Peruvian Necktie Escape
Peruvian necktie escape — two legs fold the head DOWN into a head-and-arm lock, and the finish is a sit-back. Elbow to the ribs, block the first leg, head out sideways.
Adapted from InGrappling, Peruvian Necktie Escape. System Games did not invent this curriculum.
Manage injuries →Position map Connects to 2 positions across 2 relationshipsOpen in the map →12←Escape route from
This page covers escape from the Peruvian necktie — a front-headlock choke built on a two-handed grip (S-grip or gable) that traps the head and the near arm together under the chin, and on both legs. The head-side leg goes over the back of the defender’s head; the second follows over the back. Most Peruvian neckties come from turtle top or from a failed shot defence — any position where the defender’s back is low, horizontal, and accessible.
⚠ The head is driven DOWN, not up, and the finish is a sit-back rather than a roll. The attacker sits close to the head and extends the hips: the legs fold the head down and deeper into the locked grip while the arms extend and the elbows pinch. Nobody rolls — the defender stays folded underneath as the attacker reclines. This matters more than any other single fact on the page, because a defender expecting to be lifted into the choke will posture up into the direction the submission is already travelling.
For the attack, see: Peruvian Necktie. It is fast, because the whole lower body loads the head into the grip rather than the arms holding it there. ⚠ The sit-back finish carries a cervical-flexion load as well as the strangle — the head is folded forward under bodyweight — so this is not a submission to ride out while looking for a late answer. Defence is tiered and prevention is far more reliable than escape: the window closes when the second leg lands. The priority ordering in this page reflects that — the earliest defences are the strongest.
Elevated RiskPeruvian Necktie (Defence) is an elevated risk technique. Two loads applied by the same sit-back. The locked grip compresses the neck against the attacker's forearms, while both legs fold the head down and forward — a cervical flexion load carried by the attacker's bodyweight and hip extension rather than by their arms. The strangle and the neck load tighten together and neither gives a clean, separable signal. Serious injury can occur Seconds once the second leg lands and the attacker sits back. Cervical loading can arrive before the vascular effect..
If you are new to this technique: read this section before anything else. Understanding the danger is part of understanding the technique.
The person applying the technique is responsible for releasing immediately.
Communicate before drilling. Know your partner's experience level with this position.