Roger Gracie is often regarded as the “GOAT” – the greatest of all time in BJJ. And for good reason: he’s won 10 IBJJF World Championship titles, committing to the “submission is the mission” motto in every single fight of his career.
What’s more, he’s become famous for one submission in particular… His opponents would know that it’s coming, but were unable to stop it nevertheless – the Cross Choke from Mount.

Here are the detail on how to set up a perfect Cross Choke from Mount, as explained by Roger himself.

CROSS CHOKE FROM MOUNT

One of the most important details that Roger Gracie shares about his signature Cross Choke from Mount is how you’ll establish your first choking grip.
Too many athletes go to grip the collar immediately, which then makes it difficult for them to slide the grip deeper. What Roger does instead is that he first makes sure that his whole arm is through – that his wrist is against the opponent’s neck – and only then does he establish the first grip.

From there, he shifts his body a bit more to the side where his first grip is, posting with his other hand on that side as well. Do this, and your opponents will find it much more difficult to properly offbalance you with a bridging motion.
Now, when he goes to insert his other grip, Roger first lowers his forehead close to the mats. Yet again, this is done to negate the bridging motion as much as possible; to keep his Mount solid at all times.

At this point, your opponents will most likely know what’s coming next; so they’ll be using both of their hands to defend their neck on the side you’re going for next. So how are you supposed to outsmart them from here? How are you supposed to insert your grip with all that defense?
Simple. If you can’t go through it, go around it… As Roger demonstrates, you need to “circle” around their head and below their neck; gripping inside their collar with a thumb in grip. Then, position your wrist beneath their fingers in order to peel them off as you lift your arm, finishing the choke.

Plus, don’t forget to keep the opponent’s elbows high before you go for the Cross Choke. Why? Watch below to find out:

Master the mount position and finish fights with total control using Roger Gracie’s master class series!

• Secure devastating submissions that work for grapplers of all levels, including cross chokes, ezekiel chokes, arm locks, and more.