Headscissors: The Complete Guide to Every Variation (2026)

×

A headscissors is a grappling submission that uses both legs to compress the opponent's head and neck, cutting off blood flow through the carotid arteries or restricting the airway. Depending on the configuration, it functions as a blood choke, an air choke, or a neck crank — and in rare cases, all three at once. The headscissors appears in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ), no-gi submission grappling, catch wrestling, MMA, and modern pro wrestling, and it has documented variations from guard, side control, north-south, and turtle position.

Quick answer: Yes, a headscissors is a legitimate, competition-legal submission in most modern rulesets (BJJ, ADCC, sambo, MMA). It is NOT the same as a triangle choke — though the triangle choke is a specialized headscissors variant that traps one arm between the legs. Fight Encyclopedia documents 12 distinct headscissors variations across 4 entry positions. Browse all headscissors techniques →

A headscissors traps the opponent's head between the attacker's thighs. The legs cross at the ankles — one knee pressed behind the neck, the other at the jawline or temple. When the attacker squeezes and extends the hips, the compression targets the carotid arteries (causing unconsciousness in 3-10 seconds if applied correctly) or the trachea (restricting breathing) or the cervical spine (creating a crank).

A good headscissors is:

• Precise: the knee must be behind the neck, not on top of the shoulder
• Tight: legs squeeze laterally, not just clamped together
• Angled: the attacker's hips face the opponent's ear, not their face
• Extended: hip extension is where the finishing pressure comes from

A bad headscissors is:

• Squeezing only with the thighs without knee placement (no blood choke)
• Leaving space between the neck and the attacker's leg (opponent escapes by posturing)
• Pulling with the hands on the knees (leaking power; the lock should come from the hips)

This distinction matters because a sloppy headscissors gives the opponent time to escape; a precise one finishes in seconds.

Fight Encyclopedia organizes every documented headscissors into a 4-position, 12-technique structure:

Each variation has a specific entry, grip, finishing mechanic, and counter. See the full taxonomy →

Standard Headscissors Strangle (from guard)

The textbook headscissors. Attacker is on back in closed guard; opponent is in the attacker's hips. Attacker pushes opponent's head down to the chest with one hand, shoots a leg over the back of the opponent's neck, hooks the foot under the opposite knee, and locks a figure-four with the ankles. Extends hips. Strangulation comes from the back of the knee compressing the carotid.

Standard Headscissors Strangle →

Figure-Four Headscissors

Identical entry to the standard version, but the locking mechanism is a figure-four (ankles crossed with one ankle trapping the other) rather than a standard calf-over-ankle lock. The figure-four gives more compression and better wedge angle — particularly useful when the opponent has a thicker neck or is heavier. Favored by BJJ competitors over 85kg.

Figure-Four Headscissors →

Reverse Headscissors

The attacker's legs are locked with the SHINS rather than the back of the knees. This changes the finishing angle — pressure comes from the front of the leg into the carotid on one side and the trachea on the other. Looks more like a triangle mechanism but with both arms free. Functions more as a crank than a pure blood choke.

Reverse Headscissors →

Side Headscissors

Attacker starts in side control, shoots the inside leg behind the opponent's neck while keeping weight on the shoulder. Locks the other foot under the first knee. Finishes by rotating the hips toward the opponent's feet and extending. Often appears as a transitional position when the opponent defends an arm-triangle by giving up the head.

Side Headscissors →

North-South Headscissors

Attacker is in the north-south position (head to opponent's hip, chest on chest, legs extended past opponent's head). Drops one leg over the back of the neck, hooks the other ankle under, and finishes with a hip extension combined with a chest-press to prevent the opponent from rolling. This is a classic catch-wrestling headscissors and has seen modern revival in no-gi submission grappling.

North-South Headscissors →

Turtle Collapse Headscissors

The opponent is in turtle (on hands and knees, protecting the head). Attacker sits to the side, threads a leg around the opponent's neck from the back, pulls the second leg over the top, locks the ankles, and sits back. The opponent's turtle posture collapses into a seated position with the legs already locked around the neck. Extremely high finishing rate because the opponent cannot stack, posture, or use the hands to block the leg entry.

