Mounted Triangle

Last updated: June 18, 2026

What is a mounted triangle choke?

The triangle choke is one of grappling’s signature submissions. The attacker wraps both legs around an opponent’s neck and one arm, forming a figure-four shape that looks like a triangle. Most people first see it applied from the bottom, off the guard. The mounted triangle is that same finish set up from the opposite place, with the attacker on top in the mount position and the opponent flat on their back.

Why attack it from the top at all? Position. Mount is already one of the most dominant spots in jiu-jitsu, and gravity does part of the work. Pressing down on a trapped arm is easier when body weight helps, so the choke can be locked without giving up the top.

The geometry never changes, wherever the choke starts. One of the opponent’s arms stays inside the legs, and the other stays outside, the classic “one arm in, one arm out.” That trapped arm is not a bystander. The opponent’s own shoulder becomes one wall of the choke, and the attacker’s leg becomes the other. In Japanese, the technique is called sankaku-jime; in Portuguese, triângulo.

How the mounted triangle works

The position changes, but the choke itself does not: a mounted triangle is a blood choke, not an air choke. It does not block the windpipe. It squeezes the carotid arteries on both sides of the neck, the vessels that carry blood to the brain, which is why many coaches prefer to call chokes like this “strangles.” A properly applied triangle renders someone unconscious in an average of about 9.5 seconds, according to research cited by Wikipedia, though most people tap well before that.

The pressure comes from two surfaces closing on the neck at once. One leg presses into one side. The opponent’s own trapped shoulder, driven inward, presses into the other. Lock the legs without that shoulder pinned across the neck, and the choke stays loose no matter how hard anyone squeezes.

From the top, the trade-off is mobility. The attacker’s weight sits on the legs, so they move less freely than they would from guard. What the position gives back is control of the opponent’s upper body from above, with gravity helping pin the arm. A common way to finish is to roll from the top down onto one side, which tightens the angle into something closer to the familiar bottom triangle.

Mounted triangle vs. the regular triangle

The thing most people mix up is the mounted triangle and the standard triangle they have seen a hundred times on television. These are the same submission with the same finish. The only real difference is where the attacker starts and who holds the dominant position.

The standard version, properly called the front triangle, or mae-sankaku-jime in judo, comes from the bottom. The attacker lies on their back in guard and pulls the opponent down into the legs. It is the most common triangle in both BJJ and MMA. The mounted triangle flips that picture, putting the attacker on top in mount and looking down.

	Front (regular) triangle	Mounted triangle
Starting position	Bottom, from guard	Top, from mount
Who is dominant	Attacker is underneath	Attacker is on top
Gravity	Works against the attacker	Works for the attacker
Leg mobility	High, the legs are free	Lower, weight sits on the legs
How common	The most common triangle	Less common, more advanced

A grappler comfortable finishing from the bottom will sometimes build the mounted version up high, then roll underneath to finish on more familiar ground.

Mounted triangle vs. arm triangle

Here is where the names cause real trouble. An arm triangle is not a leg triangle at all. Both chokes squeeze the neck against the opponent’s own trapped shoulder, which is why both carry the word “triangle,” yet the arm triangle uses the attacker’s arm and shoulder to apply the pressure rather than the legs.

The mix-up gets worse because the arm triangle is also commonly hit from mount, and in that case, it is sometimes called the mounted arm triangle. A beginner hears “mounted triangle” in one breakdown and “mounted arm triangle” in another and assumes the two clips show the same move. They do not.

	Mounted triangle	Arm triangle (head-and-arm choke)
Choking tool	The legs	The arm and shoulder
Also known as	Triangle from mount	Kata gatame, head-and-arm choke
Typical finish speed	About 9.5 sec (triangle average)	About 7.2 sec (standard arm triangle)
Family	Triangle choke (sankaku-jime)	Separate head-and-arm choke

A simple test sorts them out. If the attacker’s legs are wrapped around the neck, it is a mounted triangle. If an arm is wrapped across the neck while the head and shoulder trap the other side, it is an arm triangle.

Types of triangle choke

Mounted is just one branch of a much larger family. The variations share the figure-four lock around the neck and arm, and differ mostly in where they come from.

Variation	Where it comes from
Front triangle (mae-sankaku-jime)	From the bottom off the guard, and easily the most common triangle of all
Mounted triangle	From the top, in mount
Back triangle	From back control, usually after a rear naked choke gets shut down
Side triangle (yoko-sankaku-jime)	From the side
Inverted triangle (ushiro-sankaku-jime)	Flipped upside-down from the usual angle, a staple of modern judo competition and tangled scrambles
Flying triangle	Jumped onto a standing opponent and locked in midair

The triangle began in kosen judo in the early twentieth century, and its first recorded tournament use is traced to Kobe, Japan, in 1921, before Brazilian jiu-jitsu adopted the move and grew the family into the variations above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the mounted triangle a blood choke or an air choke?

It is a blood choke. The pressure closes the carotid arteries on the sides of the neck and cuts blood flow to the brain rather than blocking the airway.

Is the mounted triangle harder than the regular triangle?

For most people, yes. The attacker’s weight rests on the legs in mount, so they move less freely than from guard, which is why the mounted version is usually taught as a more advanced entry.

Is a mounted triangle the same as a mounted arm triangle?

No, and the difference is simple. A mounted triangle chokes with the legs wrapped around the neck. The arm version, despite also coming from the mount, squeezes with the attacker’s arm against the opponent’s shoulder, so only the name overlaps.

Is the mounted triangle legal in MMA?

Yes. The triangle is legal across major MMA rule sets and appears in both cage fights and grappling matches. In MMA, a defender may sometimes lift and slam the attacker to break the hold, which many grappling formats forbid.

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Sources

1. Wikipedia. “Triangle choke.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_choke
2. Wikipedia. “Arm triangle choke.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arm_triangle_choke
3. Wikipedia. “Chokehold.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chokehold
4. FightScience. “Triangle Choke: The Complete Guide to BJJ’s Most Iconic Submission.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://fightscience.com/guides/triangle-choke-setup-system
5. You Jiu Jitsu. “Triangle Choke – The Complete Guide and Best Practices.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://youjiujitsu.com/triangle-choke-the-complete-guide-and-best-practices/
6. JiuJitsu News. “The Triangle Choke: Complete BJJ Submission Guide.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://jiujitsu-news.com/triangle-choke/
7. BJJ Fanatics. “How to Attack the Triangle from Mount.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://bjjfanatics.com/blogs/news/how-to-attack-the-triangle-from-mount

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