Alias · Triangle system
Top triangle
Also known as Mounted Triangle — the canonical term used on this site.
Training background: Descriptive term distinguishing it from the guard triangle
Descriptive — triangle applied from the top
Top triangle is a descriptive name for the mounted triangle — naming the triangle applied from the top, mounted position rather than from guard.
Etymology. “Top” frames the position the triangle is locked from, mounted over the opponent; “triangle” names the strangle. The label distinguishes it from the guard triangle applied off the back.
Mechanics. The mounted triangle compresses both sides of the neck from above: the legs close around the head and one arm while the attacker’s top position adds downward pressure, so both carotids are pressed at once. Mounting over the opponent supplies weight to the same two-sided compression the guard triangle makes from below.
Cross-reference. Full mechanical coverage on Mounted Triangle.