Turtle Collapse Headscissors →

This is the most-asked question about headscissors, and the answer matters for BJJ competition and MMA analysis.

In short: the triangle choke is a specialized variation of a headscissors that also traps one arm. When a headscissors doesn't trap an arm, it's not a triangle — it's a "pure" headscissors. The taxonomy on Fight Encyclopedia separates them because the defenses and setups differ substantially.

• Triangle choke →
• Headscissors (no arm trap) →

The headscissors exists in every grappling discipline but looks different depending on the context:

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)

In BJJ, the headscissors is an emergency finish — used when an arm-triangle doesn't close or when an opponent escapes a triangle but leaves their head exposed. BJJ competitors at brown and black belt use it as a chain attack from closed guard and half guard.

Legality: Legal at all IBJJF belt levels, all ADCC rounds, and all Sambo rulesets.

Catch Wrestling / No-Gi Submission

Catch wrestling treats the headscissors as a primary submission, not a backup. Karl Gotch and Billy Robinson trained it as a finishing position from north-south and turtle. Modern EBI-format tournaments have seen revival of the catch-wrestling headscissors, particularly the north-south variation.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

Rare in MMA but devastating when applied. The most famous MMA headscissors finish is Rousimar Palhares vs. Mike Massenzio (UFC 111, 2010) where Palhares transitioned from a failed heel hook to a scissored position and forced the tap with combined pressure. In MMA, the headscissors usually appears as a transitional threat that forces the opponent into a worse position rather than a direct finish.

Pro Wrestling / Sports Entertainment

In professional wrestling, the headscissors is a theatrical finish — often applied from the ground as a "rest hold" or as a signature move. WWE wrestlers including Charlotte Flair and The Brian Kendrick have used variations as finishers. These are performed with cooperation and should not be confused with the real-pressure competition variants documented here.

The headscissors is legal in nearly every modern competition ruleset. Fight Encyclopedia tracks competition legality across six major organizations:

The headscissors is one of the few submissions that is legal across every IBJJF belt level (including white belt), because unlike leg locks and neck cranks, it is a blood choke with a clear tap-out response.

×

The headscissors predates modern BJJ by centuries:

• Ancient Greek pankration (648 BC Olympic debut) depicted athletes using leg-scissoring techniques, though whether they were submissions or holds is debated by historians.
• Japanese jujutsu schools (koryu) documented ashi-jime (foot/leg choke) variants as early as the 16th century, with the Kitō-ryū and Yōshin-ryū schools teaching similar mechanics to modern headscissors.
• Catch-as-catch-can wrestling (late 1800s, British working-class) formalized the headscissors as a competition submission. Lancashire and Wigan catch wrestlers used it as a primary finish.

• Modern BJJ adopted the headscissors via Carlos Gracie's exposure to Mitsuyo Maeda (a judoka trained in koryu jujutsu) and via crossover with catch wrestling during the Vale Tudo era.
• Modern submission grappling (EBI, ADCC) saw a revival of no-gi headscissors variations in the 2010s as grapplers like Eddie Bravo, Gordon Ryan, and John Danaher systematized leg entanglements and neck attacks.

×

Fight Encyclopedia maintains historical lineage data for every technique — see the traditional-lineages reference for primary-source citations.

Notable headscissors finishes in documented competition:

• Rousimar Palhares vs. Mike Massenzio (UFC 111, 2010) — transitioned from a failed heel hook into a scissored finishing position
• Marcelo Garcia vs. Ronaldo Jacare (ADCC 2005) — classic north-south attack that set up a scissored neck compression
• Gordon Ryan — modern EBI/submission-only competitor known for chaining from back control to north-south headscissors
• Catch wrestling era (1920s-1940s) — Lou Thesz documented finishing matches with scissored headlocks in catch-as-catch-can exhibitions

For a complete catalog of famous competition submissions, Fight Encyclopedia's technique pages cross-reference each technique with notable competition finishes and video demonstrations.

