Triangle choke

The triangle choke - Sankaku Jime in Japanese - is a fundamental technique in Judo and Jiu-Jitsu. There are three main variations on the Triangle choke:

1. Mae Sankaku or front triangle.

The front triangle is the most commonly seen. Often applied from the guard, sometimes applied from the mount.

2. Yoko Sankaku or side triangle.
This triangle is rarely seen, and I believe that's because few people take the time to study it. The side triangle can be applied from side control, opponent's turtle, failed arm bars, and even when pinned under side control.

3. Ushiro Sankaku or rear triangle.
One of the rarest of the triangle chokes, this one is almost always applied from the back mount position.


This video by Stephan Kesting covers "5" triangles you should know. Great video. For the sake of clarity, he uses a side triangle for two of the five - the only difference being the setup. In order, triangles three and four in the video are side triangles. The final one is applied with the arms, so it is not exactly the same technique.