Straight Jacket Rear Naked Choke

After reading this blog post, you will master the straight jacket rear naked choke, enhancing your submission rate from the back mount.

While the rear naked choke is already a formidable technique, I will show you how to take it to a whole new level of effectiveness by incorporating the straight jacket control.

Picture yourself in the dominant position of the back mount, ready to secure a submission.

The straight jacket control, as the name suggests, involves trapping one of your opponent's arms.

This technique effectively restricts their ability to defend against your choke because now they only have one arm to defend against your two attacking arms.

If you want to take your rear naked choke game to the next level, mastering the straight jacket control is a must.

Watch the full step-by-step demonstration of the technique in the video below and start drilling it in your training today.

The "weak side" back mount control.

When you find yourself in the advantageous position of having the back mount with the seat belt grip, it's crucial to transition to your "weak side" to execute the straight jacket rear naked choke effectively.

The "weak side" refers to the side where your arm goes under your opponent's armpit.

To reach this position, you can either initiate the movement yourself or respond to your opponent's attempt to escape.

As you make the transition to the "weak side", ensure that you immediately attach your head to the side of your opponent's head.

By doing so, you prevent your opponent from placing their head on the mat and initiating an escape from the back mount.

Simultaneously, your bottom leg—the one on the "weak side"—should aim to align parallel with your opponent's hip line.

This strategic positioning limits your opponent's mobility, making it more difficult for them to escape.

To further reinforce your control over your opponent's hip, utilize your top leg by stepping on their foot or heel.

This additional measure adds stability and restricts their ability to move effectively.

For a visual representation of how your "weak side" back mount control should appear, refer to the image provided above.

Controlling opponent's bottom arm.

Next, you and your opponent will usually be fighting for grips.

During this gripping exchange, your primary objective is to secure a hold on your opponent's bottom arm using your own.

Ideally, aim to grip their four fingers as it offers superior control and leverage.

Keep in mind that in grappling competitions, it is against the rules to grip between one and three fingers.

However, gripping all four fingers simultaneously is permissible.

The least favorable scenario is gripping your opponent's bottom arm on the wrist area because this grip is much easier to break than the four finger grip.

Whatever the grip you eventually get, it is important for you to control the bottom hand before you can transition to the full straight jacket control.

Refer to the animated image above to see how I make the grip.

Provoking a reaction by a choke threat.

Next, your aim is to present a choking threat to your opponent using your top hand.

If your opponent does not defend, then great! You have a clear path to immediately execute the standard rear naked choke.

However, your opponent is likely not stupid and will instinctively try to protect their neck by using their top arm, as their bottom hand is already trapped from the previous step.

When your opponent grabs your choking hand at the wrist, you can slide it down towards their chest area.

This will set you up for the next step of the straight jacket control.

See the animated image above for reference.

Trapping opponent's top arm.

When you manage to slide your opponent's top arm to their chest area, you can now trap it using your top leg.

Open or swing your top leg over your opponent's top arm and begin peeling their grip off your own top arm.

Next, hook your opponent's top arm with your top leg.

When you hook your opponent's top arm, ensure that the shoelace area of your foot is firmly attached to their back like this:

This effectively traps your opponent's top arm, rendering them practically defenseless since both of their arms are now immobilized.

This is the full straight jacket control and now you are ready to execute the rear naked choke.

Digging in for the choke.

With both of your opponent's arms effectively trapped, their only remaining defense is to tuck their chin, trying to protect their neck.

Your next step is to make a fist with your top arm and begin digging underneath your opponent's chin to wrap around their neck.

See the animated image above for reference.

Open up space to free your bottom hand.

The rear naked choke requires you to use two arms to wrap around your opponent's neck.

Now, in the straight jacket control, your bottom hand is under your opponent's body.

Once you've got that solid grip with your top hand, it's time to free up your bottom hand.

To do that, just lift your opponent up a bit off the ground.

That little lift gives you the space you need to wiggle your bottom hand out and get ready to tighten the squeeze.

The rear naked choke grip.

Next, smoothly slide your bottom arm behind your opponent's head.

Once in position, secure a solid rear naked choke grip by having the hand of your top arm grab the bicep of your bottom arm, and vice versa.

Check out the animated image above to see how I make my rear naked choke grip.

Finishing the straight jacket rear naked choke.

Finally, it's time to execute the finishing phase of the straight jacket rear naked choke.

All you need to do is apply pressure by squeezing your opponent's neck with both of your arms while keeping your head closely connected to theirs.

When executed correctly, you'll discover that you don't need a tremendous amount of power or energy to force your opponent to submit.

See how I do it in the animated image above.

To wrap things up, no matter if you're rocking a gi or going for a no gi roll, nailing the straight jacket rear naked choke will totally level up your game.

It adds an extra layer of control, making it super tough for your opponent to wriggle free or pull a sneaky counter move.

With some solid practice, this technique will become a legit weapon in your grappling toolbox.

So, get out there and put in the work.

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