The rear naked choke, known in Japanese as hadaka-jime and in Portuguese as mata-leao ("lion killer"), is a strangle applied from back control without using any clothing. It is widely considered the single highest-percentage submission in jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts, and it is usually the first choke a student is taught after learning to take and maintain the back.
How it works (mechanics)
The rear naked choke is a pure blood choke. The attacker wraps one arm around the front of the opponent's neck so that the crook of the elbow sits directly under the chin, then connects the hand of the choking arm to the biceps of the second arm. The second hand is placed behind the opponent's head. When the attacker squeezes the elbows together and expands the chest, the biceps of the choking arm and the forearm of the same arm compress the carotid arteries on both sides of the neck simultaneously.
The windpipe is not the target. A choke that crushes the trachea is painful and slow, and a tough opponent can endure it for a long time, but a properly applied carotid choke renders an opponent unconscious in roughly seven to thirteen seconds regardless of size or pain tolerance. This is why the rear naked choke is the most reliable finish in combat sports.
Back control itself is the other half of the mechanic. Without the second hook in, without chest-to-back connection, and without head position behind the opponent's, the choke is easy to defend. The position must be established and maintained first; the strangle is almost an afterthought once the back is properly held.
When to use it (setups)
The rear naked choke is available any time the back is taken, which most commonly happens after a sweep that exposes the opponent's back, a failed guard pass that lets the bottom player turn in, or a scramble in which the opponent gives up their back to avoid a worse position. In MMA, it is the standard finish after taking the back from turtle position following a sprawl.
It also serves as the threat that opens up other attacks. An opponent defending the choking arm exposes their own arms to armbars and arm triangles, and an opponent who tucks the chin too aggressively can be attacked with bow-and-arrow or collar chokes in the gi. The rear naked choke is rarely a surprise attack at high levels; it is a constant pressure that eventually finds a gap.
Common errors
- Reaching across the throat with the choking arm before chin position is secured, which lets the opponent bite down on the wrist or trap the hand.
- Squeezing without first connecting the hand to the opposite biceps, leaving slack in the choke.
- Losing the second hook or letting the seatbelt grip break, so the opponent rotates out before the strangle closes.
- Crossing the feet behind the opponent's back, which gives up an ankle lock in MMA and reduces hook control in grappling.
Variations
The palm-to-palm "gable grip" version is a fallback when the opponent successfully blocks the biceps connection. The figure-four around the head, sometimes called the body triangle finish, replaces the second hand. The short-choke or one-handed mata-leao is used when the second arm is occupied controlling the opponent's defending hand. The bow-and-arrow choke, the clock choke, and the rolling back take are all closely related entries that end in the same finishing mechanic.
Who's known for it
Rickson Gracie is historically considered the master of the rear naked choke, finishing every one of his recorded matches and demonstrating the choke as the central weapon of Gracie jiu-jitsu. Marcelo Garcia built an entire competitive career around taking the back and finishing with the mata-leao at multiple weight classes above his own. In MMA, Charles Oliveira holds the UFC record for submission victories, with the rear naked choke as his most frequent finish.