The headscissors is a blood choke, which means it is inherently safer than neck cranks (which target the spine) but still carries risk when drilled incorrectly. Training guidelines:

• Tap early. Because blood chokes cause unconsciousness rapidly (3-10 seconds), partners should tap the moment they feel pressure on both sides of the neck. Do not wait until vision greys out.
• Train the entry, not the finish. Drill entering the position 20-30 times before squeezing to completion. The entry mechanics (knee placement, hip angle, foot hook) matter more than raw compression.
• Never drill the reverse headscissors with full pressure. The reverse variant can crank the neck if applied too aggressively — practice the entry and release, but squeeze to discomfort, not finish.
• Practice escapes. Drilling escapes from each of the 4 entry positions (guard, side, north-south, turtle) teaches you to feel when your opponent is about to close the position and react in time.
• Cross-reference with counters. Fight Encyclopedia's taxonomy links every technique to its counter techniques so you can drill attack and defense simultaneously.

A competent instructor at a BJJ or submission grappling academy should supervise the first 10-20 reps. Do not learn this submission from YouTube alone without a training partner who can coach technique and tap early.

Every headscissors has a defensive window. Key counters:

• Posture up early. When the opponent pushes your head down, your first response must be to drive your hips forward and your head up. If you let them flatten your head into your chest, the leg comes over and the finish is seconds away.
• Hand-fight the locking leg. The ankle-lock (figure-four or standard) is what closes the chain. If you can prevent the locking foot from hooking the opposite knee, the headscissors stays open and escapable.
• Stack. Drive your weight forward into the opponent's hips. This folds them and creates space at the neck. Used against headscissors from guard.
• Hip escape (shrimp). From side headscissors, escape the hips away from the opponent's head and create the space to pull your head out.
• Frame the knee. Against any headscissors entry, framing on the crossing knee with both hands (one on the thigh, one on the shin) gives you leverage to push the leg back over your head.

Browse all headscissors counters on Fight Encyclopedia.

New practitioners make predictable errors when learning the headscissors:

• Squeezing with the thighs alone. The compression has to come from the KNEE behind the neck, not from clamping the thighs. Knees without knee placement = no blood choke.
• Crossing the ankles on the wrong side. The locking ankle must be under the opposite knee, not just crossed at the feet. Crossed feet without a hook leak pressure.
• Facing the opponent's face. Your hips should angle toward their ear, not their face. Facing their face means your leg is on the jaw, not on the carotid.
• Pulling with the hands. Grip-fighting on the knees while finishing tells you your hip extension is weak. Finish with the hips, not the arms.
• Not completing the figure-four. If you skip the ankle lock, the opponent can slide their head back out once they posture.

What is a headscissors?

A headscissors is a grappling submission that uses both of the attacker's legs to compress the opponent's head and neck. It functions as a blood choke (carotid compression), an air choke (tracheal compression), or a neck crank depending on the variation. The term comes from the scissor-like shape the legs form around the opponent's head. Fight Encyclopedia documents 12 distinct headscissors variations across 4 entry positions (guard, side control, north-south, turtle).

Is a headscissors the same as a triangle choke?

No. A triangle choke is a specialized headscissors variant that traps the opponent's head AND one arm. A pure headscissors traps only the head and neck. The triangle uses the opponent's own shoulder as the second compression point; a headscissors uses the attacker's second leg. Both are legal submissions in BJJ, MMA, and submission grappling. See the triangle choke taxonomy →

Is the headscissors legal in BJJ competition?

Yes. The headscissors is legal at all IBJJF belt levels (including white belt), all ADCC rulesets, FIAS sambo, and Unified MMA rules. Because it is a blood choke with a clear tap response, it is considered safer than neck cranks or leg locks that compress the spine. See full competition legality for every technique →

How long does it take to pass out from a headscissors?

