Turk

What This Is

The turk is an upper body ride-based control from folkstyle wrestling. It is not a BJJ pin. The turk does not correspond to mount, side control, or any BJJ top position taxonomy. It sits within the Power Ride system as an upper body control that operates in parallel with leg control — one arm controls the shoulder and neck from above while leg control or lower body pressure prevents base-building below.

The turk isolates the opponent’s shoulder structure. When the near arm is trapped and the neck is headlocked from the top, the opponent cannot perform the upper body movements required to build base: they cannot push up with the near arm, cannot rotate their torso freely, and cannot create the leverage needed to get to all-fours or standing. The turk is essentially a walking nullification of the opponent’s near-side upper body.

Two outcomes dominate the turk: the kimura and the flat pin. The kimura is available because the near arm is isolated and accessible for the grip — the turk places the top player’s body in exactly the position needed for a kimura on the near arm. The flat pin occurs when the top player uses the turk control and their bodyweight to spiral the opponent flat to the mat. From flat, back control is immediately available and the opponent cannot stand or push up easily.

The turk is not a resting position. Use the control to pursue the kimura or to drive flat. Holding the turk without intent gives the opponent time to create their own plan.

The Invariable in Action

The turk captures two things at once: the near arm (by threading under it) and the neck (by wrapping around from behind). Together these form a headlock-type control that prevents the near shoulder from operating independently. The opponent cannot push up or rotate without working against both controls simultaneously. This is why the turk is effective even without deep leg control — the upper body is sufficiently compromised on its own.

Practitioners who reach for the kimura grip before the turk is locked frequently lose both the grip and the control. The turk must be established — near arm trapped, neck wrapped — before the kimura is initiated. The turk provides the stability from which the kimura can be finished.

Mechanics

Entering the Turk

From turtle top or four-point, the top player threads their near arm under the opponent’s near arm from behind — passing the arm through the gap between the opponent’s upper arm and their body. The hand comes through and the arm is now inside the near arm. From there, the arm reaches around and up, locking around the opponent’s neck in a tight headlock configuration. The near arm is now trapped between the top player’s threading arm and the top player’s body.

The Lock

The lock is tight. The threading arm goes deep — not a loose reach, but a committed thread that traps the near arm against the top player’s chest. The hand that reaches around the neck grips the back of the neck or the far shoulder. This is a chest-to-back control: the top player’s chest is against the opponent’s back/shoulder area, and the turk arm wraps tightly around the neck from above.

The Kimura Setup from Turk

With the turk established, the near arm is isolated against the top player’s threading arm. The top player’s outside hand reaches down and grips the opponent’s near wrist. The threading arm creates the kimura’s second point of control — it is already positioned behind the opponent’s elbow. From here, the kimura rotation begins: the near arm is bent at the elbow, and the wrist is driven in a circular motion to apply the shoulder lock. The turk provides the near-arm isolation that makes the kimura mechanically clean.

Driving Flat

The turk creates the conditions for flattening the opponent to the mat. With the neck wrapped and the near arm trapped, the top player drives their bodyweight spiraling — forward and to the side — taking the opponent from all-fours to flat-to-mat. The direction of the spiral is toward the trapped-arm side. The opponent cannot resist this rotation without full use of the near arm, which is compromised.

Exits and Transitions

Kimura

The primary submission from the turk. The near arm is isolated, the turk provides the control structure, and the kimura grip is established as described above. This is the highest-value submission from the turk position. See: Kimura.

Flattening to Side Control Context

Driving the opponent flat with the turk removes their base and moves toward a flat belly-down or side-facing position. From there, back control or passing to a side-facing pin becomes available depending on the opponent’s response. This is a valid exit when the kimura is blocked.

Back Take

If the opponent escapes the neck wrap but is flattened in the process, the back is often exposed. Release the turk arm and go behind. See: Back Control.

Return to Turtle Top

If the turk is lost — the opponent pulls their arm free or creates space — the position reverts toward turtle top. Maintain chest-down pressure and reset to a leg ride or wrist ride approach.

Defence and Escape

The turk defence requires protecting the near arm and the neck simultaneously. The two-point control is what makes it effective — defences must address both.

Priority 1 — Prevent the thread. The turk requires the top player to thread under the near arm. Keeping the near elbow tight to the body makes the gap too small to thread. Elbows in, especially the near-side elbow, is the primary prevention.

Priority 2 — Protect the neck immediately if the arm is taken. If the near arm is threaded, the neck wrap is the next step. Drive the chin down and toward the chest to prevent the wrap from reaching the neck. A chin-down head posture makes the neck wrap shallow and easier to break.

Priority 3 — Walk the arm out. If the turk is established, attempt to walk the trapped arm forward — bringing the elbow in front of the body — to reduce the trap. This requires moving the elbow toward the mat in front rather than pushing back against the top player’s chest control.

Priority 4 — Don’t give the kimura grip passively. If the turk is tight and the near arm is isolated, protect the wrist. Keep the near hand tight to the body. The kimura requires the wrist to be gripped. If the near hand is tucked against the hip or chest, the kimura grip is harder to establish.

Common Errors

Drilling Notes

Ability Level Guidance

Ruleset Context

The turk position carries no ruleset restrictions in any no-gi format. It is legal in ADCC and IBJJF No-Gi. The kimura submission it sets up is universally legal. The turk does not score points independently. Flattening the opponent with the turk into a side-facing position may create point-scoring opportunities in formats that reward positional control, but this depends on the specific ruleset. The primary value of the turk in competition is as a kimura delivery system and a back-take facilitator.

Also Known As

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