Counter to Triangle Choke Never Triangled Again

Andrew Smith is a 3rd-degree BJJ black chugalug based out of Richmond, VA (Revolution BJJ). He runs BJJ Path, a video tutorial website.

Triangle in Competition

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Late Stage Triangle Defenses

As a general rule, a loose triangle is far, far easier to deal with than a tight triangle. This may sound obvious, merely by far the near common and effective defense force of a triangle is prevention: avoiding the initial setup in the first place. The 2nd most effective and common defense is to posture, framing off of your opponent'southward hips.

Having said that, in that location are times when your opponent has you lot well under command initially, before setting up the triangle, and when they finally lock it in, your posture is already under control. For the moves shown beneath, we're assuming that your posture is already thoroughly compromised.

Overhook/Wrist Control Setup

In this particular triangle set up, you lot're tightly controlling your opponent's posture. In the video, I'grand being punched at by Rudy, and this setup is accented gold under those situations. However, this works extremely well in a sport BJJ or gym rolling scenario besides. All you really need to do is command your opponent's posture initially, then set upward an overhook on one side.

Once you have the overhook, yous can have your time to hunt for either wrist control, or to slide your human knee in betwixt you and your opponent (at the armpit, equally shown). Once there, it'due south easy enough to have command of the wrist and "jump the triangle"—retract your knee joint to your breast, jumping over their arm only like skipping rope.

The end result is, of grade, a very tight triangle set up, and your opponent'south posture is thoroughly under control. This is exactly what makes this move a great opener for the escapes shown here.

The Elbow Downwards Escape

Elbow Down

The "elbow down" escape is a great go-to as soon as you realize your posture has been compromised. For starters, your opponent will accept a much, much easier time choking you if your arm is across your body, thus cut off your carotid artery with your own shoulder. If your elbow is framed out and down (as shown in the video), y'all volition be considerably harder to asphyxiate. Second, your opponent really wants to plough their hips out perpendicular to you, thus tightening the triangle. In pinning his hip with your elbow, y'all are making this job extremely difficult to achieve.

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Equally soon as your opponent locks in the triangle, fifty-fifty if they have a effigy four with their legs, open your elbow out and bring your chest forwards. Be sure to protect your hand (the arm that's inside the triangle), as this is likely to exist a secondary attack for your opponent. Slowly walk your shoulders and feet in the management of your opponent's ankles until they come open. Call back: even if the ankles don't open up, you lot're still surviving, likely for far longer than you otherwise might!

The Articulatio genus Pin Escape

Deep Triangle Defense: The Knee Pivot

Okay, times are really tough right now. Yous're caught in a super deep triangle, and not only does your opponent have the figure iv with their legs, only they've also managed to get your arm beyond your body so that your own shoulder is completing the choke across your carotid artery! It's looking pretty bleak.

Enter the "knee pivot" defense. Start past grabbing their knee with your trapped arm. In one case again, don't forget to reinforce the trapped hand with your outside hand, lest your opponent switch to an armlock, shoulder lock, or wristlock from inside the triangle. You accept to recall this the unabridged fourth dimension you're doing this defence! Once the knee is pinned, you should instantly feel some relief in the blood flowing to your brain. Y'all are no longer being strangled then much.

If you can notice the spot in the crook of their knee to put your carotid directly, you're going to be way amend off. They volition non be able to close this off anywhere near as finer equally if they were flush with their hamstring, as they'd actually like to be. Further, y'all've already killed the platonic perpendicular bending once once more.

From here, it's time to put some serious pressure on their crossed ankles (or figure four, if they're somewhat flexible or lanky). In club to do this, yous're going to need to pull dorsum on their knee, in towards your breast, while pushing your chest forwards. Brand absolutely certain that you're walking in the direction of the pressure, keeping your base and preventing the sweep! This combined pressure will often strength the person to release the triangle. Even if information technology doesn't, information technology should buy you some fourth dimension.

© 2014 Andrew Smith

Wieslawa Olkowska on November 27, 2015:

Good article

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Source: https://howtheyplay.com/individual-sports/Escaping-the-Triangle-Choke-a-BJJ-Tutorial

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