponent's brain, causing them to lose consciousness.

If you want to block the blood flow to the brain, you need to properly squeeze the carotid arteries in your opponent's neck.

However, beginners often pull their opponent's neck and arch their back to finish the choke.

This is a mistake because it can cause neck cranking and won't lead to a proper choke.

What you need to do instead is focus on squeezing the carotid arteries with your biceps and forearms.

The second mistake beginners make is not using proper hand placement.

What beginners often do is using the pro-wrestling "sleeper hold" by putting the hand that is behind their opponent's head on the top of his temple.

I love pro-wrestling but the rear naked choke version depicted in it is not the real one.

So, if you use the "sleeper hold", you won't be able to finish your opponent with the rear naked choke.

What you need to do instead is to make the hand in the back of your opponent's head look like a blade/sword chopping down the neck.

This allows you to control your opponent's head and neck to prevent them from moving their head and neck.

The third mistake is not keeping your chest-to-back connection parallel.

Before you attempt to finish the rear naked choke, ensure that your chest is parallel to your opponent's back.

If there is any angle between your chest and your opponent's back, the choke won't be effective.

You cannot force the rear naked choke from an off-angle position.

What you need to do is readjust your chest connection with your opponent's back and then try to finish the rear naked choke again.

Remember: position before submission.

Now that you have learned about the 3 most common mistakes, let's take a look on how to finish the rear naked choke effortlessly.

To apply the choke, start by securing the position by wrapping your arm around your opponent's neck with the bicep against one side of their neck and the forearm against the other side.

Let's assume for this example, you are using your right arm to wrap the neck.

Then, put your left arm behind your opponent's neck, shape it like a blade that chops down.

Your right hand then grab your the bicep on the left hand and vice versa. This grip configuration will help to secure the position and make it harder for your opponent to escape.

Once you have secured the position, focus on squeezing your biceps and forearms to apply the choke.

Remember to keep your chest-to-back connection parallel.

It's also important to note that the rear naked choke is a submission that should be applied with caution.

You should always release the choke as soon as your opponent taps or goes unconscious.

To have a more clear details on what I am talking about here, you can watch the video below:

In conclusion, knowing how to finish the rear naked choke is an essential skill for any BJJ or MMA practitioner.

By avoiding the common mistakes and following the tips and pointers outlined in this post, you can significantly increase your chances of finishing the rear naked choke.

Remember to focus on applying a clean choke by squeezing properly on the carotid arteries, using the proper hand configuration, and maintaining a chest-to-back parallel connection with your opponent.

With lots of drills, you can make the rear naked choke one of your most reliable submissions.

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