A correctly applied headscissors (knee behind the neck, ankles locked, hip extension) causes unconsciousness in 3-10 seconds via bilateral carotid artery compression. This is comparable to a rear naked choke. Partners should tap as soon as they feel pressure on BOTH sides of the neck — waiting until vision greys out risks injury.

What is the difference between a headscissors strangle and a body scissors?

A headscissors strangle compresses the neck (a submission). A body scissors (also called body triangle) compresses the torso (a control position that can eventually cause rib damage or impair breathing but is not a fast submission). Body scissors are commonly used from back control to secure the position. The two look similar from outside but target completely different anatomy.

Can a headscissors break your neck?

Standard headscissors variants (compressing the carotid) do not typically damage the cervical spine. The reverse headscissors variant, however, applies rotational and extension force to the neck and can crank the cervical spine if squeezed aggressively — which is why it is often categorized as a neck crank rather than a pure choke. Train the reverse variant at moderate pressure only. See reverse headscissors →

How many headscissors variations exist?

Fight Encyclopedia currently documents 12 distinct headscissors variations, including 3 from guard (Standard, Figure-Four, Reverse), 1 from side control, 1 from north-south, 1 from turtle, and 6 related variety-level refinements. Historically, catch wrestling and koryu jujutsu documented additional variations that are not yet in the taxonomy — the 15,000-technique mission is open to contributors. Apply to add missing techniques →

What's the Japanese name for the headscissors?

The general Japanese term for a leg choke is ashi-jime (足絞). Specific named headscissors variations include do-jime (胴絞 — "trunk strangle," sometimes used for bodyscissors) and kata-ashi-jime (片足絞 — "one-leg strangle"). For the triangle variant, the standard term is sankaku-jime (三角絞). Fight Encyclopedia provides the kanji, pronunciation, and historical context for every technique's Japanese name.

What martial arts use the headscissors?

The headscissors appears in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, no-gi submission grappling, catch wrestling (catch-as-catch-can), sambo, pankration (historical), koryu jujutsu, judo (ne-waza only), and MMA. Pro wrestling uses a theatrical version as a signature move but these are performed with cooperation. Browse all 183 martial arts on Fight Encyclopedia →

Who is famous for the headscissors in MMA or BJJ?

Notable practitioners include Rousimar Palhares (UFC, chained from failed leg locks into scissored finishes), Gordon Ryan (modern no-gi submission grappling, chains headscissors from back control and north-south), Marcelo Garcia (classic BJJ north-south variants), and historically Lou Thesz (catch wrestling, 1920s-1940s). See all notable practitioners →

Can I learn the headscissors from YouTube?

You can study the mechanics on YouTube — Fight Encyclopedia's technique pages embed curated instructional videos with polished transcripts and key-moment timestamps. But you must drill the technique with a live partner under supervision to actually learn it. Tapping to unconsciousness in training is dangerous; a competent coach will teach you when to tap and how to finish safely. Do not self-train submissions.

The fastest way to understand every headscissors variation is to follow Fight Encyclopedia's taxonomy from the genus level down to each species and variety.

• Headscissors (genus) — start here for the full tree
• Headscissors From Guard — 3 varieties documented
• Headscissors From Side Control — 1 variety
• Headscissors From North-South — 1 variety, high finishing rate
• Headscissors From Turtle — turtle-collapse variant
• Related: Triangle choke — the headscissors + arm-trap variant

Explore adjacent categories:

• All chokes and strangle locks — bulk reference for every blood and air choke
• All submission techniques — chokes, joint locks, compression locks
• Guard positions — most headscissors attacks start here
• Back control position — sets up the north-south and turtle variants
• Ryan Hall's triangle system — adjacent chokes

Fight Encyclopedia is the world's first unified online taxonomy of fighting techniques. Free forever. No account required. Built by ACENji Tech Solutions Inc. with contributions from martial artists worldwide.