The Controversial Gogoplata with Jeff Glover

By Fanatics Authors, March 14, 2021

There are some things in Jiu Jitsu that are not always agreed upon. Some people don’t like certain submissions for one reason or another. Maybe they think it isn't technical or could cause injury easily. However, Jiu Jitsu is about creativity and at the end of the day, just getting the job done.

If you train you are sure to know this by now, but flexibility is important. Have you ever heard that saying, “Jiu Jitsu is the art of folding clothes with people still in them”? Well, that's not wrong. Flexibility is important both offensively and defensively.

Perhaps you are getting stack passed, if you aren’t flexible you definitely run the risk of being stuck until your opponent decides to pass you. However, being flexible may allow you to quickly get to the turtle position and start trying to retain your guard. The amount of examples that could be provided for the benefits of flexibility in Jiu Jitsu are endless.

The Gogoplata submission falls under the categories of being controversial and requiring great flexibility. In this video, Jeff Glover demonstrates the technique behind the Gogoplata, and how he likes to find it. Check it out below!

The Technique

Truthfully, the mechanics of the technique are fairly simple; it's more so a matter of being flexible enough to do it. The easiest example to give is transitioning there from the closed guard. In this case, you unlock your guard and bring one of your legs up and over your partner's shoulder and in front of his body. From here you position your shin across his neck and then place both hands on his head or one on the head and one on your foot and simply pull.

It is pretty clear that this is a trachea crush rather than a blood choke, and this seems to be the reason why this submission catches some controversy. If you wanted to crush someone's trachea it seems like there would be tons of ways to do it, whereas a blood choke really takes more technique and doesn’t give your opponent the opportunity to fight through the pain because they will go to sleep. However, this submission definitely takes technique and once you get that shin across the throat, it's extremely hard to defend.

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Now most of the time this isn’t going to be as easy as just unlocking your guard and bringing the leg over. Your opponent is going to be fighting and will instinctively know that whatever you are trying to do with that leg is something he does not want to happen. Jeff provides a handful of ways to successfully get to this position.

Shrimping

While in closed guard, one of the ways Jeff gets to the position is by shrimping. Doing this creates an angle which is helpful for a few different reasons. First, the angle makes it slightly easier to bring the leg up. It allows your hips to open up slightly which makes moving the leg easier, and shrimping while pushing your partner in the opposite direction serves to lower his level so your leg doesn’t have to go up nearly as high to get over his head and shoulder. By the time you get the shin over the neck it is likely your partner will have postured back up, and the finishing mechanics are the same.

From The Mount

Although it may seem more difficult, this can also be done from the mount. This is set up similar to a mounted triangle. Whichever side leg you are going to use from here, you need to control your partner's arm on that side. Do that by scooping it up and pinning it to your hip. Next, lean to the opposite side of the leg you are going to be using to make that leg light and bring it up towards his head like you would for the triangle. Now, shift your weight back and use your hand to grab your foot and help guide your leg over top of your partner's neck. To finish all you should need to do is press down on your foot.

From A Double Leg

You can also quickly transition to the Gogoplata from a double leg takedown. It is common to land with two butterfly hooks after getting double legged. From here as long as you can free one of those hooks, you can use the momentum from the takedown to swing that leg over your partner's head and set up the choke like you normally would. If done quickly, you can leave your other butterfly hook in because your partner will be getting choked before he can think about shedding the hook.

From The Omoplata

This is also attainable from the Omoplata. When you are in the normal Omoplata, start making an angle by turning towards your partner. Your leg is already over your partner's arm, so as you begin to square back up it begins to align your shin perfectly with his neck. From here shoot the shin up into his neck and then simply pull down on the head to finish the choke.

As you can see, this submission is extremely versatile and that's what makes it special and unique. Whether or not it is controversial, it's legal and requires technique and a good understanding of the general mechanics of Jiu Jitsu. There are likely tons of other positions you could find this position from, so grasp the details of the technique and play around with it from different spots.

About Jeff Glover

Jeff Glover is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and is known for his achievements in both gi and no-gi competition. Jeff’s titles include first place at the 2007 IBJJF World NoGi Championships, third place at the 2011 ADCC World Championships, first place in the 2005/2006 IBJJF Pan Championships as a brown belt, and many others.

Jeff is also known for his pivotal role in the development of the deep half guard as well as the donkey guard. He has had the opportunity to travel across the United States to train with some of the best coaches in the country, and he continues to be a tremendous asset to the Jiu Jitsu community.

About Jeff’s Instructional

Jeff has devoted this entire instructional to choke artistry. Included you will find techniques such as baseball bat choke, loop choke, crucifix, brabo choke, and so much more. Jeff really takes his time on all the mechanics to ensure you are set up for success.

When it comes to choking mechanics, you can never spend enough time on it. Do yourself the favor of allowing Jeff and his years of success and experience help you bring your finishing success rate to new levels, check out his instructional here!

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