Ranking The Best Jiu Jitsu Submissions | Tier List

[@JoshRichBJJ]

This video is mainly in regards to No Gi Jiu Jitsu. I didn’t want to make the video too long so here are the rankings of a few subs I didn’t add. North South Choke- Low A Tier: Like the arm triangle, this submission can be finished while on top and offers a lot of control. It’s one of those submissions that takes some finesse to finish but if you’re good at it, it’s really tight. I put it below the arm triangle because when you fail to lock it up your arms are left on their head rather than their body, giving the bottom person a chance to reguard. No-Gi Ezekiel Choke- D tier: This choke is pretty easy to avoid if you see it coming but it can be a good counter to kipping escapes. Also it can be used from bottom as a cheeky hail marry. Generally it is pretty low percentage, so I’m putting it in d tier. Aoki Lock- High C Tier: A lot of times people’s toes will slip as you go for this making you lose the whole thing. It does target the knee and can be pretty devastating. But due to the lack of control it’s high c tier. Baratoplata-D tier: Similar to the tarikoplata. Sometimes you will slip off going for it. Hard to say though since I never do these. Dead Orchard-Low B Tier if you’re tall, otherwise F: You need a certain leg length to hit regular triangles but these take even longer legs (in proportion to your opponent’s upper body). They are really good if you can lock them up however they are pretty niche If there are anymore I missed let me know and I’ll add them to the list.

[@derrickrobinson7269]

For shits and giggles: Peruvian Necktie (Front Head) Dragon Sleeper (NS neck crank) Rib Crusher (closed guard) Body Triangle (Back Mount) Spladle (Single leg defense) Boston Crab (Lmao)

[@nicholasbruno9947]

Can you make a video with mr beast?

[@twanwaves2167]

I FUCKING LOST BRO LOL I would post the video but I don't have a channel lol

[@JoshRichBJJ]

@@twanwaves2167 it’s a good bro it was your first comp. You can send a video of your match to me on Instagram @joshrichiv and I’ll give you some tips on what you could have done differently!

[@twanwaves2167]

@@JoshRichBJJ bet

[@TC-bv4on]

The disrespect for the guillotine!!! One of the great controls in all of Jiu Jitsu along with the kimura. Can use it to sweep, submit, sweep and submit, defend take downs in wrestling, or use it in wrestling as part of your front head attacks. It is A-tier, if not S due to its versatility in an overall game.

[@Whitguy86]

Top level fighters defend against it with ease though. A wrestler who knows the defense will dominate you.

[@TC-bv4on]

@@Whitguy86 Let's reframe this a little. People change their head when they shoot making it more difficult to get a guillotine. It's so effective it literally changes the way people wrestle. The threat of a guillotine actually makes a lot of people afraid to shoot. But no, once you actually have a guillotine, wrestlers are not going to dominate you. For instance, take a look at the rolling footage between Marcelo Garcia and Ben Askren.

[@Whitguy86]

@@TC-bv4on I'm not disagreeing with you that it should be at least A tier. I've seen many people get caught in them, and most people are not high level fighters. I would do another video on self defense applications because the real world doesn't have that many high level fighters.

[@Whitguy86]

@user-gd6wl8pi9n Yeah it gets very annoying trying to get out of things

[@Greuxns]

i was thinking the same lol

[@mrsteezyoctopus3767]

You should do a systems of attack teir list. A lot of the front headlock chokes on their own arent that good but as a system of attack where you link them all together makes them amazing

[@4m4z1n-grace8]

You mind naming some that link together well?

[@mrsteezyoctopus3767]

@@4m4z1n-grace8 like arm in guillotine, anaconda, and darce.

[@4m4z1n-grace8]

@@mrsteezyoctopus3767 You know any instructionals that show how they link together? I'm a newbie.

[@mrsteezyoctopus3767]

@@4m4z1n-grace8 oh ya man! Lachlan Giles high percentage chokes. It's all front headlock. Works really well with back attacks too when you get good at it.

[@pcprinciple3774]

@@4m4z1n-grace8 Americana, Kimura, Straight Armbar, Genie Kimura

[@alexrobinet7576]

Calf slicer D tier was soul crushing but heel hook s tier was pretty based so I will let it slide.

[@Ben-xf9jf]

The North South choke is such a strong submission and should have been included.

