Some submissions used in BJJ are more effective than others. These are the submissions that often have a high rate of success regardless of factors like how strong your opponent is. The traditional style of BJJ involves wearing a Gi and Gi pants, and it has many effective low-risk submissions. However, some of these techniques aren’t effective in self-defense situations or sports like mixed martial arts since you typically don’t have the luxury of having a Gi or Gi pants to hold on to. 

Some submissions used in BJJ are more effective than others. These are the submissions that often have a high rate of success regardless of factors like how strong your opponent is. The traditional style of BJJ involves wearing a Gi and Gi pants, and it has many effective low-risk submissions. However, some of these techniques aren’t effective in self-defense situations or sports like mixed martial arts since you typically don’t have the luxury of having a Gi or Gi pants to hold on to. 

For example, a collar choke is an effective low-risk technique, but your opponent needs to have collars you can grab. 

That’s why the submissions used in No-Gi BJJ are generally viewed as the most effective since you can perform them on people wearing Gis and those who aren’t. This article will closely examine some of the most effective submissions for situations where you don’t have a Gi to grab.

The Most Effective No-Gi submissions Used In BJJ

Ready to find out what the most effective No-Gi submissions are so you can start mastering them? Let’s jump right into our list:

1) Rear-Naked Choke

There’s no question about it, the rear-naked choke is the most effective submission used in grappling sports that allow chokes. Appropriately called the “mata-leão” in Portuguese, which translates to “lion killer,” you could probably choke out a lion with this technique if you somehow managed to wrap your arms around its neck without getting ripped to pieces. 

The Rear-naked choke is the most used submission in No-Gi and mixed martial arts competitions. It’s also a low-risk submission, meaning you don’t give up your position if you fail to secure it so you’re free to try something else. Drill this submission regularly until it’s almost guaranteed you get it whenever you take someone’s back. 

2) The Armbar

The armbar is the second most used submission in BJJ and it works well in Gi and No-Gi settings. It also has a high success rate when set up correctly. It’s not as low-risk as the rear-naked choke since there’s a good chance you give up advantageous positions if your opponent successfully defends against it. 

The armbar can be secured from various positions like the back mount, top mount, bottom guard, knee on belly, and side control. It’s a more complicated technique than the rear-naked choke, so you’ll need to dedicate more time to drilling it until it becomes second nature to you.

3) Triangle Choke

The triangle choke is the third most effective submission used in No-Gi settings. It’s just as effective when strikes are added as is the case with sports like mixed martial arts. The triangle choke shares some similarities with the armbar and it’s one of the first submission combinations newbie BJJ students learn. 

The triangle choke is a blood choke that restricts blood flow to the brain by cutting off its blood supply. The choke is finished by using the strongest part of your body; your legs, making it extremely challenging to escape from it once locked in. 

4) The Guillotine Choke

The guillotine choke is one of the first chokes BJJ students are taught and it’s effective at all levels of grappling or mixed martial arts. It can be a blood or air choke based on how it’s applied. The guillotine is one of those chokes all grapplers must know since there are many ways to secure one. 

The guillotine choke can be used as a defense against takedowns, and it can be secured from many positions like the clinch, bottom guard, top mount, and top turtle. 

5) Kimura

The kimura is one of the oldest submissions used today and it’s been around for centuries. Known as the double wrist lock in catch wrestling and “gyaku ude-garami” in Japanese, the technique got its newest name after Judo master Masahiko Kimura submitted the father of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Helio Gracie with it. It’s an old Judo technique that is now one of the most commonly used submissions in grappling sports. 

The kimura can be secured from various positions like the side mount, bottom guard, and bottom half guard. 

6) Arm Triangle

The arm triangle is another low-risk, high-success rate submission that’s quite popular in No-Gi settings. It’s a blood choke that can be extremely challenging to escape once it’s locked in. The key to making this submission work for you is to ensure you don’t leave any space as you wrap your arm around your opponent’s neck. 

You’ll be able to catch higher-ranked grapplers with this submission once you get the mechanics down. Also known as the head and arm choke, the arm triangle can be applied from multiple positions like the top half guard, top side control, top mount, standing clinch, and bottom guard.  

7) D’arce Choke

The D’arce choke is an excellent technique to add to your arsenal of submissions, especially if you have longer arms than most people. It’s effective in Gi and No-Gi settings and it’s tough to get out of once locked in. 

The D’arce choke can be secured from various positions, but the easiest way to lock one in is from the top half guard. People looking to escape from the bottom half guard often leave themselves vulnerable to the D’arce as they try to create space.  

8) The Americana

This is the first submission most BJJ students learn, and while most grapplers know how to defend against it, it’s still one of the most commonly used submissions in No-Gi settings. The Americana is a low-risk submission, meaning you typically don’t have to give up positioning if you don’t get it. It’s also an extremely effective submission for self-defense situations since most people don’t know how to defend against it and you don’t have to put yourself in a vulnerable position to lock it in. The Americana is typically secured from the top or side mount positions. 

Simpler Is Better When It Comes To Submissions

You don’t have to use techniques like the helicopter armbar to be a competent submission grappler. The basic submissions used in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are all you need to dominate the mats, so master them before devoting time to the flashier submissions.