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Submission escape
Escape the north-south choke
Start here: your partner has the north-south choke set but not finished.
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Caught in
Escape to
Before it’s locked
- Keep one hand in front of your neck
- Frame on their hips
- Don’t let their arm slide under your neck
The main escape
- Hand in front of your neck
- Turn your body toward their hips
- Bridge to make space
- Recover guard
Escape roadmap
The seven stages of this escape. Work from the top: the earlier you act, the less you need the later stages.
- 1Prevent
- Keep one hand in front of your neck
- Frame on their hips when they go north-south
- 2Defensive posture
- Stay on your side facing their hips
- Chin tucked
- 3Hand fight
- Block their arm with your forearm before it slides under your neck
- Push their elbow away
- 4Make space
- Bridge to lift their chest
- Frame and hip-escape
- 5Clear the structure
- Turn toward their hips, not their head
- Bring your knee in between you
- 6Late escape
- Keep the hand in front of your neck while you turn
- Tap when their arm is under your neck and their hip drops
- 7Back to safety
- Recover guard
- Face them with frames up
Escape options
Forearm frameBefore the arm slides under your neck
Turn to the hips and recover guardOnce you have a frameOpen north-south escape →
When to tap
If their arm is under your neck and their hip drops, tap.
Common mistake
Turning toward their head.
Drill it
Partner starts in north-south with the arm under your neck but not locked. Round 1 at 30% resistance, round 2 at 60%, then live. Your partner applies the finish slowly; you tap the moment you reach the “when to tap” point. Switch roles each round.
How they apply itRead about itGrapplearts articlesBJJ Heroes
My notes
Saved automatically.
Quick checkEscape the north-south choke quick check4 questions
How it connects
- The attack
- North-south choke
- Caught in
- North-south (bottom)
- Escape to
- Seated open guard