Gogoplata
The Gogoplata is a choke applied by pressing the shin or instep into the opponent's throat from the high guard position.
Adapted from InGrappling, Gogoplata. System Games did not invent this curriculum.
FamilyGuardLevelAdvancedPerspectiveBottomIntentOffensiveSafetyElevatedHubTriangle systemMapView on graph →This technique has elevated risk. Make sure you've covered the prerequisites before attempting.
Manage injuries →Position map Connects to 4 positions across 3 relationshipsOpen in the map →1234←Attacked from
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.
The name states the target. Gogó is Portuguese for the Adam’s apple, and the technique is defined by what it presses on rather than by the position it comes from — which is why the same shin-on-the-windpipe mechanic reappears from the top as the domplata and with a second leg behind it as the locoplata.
From 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.
Elevated RiskGogoplata is an elevated risk technique. Tracheal choke — applies direct pressure to the throat. This attacks the airway rather than the carotid arteries. Tracheal compression can cause acute pain, inability to breathe, and in extreme cases tracheal damage. The distress response is immediate but the structural damage threshold can be reached quickly. Serious injury can occur fast — tracheal pressure causes immediate distress; structural damage threshold varies by individual.
If you are new to this technique: read this section before anything else. Understanding the danger is part of understanding the technique.