Submissions That Still Work With Gloves On

Without a gi there is nothing to grip except limbs and necks, and sweat makes even those slippery. The submissions that hold up in mixed martial arts share three traits: they use the whole body rather than the hands, they arrive during motion instead of from a settled position, and they do not require you to give up a dominant spot to attempt them. Chokes generally outperform joint locks, because a choke ends the fight rather than asking the opponent to concede.

Key points

• Back control with a rear naked choke stays reliable because the position itself limits the opponent's striking and the grip needs no cloth.
• Guillotines and front headlock chokes appear naturally because opponents shoot with the head down, which is exactly the entry.
• Arm-in guillotines, arm triangles and D'Arce variations use shoulder and chest pressure rather than hand strength, which survives sweat.
• Leg entanglements are viable but expose you to strikes from a standing opponent, so entries need to control posture immediately.
• Attempt joint locks like the armbar from positions you can recycle, so a failed finish returns you to control rather than the bottom.

Common mistakes

• Diving for a submission from a dominant position and losing it, converting a winning ground position into a scramble you did not need.
• Pulling on a guillotine with the arms only, which slips as soon as sweat builds and drains your grip for later rounds.
• Hunting leg locks from your back while the opponent stands free, which trades a possible finish for unanswered strikes.

Put it into practice