[@chetfreeland1920]

Damn I just commented almost same thing

[@bensouthwest]

My go-to and most people don’t expect it, or know how to defend it

[@ConveyApp]

True. I hit the north/south choke every day. It’s kind of my move. Control sometimes can be an issue if that hip isn’t controlled. I have been working on setting it up from bottom side. I hip out grab an over hand headlock hit the reversal into the north/south. Anyways I feel that I hit the America mostly on larger guys, particularly with big shoulders. I’m 43, 5’5”, at 165lb purple belt. With triangles I am hitting rear back triangles more often than any other submission I do. I see triangles everywhere… that being said I blew my ACL out on Wednesday so probably not any more for quite sometime. Great video and wonderful tier list.

[@beimircc6434]

Hard to pull off sometimes

[@ConveyApp]

@@beimircc6434 Yeah it can be tricky at first. It’s also a very nuanced submission. Now I kind of perfected mine. I catch it all the time. It’s my second most hit sub. Particularly on big guys.

[@sudstahgaming]

Josh i think your the reason why I'm going to start bjj, well done, I never knew there we so many ways to get fucked up lol we are just a pile of walking submission meat!

[@JoshRichBJJ]

That’s awesome man, yeah lol there’s even more than the ones I mentioned especially if you train in the gi.

[@zodiac154]

I love the omaplata but i don't look at as a sub. It's really a sweep

[@Whitguy86]

I would love to see more top level belts making these so we can get an average estimate, which I'm sure exists out there.

[@JoshRichBJJ]

I would like to see that too, b team needs to make one

[@om-qg7ju]

​@@JoshRichBJJbuggy

[@acarzt]

RNC is only available from the back, so I would put it at A. triangle I'd put at S since you can hit it from bottom side control, back, mount, etc. And once it's locked, it's very difficult to get out of and allows you to attack arm bars and kimuras at the same time.

[@toastedbread909]

I agree the versatility is lacking, but it is probably the most effective. You get it under the chin and it’s over. Triangle is a little easier to escape, and there are more ways to combat it. As of dominance and efficiency, RNC is number 1 for sure

[@TcBalkom]

No way, one angle shift and thats not happening. It's a powerful choke, but vulnerable, top triangles are mid, in 10 years I've been finished 0 times by top triangles. And practically, you're getting slammed, and potentially sustaining permanent injury. Tex Johnson vs Orlando Sanchez.

[@toastedbread909]

@@TcBalkom I agree. Especially in a street fight, which is the main reason why we’ve started jiu jitsu in the first place, I wouldn’t do anything else but take them down, mount them, and RNC them unconscious. It has the least risk out of any submission.

[@JjhHutchinson]

​​@@toastedbread909hook their leg and you wont get slammed

[@HA3MISH]

jesus that craig jones vs vinny fight was fuckkkkeedddd. dudes knee and ankle sounded like bubble wrap

[@JoshRichBJJ]

Yeah dude it’s brutal

[@Karl-dv8zd]

Armbar is S tier. It was in the top 3 most common subs at ADCC

[@JoshRichBJJ]

I could have just made this tier list by going down the list of most common submissions at ADCC or IBJJF. But I tried to take a deeper look based on the criteria I set out. For me, in no gi the armbar lacks control, and like I said a lot of people won’t tap. Look at the Gordon vs Roberto he escapes the first armbar and Gordon loses mount. Or Gordon Vs Craig, Gordon was in a fully locked armbar and is able to escape. It gets hit a lot but how many failed attempts are there where people go for them and lose the back or mount. When u go for the arm triangle you don’t lose top position, and the bottom person can’t just refuse to tap. That’s just my reasoning lol

[@KharlHungus]

I'd guess if it was a statistic it maybe the most attempted/most escaped as well.

[@IconDD-be7gn]

That doesnt mean its good

[@JackFlead]

I love the buggy and go for it all the time, that being said, josh was pretty onpoint with his rating lol 😂

[@JoshRichBJJ]

😂

[@Harambe691]

The Kimura is everywhere. Standing. Sitting. Half guard. Mount. Even back mount

[@markzuckerberg3128]

1:46 You can just see the brutal squeeze of Khabib's RNC. I think this list is pretty accurate. Oddly enough, I probably tap more people with Americana than anything else. Ofcourse, I am a brown belts going against mostly white belts and blue belts.

[@TylerSpangler]

B tier guillotine ☹

[@JoshRichBJJ]

If we roll you might change my opinion lol

[@KingStackkz]

Last time I checked u were a blue belt so congrats on the promo!!!!!!!

[@JoshRichBJJ]

Thanks bro!

[@splister1754]

got my blue belt a few weeks ago gonna become a wristlock god

[@Jiu-Jitsu_for_Jesus]

Lol

[@skulldaggery_20K9]

A good toehold definitely attacks the knee

[@thebee0320]

Weird that triangles and armbars are not S tier given that they are #2 and #3 in ADCC finishes

[@toastedbread909]

I agree. Armbar is pretty underrated here. Triangle too

[@giacomocanevari2487]

Kimura is so underrated.

