Every January, the mats are flooded with the “New Year, New Me” crowd. White belts are signing contracts, and colored belts are promising themselves they will finally learn to pass guard (maybe next year…).
But for the dedicated grappler, the new year isn’t about reinventing the wheel, it’s about upgrading the engine. It’s about finding those techniques that are currently cutting through guards at the highest levels and figuring out if they fit your game.
The modern grappling landscape is unique. We live in an era where a move can go from an obscure regional specialty to a viral Instagram reel overnight, and then become a competition staple within a month. But not every viral move is worth your drilling time. Some are flash-in-the-pan tricks that rely on a surprised opponent, while others others are genuine evolutions of the sport’s mechanics.
For this list, we evaluated submissions based on two competing criteria, Social Media Trendiness (Is it flashy? Is it filling your feed?) and Overall Utilitarianism (Is it high percentage across skill levels? Does it solve common problems?).
Here are the top 6 submissions you need to add to your arsenal this year!
6. The Buggy Choke
Trend Score: 10/10 Utility Score: 4/10
We have to start here. The Buggy Choke is the undisputed king of grappling TikTok. It looks impossible, it’s incredibly frustrating to be caught in, and when you hit it, you feel like a wizard. It involves threading your arm under your own leg from bottom side control to trap the opponent’s head and arm.
Why it’s on the list: It’s astonishingly popular. You cannot scroll for five minutes without seeing someone hit a Buggy in the training room.
The Reality Check: Its utility is low for the average grappler. It requires significant flexibility and is often a Hail Mary attempt when you are already losing a position. Furthermore, savvier top players are now baiting the Buggy to pass to mount or set up Von Flue chokes.
Verdict: Try it for the ‘gram, or if you have rubber-guard levels of dexterity. But don’t build your entire bottom game around it.
5. The Smother Tap (Mother’s Milk)
Trend Score: 6/10 Utility Score: 9/10
Popularized at the highest levels by Gordon Ryan and adopted by heavy top-players everywhere, the Smother Tap is brutally effective. It isn’t a joint lock or a blood choke, it’s air restriction achieved by using your chest, belly, or even a hand over the opponent’s nose and mouth from mount.
Why it’s on the list: It trends not because it looks cool, but because it is controversial and psychologically devastating. It induces panic like few other submissions.
The Reality Check: It is incredibly utilitarian. It requires almost no athletic ability other than knowing how to hold mount heavy. It forces opponents to make desperate, bad decisions to escape the pressure, opening up armbars and triangles. It is, however, “mean,” and may lose you friends in the training room if you apply it too enthusiastically on a Tuesday night.
Verdict: An essential tool for the top-heavy pressure player looking to break an opponent’s will.
4. The Aoki Lock
Trend Score: 7/10 Utility Score: 8/10
As the leg lock game matures, straight ankle locks are becoming harder to finish on experienced opponents. Enter the Aoki Lock. Named after Shinya Aoki and popularized recently by the Ruotolos and Mikey Musumeci, this attack takes a standard outside Ashi Garami position and twists the foot internally, attacking the ankle ligaments with rotational force rather than straight hyperextension.
Why it’s on the list: It’s the “thinking man’s” ankle lock. It looks slick on video because the breaking mechanics happen in such a tight window.
The Reality Check: Highly utilitarian. It is the perfect answer when your opponent has strong “boot” defense against a straight Achilles lock. It comes on terribly fast, making it a potent weapon for smaller grapplers against larger opponents.
Verdict: A mandatory upgrade for anyone playing the modern leg lock meta.
3. The Reverse Triangle (From Top)
Trend Score: 8/10 Utility Score: 8.5/10
The traditional triangle from guard is BJJ 101. The reverse triangle applied from top side control, north-south, or during a pass is next level submission grappling. We are seeing this utilized constantly in high-level no-gi competition to shut down opponents who rely heavily on frames.
Why it’s on the list: It’s a visually confusing submission that often leaves the spectator wondering, “Wait, how is he caught?” until the tap comes. It highlights the modern emphasis on attacking from everywhere.
The Reality Check: Extremely useful. When you are on top and an opponent is digging their frames into your neck or hips to escape, they are essentially handing you the entry. It completely neutralizes their ability to hip escape. Even if you don’t get the tap, you usually isolate an arm in the process.
Verdict: The best way to punish defensive framing from dominant top positions.
2. The Choi Bar
Trend Score: 9/10 Utility Score: 9/10
The Choi Bar (a variation of a rolling armbar often entered from standing/open guard exchanges) is currently having a massive moment. It sits perfectly at the intersection of flashy and functional. It involves snagging an opponent’s posting arm as they try to pass or base, rotating underneath them, and finishing with a belly-down style armbar.
Why it’s on the list: It is explosive, dynamic, and looks incredible on highlight reels. It represents a shift towards more aggressive, proactive open guards like the K-guard.
The Reality Check: Despite its dynamic nature, it’s very high percentage. It capitalizes on a universal grappling reaction, posting a hand on the mat for balance. If you enjoy playing off your back but hate waiting for the opponent to initiate, this is for you.
Verdict: The ultimate weapon for the aggressive guard player.
1. The Tarikoplata
Trend Score: 9.5/10 Utility Score: 10/10
The Tarikoplata takes the top spot because it is currently the ultimate problem solver in submission grappling.
We’ve all been there, you get to a Kimura position (from side control, north-south, or guard), but the opponent locks their hands together or grabs their own thigh. You pull with all your might, but you can’t break the grip. The Tarikoplata solves this by using your leg to create a fulcrum against their arm, generating immense breaking power that easily shatters defensive grips.
Why it’s on the list: It is everywhere right now. Every major instructor is releasing content on it because it turns a common stalemate position into an almost guaranteed finish.
The Reality Check: 100% utilitarian. It doesn’t require athleticism, it requires understanding leverage. It takes an existing, fundamental position (the Kimura trap) and supercharges it. It works in the gi, it works in no-gi, it works for white belts, and it works for black belts.
Verdict: The number one submission you should add to your game this year. It is the definitive modern upgrade to a classic position.
Whether you choose to embrace the chaos of a Buggy Choke or the surgical precision of the Tarikoplata, the message for the new year is clear, evolve or be bypassed. The “meta” of grappling moves faster than ever, fueled by digital exchange and high-level competition, but the most viral submission in the world is useless without the hours of mat time required to sharpen its mechanics.
As you step onto the mats this January, don’t just chase the highlight reel, chase the technical mastery that makes those highlights possible. Pick a submission from this list that speaks to your style, find a willing drilling partner, and make this the year your game becomes as effective as it is modern.
