Also known as: RNC · Mata Leão · Lion Killer · Sleeper Hold · Hadaka Jime · Rear Naked Strangle
The highest-percentage submission in all of grappling: from back control, one arm encircles the neck with the elbow under the chin, the other locks behind their head, and both carotids close. Every path in the sport eventually leads here.
Submission · Strangle (blood choke) · Gi & No-gi · Difficulty 2/5 · Usually learned at White belt
Starts from Back Control as the back taker → ends the match (submission).
The details that make it work
Win the hand fight first — your choking hand must cross their neck line, and their hands must not own yours.
Elbow under the chin, their trachea in the crook: the squeeze lands on the carotids, not the windpipe.
Lock the second arm behind their head (palm-to-bicep), expand your chest, and squeeze like closing a nutcracker.
Where it goes wrong
Squeezing across the jaw or mouth — painful, escapable, and exhausting for you.
Chasing the choke before control: hooks and chest connection first, strangle second.
How opponents counter it
Two-on-one hand fighting on the choking wrist
Chin tuck plus shoulder shrug to buy time for the hip escape
Is the Rear Naked Choke legal in competition?
Legal in all major rulesets at all levels (IBJJF, ADCC, sub-only). Rules change — always confirm against the current official rulebook for your event.
History & naming
Judo’s hadaka jime — "naked strangle," meaning no gi is needed. Older than every organization that now ranks it.