How Many Submissions Are There in Jiu-Jitsu? We Counted 53
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The Jiu-Jitsu Mindset · Data Study
How Many Submissions Are There in Jiu-Jitsu? We Counted 53
Across 3,209 recorded finishes by 97 elite grapplers we counted 53 distinct submissions. But the distribution is brutally top-heavy: just 15 techniques account for 2,687 of those finishes — 84% of every tap. The remaining 38 techniques split the other 16% between them.
Instructionals will tell you there are hundreds of submissions in jiu-jitsu, and in a catalogue sense that is true. In a results sense it is not. Here is what actually shows up when people compete.
The 84% rule
Share of all 3,209 recorded finishes, by how many techniques you count.
Three techniques — the choke from the back, the armbar and the rear naked choke — produce 1,368 finishes, 42.6% of the total, between them. You can be a genuinely dangerous competitor with a working knowledge of five.
The fifteen that do the work
| # | Submission | Finishes | Running total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Choke from the back | 484 | 484 |
| 2 | Armbar | 467 | 951 |
| 3 | Rear naked choke | 417 | 1,368 |
| 4 | Choke (other) | 182 | 1,550 |
| 5 | Triangle | 173 | 1,723 |
| 6 | Inside heel hook | 142 | 1,865 |
| 7 | Heel hook | 137 | 2,002 |
| 8 | Straight ankle lock | 113 | 2,115 |
| 9 | Knee bar | 112 | 2,227 |
| 10 | Guillotine | 104 | 2,331 |
| 11 | Toe hold | 102 | 2,433 |
| 12 | Kimura | 76 | 2,509 |
| 13 | Katagatame (arm triangle) | 76 | 2,585 |
| 14 | Bow and arrow | 55 | 2,640 |
| 15 | Ezekiel | 47 | 2,687 |
| — | Remaining 38 techniques | 522 | 3,209 |
Why 53 is a floor, not a ceiling
Fifty-three is the number of techniques that appeared in recorded results among these 97 athletes — not the number that exists. Plenty of legitimate submissions are missing simply because nobody on this roster finished with one in a tracked match: gogoplatas, crucifixes, most wrist lock variations, and the deep bench of gi collar chokes that get folded into the generic “choke” category.
It also depends on how the source splits things. Our data lists “inside heel hook” and “heel hook” separately; a different coder would call that one technique and land on 52. Any count like this is a description of a dataset, not a fact about the art.
What to do with this
The practical read is uncomfortable for anyone who enjoys collecting techniques. If 84% of finishes come from fifteen attacks, then the marginal hour spent adding a sixteenth is worth less than the marginal hour spent making your armbar unstoppable. Depth beats breadth, and the data is not subtle about it.
The counter-argument is real too: rare techniques win matches precisely because they are rare, and a competitor with a weird, well-drilled attack catches people who have never defended it. But that is a supplement to a high-percentage core, not a substitute for one.
Frequently asked questions
How many submissions are there in BJJ?
We recorded 53 distinct submissions across 3,209 finishes by 97 elite grapplers. The full catalogue of named techniques is larger, but many never appear in competition results.
How many submissions do you actually need to know?
Fewer than most people think. Fifteen techniques account for 84% of all recorded finishes, and the top three alone account for 42.6%. A deep game built on five to ten attacks covers the overwhelming majority of what happens in real matches.
What are the most common submissions in jiu-jitsu?
The choke from the back (484), the armbar (467) and the rear naked choke (417). See the full ranking.
Which submissions are legal at white belt?
Under IBJJF rules, white belts may use most upper-body submissions plus the straight ankle lock, but not heel hooks, knee bars, toe holds or wrist locks. Rules vary by ruleset and by event, so always check the specific event's rulebook.
Sources & method
Data captured from athlete Submission W/L Methods tables on FloGrappling in July 2026 — 97 athletes with recorded methods, 3,209 submission wins, 53 distinct techniques, gi and no-gi combined across each career. Percentages are calculated from the published technique counts; the “remaining 38” figure is the balance. Full write-up: Tap Stats.
More from this series: The most common submission in jiu-jitsu · Leg locks by technique · The most prolific finishers · Catch The Jiu Jitsu Mindset on YouTube and Spotify.