Technique · Guard
Gogoplata
Guard — High Guard • Foot Choke • Advanced
What This Is
The Gogoplata is a foot choke — the shin or instep presses directly into the throat, attacking the trachea (windpipe) rather than the carotid arteries. This makes it mechanically distinct from vascular chokes: it applies pressure to the airway, which causes an immediate distress response rather than the gradual carotid compression of blood chokes.
From high guard (POS-GRD-HIGH-GUARD), the bottom player has both arms controlling the top player’s posting arm and head. One leg slips inside the top player’s arm and the foot comes under the chin — the shin is driven into the throat by pulling the top player’s head down with both arms while the leg extends. The hips must be high (high guard entry) to create the angle for the foot to reach the throat. Without elevated hips, the foot cannot reach.
The Gogoplata is associated with Rubber Guard / Mission Control (10th Planet) as an entry path, but it is accessible from high guard without the full rubber guard system. It is an Advanced technique because both the hip elevation requirement and the coordination of simultaneous head-pull and leg-press are demanding to achieve against a resisting opponent.
Safety First
Tap immediately when pressure is felt. Do not attempt by drilling with force — the Gogoplata should be drilled at very low pressure to learn the mechanics. The discomfort response is faster than for blood chokes and the structural margin before damage is narrower for tracheal attacks.
The Invariable in Action
The Gogoplata requires simultaneous connection in two directions: the arms pull the head down toward the shin, and the shin presses up into the throat. If only the head is pulled without the shin on the throat, it is a head clinch with no submission. If only the shin presses without head control, the top player postures up and removes the foot. Both connections are mandatory and simultaneous.
The high guard hip elevation removes the top player’s ability to sit tall. Head control prevents them from pulling their head back. The combination of these two isolations is what traps the throat against the shin. An opponent who can posture up — either because the hips are low or because the head is not controlled — will remove the foot from the throat before the choke registers.
The Grip
The Gogoplata grip configuration:
Leg threading: One leg (typically the leg on the same side as the posting arm being controlled) threads inside the top player’s arm — between the top player’s arm and their body. The shin or instep aims for the throat. This is the same general limb path as a triangle entry but the foot goes to the throat rather than the leg crossing over.
Head control: Both hands grip the back of the top player’s head — clasped together, or gripping the skull, or one hand gripping the head and one controlling the arm. Both arms pull the head down toward the shin. The grip must be strong enough to resist the top player’s posturing reflex.
Shin placement: The shin (the bony ridge of the lower leg) or the instep is the contact point on the throat. The shin is harder and creates more acute pressure; the instep is softer. Both are effective — the shin finish tends to be faster due to more direct pressure.
Hip position: The hips must be elevated — not flat on the mat. The high guard position creates the elevation that allows the foot to reach the throat. Without this elevation, the leg angle is too shallow to place the shin on the throat.
The Finish
The finish is the combination of pulling the head down and extending the leg:
Pull the head down: Both hands pull the top player’s head forward and downward — toward the shin. This removes their ability to posture and drives the throat into the shin.
Extend the leg: The threading leg extends — pushing the shin or instep upward and forward into the throat. The leg extension and the head pull work in opposition across the throat: the shin comes up, the head comes down, the throat is compressed between them.
The finish point: The tracheal pressure causes immediate distress. The tap typically comes quickly because airway attacks produce a strong and immediate body response. Do not continue applying force after the tap — release immediately.
Apply slowly in drilling: Because the airway response is immediate and strong, do not apply the Gogoplata at full force in drilling. The learning context requires very light contact with the throat to understand the mechanics without risking tracheal injury to the drilling partner.
Setup and Entry
From High Guard (Primary Entry)
The primary entry. From high guard with elevated hips, the bottom player controls the top player’s posting arm and head. One leg threads inside the arm and the shin moves toward the throat. The high guard hip elevation is what makes the angle work — establish the high guard position before the shin can reach the throat.
From Rubber Guard / Mission Control
The 10th Planet Rubber Guard system uses Mission Control — a specific leg-over-the-shoulder configuration — as a Gogoplata entry. From Mission Control, the foot is already past the shoulder and in position near the throat. This is a deeper entry with more control but requires significant hip flexibility to maintain the Mission Control position.
When the Top Player Postures into the High Guard
When the top player drives their head forward in an attempt to pass or apply pressure from top position into the bottom player’s high guard, they sometimes drive the throat directly toward the waiting shin. Opportunistic Gogoplata entries from this forward posture are possible when the arms are controlling the head and the leg is already inside.
Position Requirements
- High Guard (POS-GRD-HIGH-GUARD) — The elevated hip position is mandatory. Flat guard hips do not allow the foot to reach the throat.
- One leg inside the opponent’s arm — The threading leg must be inside the arm — between the arm and the body. An outside leg cannot reach the throat from the correct angle.