[@JoshRichBJJ]

Agreed

[@MMAELO]

Few other (mostly low rated) subs I haven't seen mentioned in the comments, with my rating: Arm-in RNC (what Tye hit vs Marinho @ ADCC), B Tier, maybe A tbh. It's really strong and I think we will see more of it in the future. Smother from mount, C Tier (New Wave has shown it's a serious sub) Peruvian necktie, D Tier Leg scissors, D Tier (good when used with the kimura) Kesa Crush, D Tier (good for bigger guys) Bicep slicer, D Tier Americana w/ the legs, D Tier (F Tier from bottom side) No gi baseball bat choke, D Tier (F for most people but some are really good at it) Shoulder lock from Scarecrow guard, D Tier Slam KOs (ADCC and related rulesets only), D Tier Niel Knot from Williams guard, E Tier (better than the meme F Tier subs but worse than most D Tier subs) Body Triangle, E Tier Von Flue, E Tier (good choke but dependent on your opponent messing up most times) Can opener / Full nelson, F Tier Scorpion Rib Crush, F Tier Forearm (no gi paper cutter)/Shin chokes, F Tier Bulldog choke, F Tier Pace choke / No-arm triangles, F Tier No gi lapel chokes (Canto, Bow & Arrow, Cross collar), FF Tier Bonus: Eye Gouging is A Tier in King of the Streets, so worth a mention.

[@thebee0320]

The bow and arrow choke is not at all F tier. In Gi it is hit fairly frequently

[@MMAELO]

@@thebee0320 Maybe you should learn to read, I clearly said no gi bow & arrow chokes and this video is all no gi submissions.

[@trashorfire3191]

full nelson variant- illegal but good spine lock- illegal but good hell choke- legal and good

[@swoopingeagle3942]

Armbar is really hard to escape if you know how to use the position at his best, S tier for sure Guillotine is S tier too, so many variations to finish and so many things you can do with it. Switch ankle lock and knee bar.

[@cotamarinha2408]

its kinda of hard to get a good arm bar in and even if you do you cant break arms with it so when there is alot of money into pros just take the pop instead of tapping

[@BrunoDoesJits]

Day 32 of asking you to make a video with Mr. Beast

[@Liefvikerson]

I'm sure he has him on vip in contacts. Dork.

[@sampekula9642]

The only submissions ive ever been able to hit at practice were the guillotine, triangle, armbar, and an out-of-nowhere calf slicer (the same kind Charles Olivera hit in the UFC). With people outside the gym setting, ive gotten heel hooks, a mounted triangle, mounted triangles with various flavors of armbars and shoulder lock combos, and some weird mounted gogoplata hybrid thing that i couldnt recreate if i tried...

[@james.randorff]

Good and fun video! Hard disagree about the bicep slicer, as it is my favorite thing to chain off of an armbar when someone locks their hands. Yes, I could work to break the grip, but why not make them worry about separating the elbow joint instead? 😊

[@JoshRichBJJ]

I often get stacked when I go for it and it feels hard to finish from there but maybe I need to play around with it more

[@james.randorff]

@@JoshRichBJJ I think I only go for bicep slicers when I either have the person laid out flat on their back, or if I’m attacking a belly-down armbar and can hip down into them. Maybe it also has the convenience factor of having fallen out of fashion, so people don’t expect them.

[@dogperson432]

Nice video. Would have been nice to see ezekiel or north south

[@JohnYuFitness]

This video will inspire the next generation of wrist lockers!

[@kylehallman8183]

Some of my favorite subs ranked so low. But I expected Calf slicers and Electric chair low on the list, they kinda suck, but I love hitting them even more for that reason. Personally I think triangle should fit into S though. But I suppose I have long legs and im bias.

[@thecubeman381]

I'm looking forward to a sweep tier list next.

[@ed1726]

I see the wrist lock as similar to the arm triangle. In that from a dominant position it's very low risk. Not always available and not as good as the arm triangle for sure but not without some merit. If nothing else it can force them to move their arm.

[@r8m8s8]

My fav was the D"arce! However havent done jits in over a year :(

[@roballister5269]

9:55 lmao that was funny

[@0b3ryn29]

Triangle is S-tier. it is one of, if not, the most controlling submission hold (back triangles, side triangles, etc) and it gives a variety of sub options from the hold (americana, armbar, kimura, strangles). Armbar is A-tier. Americana is B to A-tier. Watch Danaher's ageless jiujitsu dvd. He gives details on the americana that increases its finishing percentage (although still not as high as armbar or kimura).

