Sankaku jime

Sankaku jime is the judo name for the triangle choke — the strangulation in which the attacker’s legs close around the opponent’s neck and one arm in a triangular configuration, the foundational strangle of the triangle family.

Etymology. Sankaku (三角) means “triangle”; jime (絞) means “strangle.” The combined term — triangle strangle — names the technique by the geometric shape of the leg configuration at the finish: the attacker’s two legs and the opponent’s trapped shoulder form the three sides of the triangle that close the strangle. The technique sits in Kodokan judo’s shime-waza (strangulation techniques) catalogue and entered Brazilian jiu-jitsu through Maeda’s transmission to the Gracies. The Japanese name remains the primary search term across judo, BJJ, and submission grappling vocabulary; “triangle choke” is the English-language equivalent that predominates in no-gi instructional contexts.

Mechanics. The figure-four leg lock closes around the opponent’s neck and one arm, with the trapped shoulder and the two legs forming the triangular shape that gives the technique its name. The bilateral compression on the carotid arteries — produced by the attacker’s leg behind the opponent’s neck and the opponent’s own shoulder pressing against the other carotid — reaches structural failure once the legs lock fully and the attacker’s hips load the configuration.

Cross-reference. English-speaking no-gi and BJJ use “triangle” or “triangle choke.” Full mechanical coverage on Triangle.