- Head accessible for two-hand control — Both hands must reach the back of the head. If the opponent’s head is too far away or the arms are blocked, the pull cannot be applied.
Defence and Escape
Priority 1 — Prevent the high guard: The Gogoplata requires high guard hip elevation. Preventing the bottom player from elevating the hips into high guard prevents the submission angle from existing. Drive the hips down, keep base, prevent elevation.
Priority 2 — Posture up when the leg threads inside: If the bottom player threads a leg inside the arm, posture up immediately — raise the torso and head away from the shin. A high posture removes the throat from the foot’s path and forces the bottom player to climb higher to re-establish the entry angle. Do this immediately; do not wait.
Priority 3 — Keep base and prevent the head from being pulled down: The head pull is the second half of the finish. Keeping a strong base and resisting the head pull maintains the posture that prevents the shin from reaching the throat. Head control resistance and base are linked — good base supports the head resistance.
Priority 4 — Tap immediately when the shin contacts the throat: Once the shin is on the throat and the head is being pulled down, the airway is being compressed. Tap immediately on pressure. Tracheal attacks produce a rapid distress response — do not hold on attempting to escape once the throat pressure is felt.
Common Errors
Error 1: Hips not elevated — foot cannot reach
Why it fails: Without high guard hip elevation, the leg angle is too shallow. The foot reaches toward the throat but cannot make contact — it contacts the chest or chin area instead of the throat. No elevation, no Gogoplata.
Correction: Establish the high guard position — hips elevated, weight on the upper back — before threading the leg inside. The elevation must come first. If the hips are flat, the entry is not yet available.
Error 2: Pulling the head before the foot is placed
Why it fails: Pulling the head before the shin is on the throat simply pulls the opponent’s head forward — there is nothing for the throat to press against. The pull is only effective once the shin is in position, because the pull drives the throat into the shin.
Correction: Thread the leg inside and place the shin on the throat before initiating the head pull. The sequence is: foot/shin in position → then pull. The two motions can be near-simultaneous but the foot must be in contact first.
Error 3: Applying at speed or force in drilling
Why it fails: The Gogoplata is a tracheal attack. The airway does not provide the gradual pain signal that joint-based submissions do. A hard application risks acute tracheal injury to the training partner before they can tap.
Correction: Drill with light contact only. The mechanics can be learned at very low pressure. Never apply the Gogoplata at full force in a training context. This is non-negotiable for this submission type.
Drilling Notes
Hip Elevation First
Drill the high guard entry as a prerequisite. The Gogoplata cannot be drilled usefully without reliable high guard hip elevation. If the high guard elevation is not consistent, work that position in isolation before adding the Gogoplata attempt. The high guard page documents this prerequisite in detail.
Leg Threading Drill — No Contact
From high guard with a partner, drill the leg threading motion: one leg threads inside the partner’s arm, the shin moves toward the throat but stops short of contact (a few centimetres). This establishes the path without throat contact. Feel whether the angle is correct — the shin should be aligned with the throat, not the chin or chest. Repeat until the threading path is automatic.
Light Contact Drilling
Once the path is clean, add minimal shin contact and minimal head pull — enough to feel the mechanism but not enough to cause throat pressure. Both players must agree explicitly on the pressure level before this drill begins. The Gogoplata is learned at low pressure; it does not need to be applied at high pressure in drilling to understand the mechanics.
Ability Level Guidance
Advanced
The Gogoplata is listed as Advanced because it requires established high guard, reliable hip elevation, and the coordination of simultaneous head pull and leg press — all against a resisting opponent. At Advanced level, understand the Gogoplata in the context of the high guard attack chain: triangle, omoplata, and Gogoplata from the same high guard position. The Gogoplata is most effective when the opponent is defending the triangle and omoplata — the defensive adjustments they make to stop those submissions can expose the throat to the Gogoplata entry.
Ruleset Context
The Gogoplata is legal in ADCC and submission-only competition. Some point-based rulesets restrict foot chokes and tracheal pressure attacks. Confirm the specific ruleset before attempting in competition.
Variations
Locoplata
The locoplata is a gogoplata variant in which the bottom player uses their free foot to push up against the choking foot, amplifying the shin-to-trachea pressure rather than relying solely on hand pressure behind the head. Where the standard gogoplata pulls the head down while extending the choking leg, the locoplata adds a second foot as a mechanical booster — pressing the choking shin harder into the throat.
The mechanical difference: in the standard gogoplata, hand strength determines the clamping force that drives the head into the shin. In the locoplata, the second leg provides an additional force vector, allowing the bottom player to amplify pressure without relying as heavily on grip strength. This is particularly relevant when hand control of the head is partially disrupted by the top player’s defence.
The locoplata has its own standalone page covering the entry mechanics and the specific foot positioning required. See: Locoplata.
Also Known As
- Gogoplata(Standard name — no widely used alternative)
- Foot choke(Descriptive informal term)