[@toastedbread909]

Americana is B tier. Usually isn’t as efficient at the higher levels. I know you said there are details of how to increase that, but it is easier to escape then an armbar or anything else in A tier

[@artnos]

i think in the gi the armbar is better, you can control the legs and it can be reallly slow and controlled

[@joeyhockey4623]

Walls of Jericho snubbed

[@JoshRichBJJ]

How could I forget. S Tier

[@shaneshafer2334]

Can you do a tier list for guards for gi and no gi, like for instance spider guard maybe b tier for gi and f tier for no gi or maybe butterfly guard a tier for gi and no gi etc.

[@JoshRichBJJ]

Yeah I gotta make that someday!

[@trashorfire3191]

great idea

[@andiraci4946]

What would you say the best subs for MMA would be? Just off the top of my head they would be the RNC or arm triangle. Insightful vid!

[@JoshRichBJJ]

Yeah I would have to say the rnc because so many people give up their back when getting taken down

[@orid1922]

Kimura is the GOAT of submissions, you can hit it from everywhere and if you’re strong and explosive you can submit people that are actually better than you

[@raywill2007]

Calf and bicep slicers are 2 of my favorites. Also, no mention of the Estima Lock?

[@5koby4]

As a wrestler with little BJJ experience I always go with kimura, guillotine, and RNC

[@talkingfights]

great vid

[@x100up]

vid came out 2 minutes ago, you barely watched it so how is it a great vid?

[@familiartundra8903]

@@talkingfights what ???

[@TristanReynolds-ty3wq]

@JoshRichBJJ. The baseball choke is usually considered a gi choke but there are no gi variations that I think are really good and work better than with the gi

[@twanwaves2167]

Ayy man keep up the content and I compete tomorrow wish ya boy luck I'm going for gold I know it's my first 1 but I'm aiming for the stars lol

[@MrKanti-yy5ux]

Tear it up brudda

[@kylefee4822]

Gl

[@twanwaves2167]

@@kylefee4822 no gi

[@kylefee4822]

I was saying good luck

[@twanwaves2167]

@@kylefee4822 oh lol preciate it

[@torsti4791]

bro put wristlocks into f tier while calf slicer in d tier. Bro I'm boutta head out fr 🥲

[@Boogerbob]

That pucture of the guillotine is a picure of my coach doing it

[@TheGodfather101]

Guillotine. Kimura. Heel hook. Can be a precurser and a finish.

[@Mattchew2232]

9:43 I see your One Piece love, Josh. : )

[@ParkerSmithBJJ]

The guillotine is a lot more useful. One of my tournament matches lasted 8 seconds because of one 🤷

[@badart3204]

One of my favorite submissions is from knee shield and pull their neck into your knee for a choke. It’s ghetto af but if it doesn’t work you lose nothing. Kinda like a gogoplata but I actually sub people with it. Doubt it works at higher levels but great for the shitter squad

[@nightterror7201]

Notes for buissnes prt 2: note arm bar is average feds will rase intrest rates for inflation. fiscal policy: gov way of maniging the economy aka gov spending and taxes. alrigt das probably enough. nice vid

[@claudioalcantara4293]

At 8:17 this Myao picture is insane!

[@familiartundra8903]

Part of the first 100k subs gang 👇

[@thenoobreturnz8968]

I start going to an mma gym on Wednesday gonna need this 😂

[@nolife1506]

Thought wrist locks were bad, didn't tap to one, it didn't hurt that bad right away, then for weeks my wrist was in pain, please just tap yall.

[@Soulful_Oatmilk]

RNC and Heels Hooks are S tier This is the way

[@marcoebli8100]

good tier list but you forgot the von flu choke

[@JoshRichBJJ]

Bro I completely forgot that choke existed, even though I go for it sometimes 😅

[@shoto520]

Do one with sweeps plz!

[@superuser8636]

No joke, I was hoping you would get to the arm triangle and you can get it from anywhere including standing

[@crazyboi1818]

God i love a good Kimora

[@wickinitty]

Armbars are S tier as you actually do control the head and arm, more pain comes from the head control than the arm. proper armbars are fearsome as long as you dont scrub out and cross your feet

[@ijustwannaleaveacommentony6511]

i think he also didn't consider the difference between looking for a tap or looking to inflict massive damage. rolling with team mates you will apply pressure accordingly, thus giving opponent opportunities to escape. in a FR situation there's no such consideration.

[@wickinitty]

@@ijustwannaleaveacommentony6511 I think maybe his own hit percentage affects his ranks. Also if ease of getting the tap is a main requisite, the properly applying an armbar should make it s tier

[@rixter69]

baseball bat is most underrated sub.

