Banana Split

Last updated: June 14, 2026

What is the banana split submission?

The banana split takes its name from the dessert, where a banana gets sliced down the middle. In grappling, the two halves are an opponent’s legs, and the attacker pries them apart until the strain on the groin and hips becomes too much to hold.

It belongs to a family of leg-and-hip attacks rather than the joint locks most beginners learn first. The attacker controls one of the opponent’s legs with their own leg, traps it, then pulls the second leg in the opposite direction. Nothing twists or cranks a single joint. The pain comes from forcing the body into a split far wider than the hips want to go.

Plenty of grapplers treat it as a control position as much as a finish. From behind an opponent, it pins them in place, drains their options, and opens the door to other leg attacks if the split itself does not produce a tap. That dual purpose, part submission and part control, is a big reason it keeps showing up in no-gi grappling.

How the banana split works

Picture someone riding an opponent’s back, or crouched over them as they turtle up on hands and knees, having hooked or wrapped one leg. Instead of climbing toward a choke, they reach for the free leg and drive it away from the trapped one. The opponent’s legs spread like a wishbone.

Two things make the position easy to spot on video. The attacker’s body usually sits low and to the side, behind or underneath the hips, never square in front. And the finish has no sudden snap to it. The split builds slowly as the legs separate, which is why commentators often catch the look on a trapped fighter’s face before any tap lands.

Flexibility decides a lot here. A limber opponent can sometimes ride out the stretch, so the banana split often becomes a threat that forces a reaction rather than a guaranteed finish.

Banana split vs. Suloev stretch

These two names get swapped around constantly, and they are close cousins, but careful grapplers keep them apart.

The banana split is a groin stretch. It usually comes from a cross-body ride, lying across the opponent’s back, or from the turtle, with one hook in, and the pain lands on the inner thighs and hips as the legs spread.

The Suloev stretch sits higher up. From full back control, often as the opponent posts up on hands and feet to escape, the attacker peels one leg toward the opponent’s head. The strain there falls on the hamstring and lower back, closer to a kneebar in feel. The name traces to Amar Suloev, an Armenian fighter who first landed the move in a 2002 bout, according to Wikipedia and grappling writer KJ Gould, who coined the term.

	Banana split	Suloev stretch
Usual start	Cross-body ride or turtle, one hook	Full back control
Main target	Groin and inner thighs	Hamstring and lower back
Feel	Forced splits	Closer to a kneebar
Named after	The dessert	Amar Suloev (2002)

Where the banana split comes from

Long before it had a flashy name, the banana split lived in folkstyle wrestling as a riding and pinning tactic, a way to turn an opponent and rack up points when they posted up on all fours.

It crossed into submission grappling largely through Eddie Bravo and his 10th Planet system. Bravo built a web of connected no-gi positions, such as the lockdown, the truck, and the electric chair, and the banana split slots naturally into that chain. BJJ Fanatics credits him as one of the figures who pushed these techniques onto the global no-gi scene. That lineage is why you are far more likely to see the banana split in a no-gi match than in a traditional gi tournament.

Is the banana split legal?

For adults, yes, under the most widely used rule sets. The IBJJF treats the classic banana split as a groin stretch rather than a leg lock, which puts it in the legal column for every adult belt, from white on up. The head referee of the IBJJF has confirmed there is no rule barring it by rank, a point echoed across the grappling forums that track the rule book closely.

Children are the clear exception. Competitors aged twelve and under cannot use it in IBJJF events, since the stretch can load young joints before they know to tap.

One caveat matters. If the attacker stops stretching the hips and starts twisting the knee, the technique drifts into knee-reaping territory, which carries its own belt and gi restrictions. The pure groin stretch is the legal version.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the banana split a submission or a control position?

Both. It can force a tap on its own through the groin stretch, but many grapplers use it to pin an opponent and set up other leg attacks rather than finishing from it directly.

Is the banana split the same as the Suloev stretch?

Not quite. They are closely related, but the banana split targets the groin from a cross-ride or turtle, while the Suloev stretch hits the hamstring from full back control.

Does the banana split work in MMA?

It does, though it stays rare. The closely related Suloev stretch has produced a handful of UFC taps, with Kenny Robertson’s win at UFC 157 often cited as the first.

Why is it called a banana split?

Because the opponent’s legs get pulled apart like the two halves of a banana in the dessert. That wide, splitting shape is where the name comes from.

Is the banana split dangerous to drill?

It can be, since the groin and hips reach their limit fast. Training partners usually apply it slowly and tap early, as flexibility varies a lot from person to person.

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Sources

1. Elite Sports. “Banana Split Submission Jiu Jitsu: The Ultimate 2026 Guide.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://www.elitesports.com/blogs/news/banana-split-submission-jiu-jitsu-the-ultimate-2026-guide
2. Evolve MMA (Evolve Daily). “Here’s How to Use The Banana Split In BJJ.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://evolve-mma.com/blog/heres-how-to-use-the-banana-split-in-bjj/
3. BJJ Fanatics. “BJJ Banana Split.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://bjjfanatics.com/blogs/news/bjj-banana-split
4. LowKick MMA. “How To Do The Suloev Stretch Submission.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://www.lowkickmma.com/suloev-stretch-submission/
5. Sonny Brown. “The Suloev Stretch Submission Breakdown.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://www.sonnybrown.net/the-suloev-stretch-submission-breakdown/
6. Wikipedia. “Amar Suloev.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amar_Suloev
7. 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu Forum, IBJJF rules clarification (Head Referee Alvaro Mansor). Accessed June 2026.
   https://www.10thplanetjj.com/forum/threads/21753-IBJJF-Rules-Clarifications

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