[@danwoods3360]

Hi I'm watching self-defense videos and interested in BJJ. What exactly is a "pop"? I first thought dislocate, but I know I'm wrong lol 7:44

[@thirtythree504]

I would not do good in tournaments. The moment someone even grabs one of my legs im tapping 😂

[@flonk2355]

pretty good list, what is your opinion on guillotines from top half? I use it a lot to pressure pass and I can finish it pretty frequently while keeping my base under me, not giving up position.

[@JoshRichBJJ]

I think they're great because while they're focused on protecting their neck you can pass.

[@sgtpepper7897]

For the Arm Triangle, Do you lay down and twist? The way you were doing it seems like it would take awhile, if you sprawl out to the side so you are perpendicular to them it cuts off the air pretty quick? Or do you not do it that way for fear of losing control?

[@JoshRichBJJ]

Yeah I feel like there’s less risk of them turtling when I do it that way and if I get the right positioning there’s still a lot of squeeze

[@noelminor3599]

As long as you’re not an 2nd Dan aikido black belt or a hapkido black belt, you can kiss your wrist locks goodbye😂😂

[@JordenLeonard]

North-South choke?

[@rsousa1235]

💯💯💯

[@alexkehoepwj]

I mostly agree

[@Ben-ph3gb]

Ive hit tons of andaconda chokes on takedowns

[@glucasme]

Boston Crab?

[@imcgonigle2006]

Won my first BJJ match by a leg lock. I got it when he was on my back and I baited him there to cross his feet and crank his ankles back. To people who haven’t seen it before, it can work pretty well

[@ryanimpink13]

This was in white belt, right? White belts would be the only people ignorant enough to cross their feet. (I mean ignorante with respect, the literal sense of the word, meaning not knowing)

[@Kalernor]

What about power guillotines, what do you think of those?

[@pedrosolano6844]

nice contenttttt bring more

[@waddwawadsdasad2339]

Noo, tarikoplata is my fav submission😭😭

[@chetfreeland1920]

Haven't watched it yet but I'm telling you now north south should be ranked high

[@jolpool534]

I had to exercise a lot of self control so as not to turn off the video the moment you didn't put the armbar in A or higher tier 🙃

[@starshipjive411]

Were would you place rear neck crank or north south choke?

[@rodfarva5107]

U need to trap the elbow before u wristlock the 🌎 or they will just pull there arm away when u start to go for the wristlock

[@god0ftop952]

Isnt the americana just a kimura? It sure looks like it.

[@mrboy9658]

kimura is my best one

[@corruption_taze5971]

shouldve mentioned ezekiel choke

[@lindltailor]

So when you break the knee it’s game over but not the wrist? you present to us the standard mcDojo priority of submissions, all of these offer dark arts within themselves

[@Whitguy86]

4:46 where can I find this match?

[@trevorspinosa3846]

how you gonna sleep on ezekiel/punch choke, easy A tier for me

[@bamer6000]

Say you're in guard on top and you hook a leg with your same side arm. Your forearm is on the back of the knee. Then you hook the crook of your foot into the crook of their foot by slipping your knee to the outside. Have I invented a new submission or am I just uneducated? Note: I'm not a bjj practitioner or anything like that, I just like martial arts. Edit: it has come to my attention that I have "invented" the ham sandwich. Which is very funny to me.

[@francoispichette4037]

Wheres the peruvian necktie at

[@scousekidwa301]

Rnc 🐐

[@MRGCProductions20996]

ezekiel?

[@mariusjalba3562]

Where is ezechiel choke?🤔

[@rosatistrengthsystems]

This is a certified hood classic

[@postdorian]

So the average armabar is statistically the most used move🤷

[@midnightpiledriver]

So funny to put armbar at B, when it's consistently one of the most successful subs ever, you also showed the graph showing that Based on the graph its almost as successful at nogi as rnc but its so much more successful at gi than any other sub

[@kayjitsu3151]

Armbar should be A Tier. Maybe even S

[@jon-kd5st]

Pure top pressure is the best submission.

[@brandonlyons8602]

No spladle

[@joshuaamado559]

No gi chokes?

[@steve00alt70]

Judo subs are the best

[@ppellacani]

I missed Ezequiel and Clock Choke, two great Judo chokes.

[@danielm5555]

ezikel? with gi ?

[@nathaniel_1152]

Where is the E tier?

[@JoshRichBJJ]

I don’t know my alphabet

[@nathaniel_1152]

@@JoshRichBJJ its ok the only thing I can spell is BJJ

[@bjjmotivationlatam]

Bro u fight with gi?