So you want to learn the Monoplata in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. That’s excellent since it’s one of BJJ’s most effective and influential submissions you can learn, especially early on in your journey.
Frankly, it’s more complicated than other submissions, such as Kimura, Americana, and even Guillotine Choke. Nonetheless, it can be more effective than them, as it brings something new to the playing field, especially in the beginner leagues: a surprise factor.
Not many grapplers know how to defend against a solid Monoplata execution. On the other hand, many BJJ practitioners have more experience with defending other submissions, such as Triangle Choke and Lapel Choke.
The point is, you’ll be able to surprise many of your opponents by going for a sneaky Monoplata. This will bring you more wins under your belt, especially if you invest more effort and time into learning and mastering its variations.
And this is what this article will do for you.
Without further introduction, let’s dive into the 1st part!
Monoplata Variations
This 1st part of the article will be about variations of the Monoplata. Learning BJJ can be difficult, or it can be natural and easy. You want to learn it the right way for it to be quicker and feel more natural.
That’s why I ordered this article the way it is. We’ll first start with many variations you want to familiarize yourself with. Then, we’ll break down a single variation into its deepest components, so you’ll be able to learn it properly.
I want to encourage you to bookmark this article before we dive into the variations. The best way to learn this submission is by practicing it one by one and not learning everything here simultaneously.
As a result, it’ll be worth it to have this post in easy access, so you’ll be able to learn the variations one by one and practice them separately. That way, you’ll build muscle memory faster and get quicker results.
So let’s dive into the 1st Monoplata variation.
#1 – Monoplata From the Side
This variation, for those of you who are confused, isn’t from Side Control. What it is, however, is from the side. That means that you want to start perpendicular to the opponent and not necessarily control his arms, hips, and head.
You will be able to perform it from the side under the condition that your training partner tries to underhook you. This variation should pop into your head whenever your partner underhooks you and grabs your thigh.
So here’s how you perform the Monoplata from the side.
- Start perpendicular to the opponent
- Wait for the opponent to underhook you
- The opponent grabs your thigh
- Lean to the side
- Step over the opponent’s shoulder
- Isolate his arm using your ribs and thigh
- Lean back
- Maintain control over his arm
- Hyperextend his arm
- Wait for the tap
The best part about this variation has to be in the 5th step. Usually, when you want to control your training partner, you do so with your feet or hands. However, we do that with our belly and thigh in this case.
This frees up your hands and feet while controlling the opponent’s arm. Such a situation is exceptionally advantageous, and you want to utilize it properly.
#2 – Monoplata From Side Control
This variation is going to begin with you having Side Control, a highly dominant position in the grappling world. If you’re unfamiliar with Side Control and how to get to it, follow this link to learn more about it.
Anyways, once you’re in Side Control, you can start to execute this variation. For the sake of understanding, we’ll assume that the opponent has a hip grip on you.
- Start in Side Control
- Hook your arm around the opponent’s head
- Bring your left knee to his hip
- Slide the same knee up, clearing his hip grip
- Place your right knee on his belly
- Grab his wrist (with your free hand)
- Windshield wiper your left foot under his lower back
- Fall to the side
- Throw your other leg over the isolated shoulder
- Lock your ankles
- Hyperextend the opponent’s shoulder
- Wait for the tap
This is one of the most beautiful variations I’ve stumbled upon in my BJJ journey. Hopefully, you’ll be able to understand the importance of diversifying your toolbox so you can become a more competent grappler.
Not many grapplers know how to defend against a flawless Monoplata execution. Therefore, you’ll notice how you’re capable of winning more fights when you get comfortable using this variation.
Definitely try it out for yourself to see how it plays out in your BJJ style.
And let’s advance to the 3rd variation.
#3 – Monoplata From Mount
The Full Mount position is one of BJJ’s and MMA’s most dominant ones. You’ll be able to finish fights quickly and easily from this position. The primary reason for that phenomenon is the endless options you have from it.
We’ll take a look at a practical variation of the Monoplata from the Full Mount position. Let’s see how that looks:
- aStart in Mount
- Get close to the opponent and wait for an underhook
- Post up when you feel the underhook
- Step your left leg up
- Grab the outside of your knee
- Grab the opponent’s wrist with your left hand
- Push the same wrist down
- Place your shin on the opponent’s biceps
- Step your left foot a bit higher
- Fall onto your hip
- Grab the opponent’s wrist with your free hand
- Slide your leg down
- Apply pressure by extending the elbow
- Wait for the tap
You might encounter this variation more often, as it’s not as difficult to set up. There’s one mistake many novice grapplers make with this variant: they take their time with it, or worse, hesitate while performing it.
This shouldn’t take more than 15 seconds (at most!) Therefore, you want this to flow naturally if you desire to get successful using this variant.
You’ll be able to finish many fights using this submission if you practice it enough times. You want to invest your efforts into building muscle memory so your body can perform it naturally and without you having to think about it.
#4 – Monoplata From Guard
The Closed Guard position is a highly effective one. It allows you to (1) finish the fight by going for a submission, (2) transition to another dominant position, and (3) sweep the opponent.
If you want to learn to use the Closed Guard position properly, follow this link. Anyways, we now want to examine the Monoplata from Guard: so let’s review the many steps it takes to execute it correctly.
- Start in Closed Guard
- Control the opponent’s neck
- Place your left foot on his hip
- Hook your other leg around his head
- Grab the same foot with your other hand (left)
- Grab the same foot with your hand (right)
- Grip your shin with the 2nd hand (left)
- Underhook the opponent’s head with your left hand
- Grip your ankle
- Push your ankle down
- Isolate the opponent’s arm
- Post
- Sit up
- Turn to the other side and fall back
- Push your knees to the left
- Wait for the tap
Alright, this was the longest breakdown I had to do for any variation ever. However, I think it’s worth investing the effort into fully understanding it, as it’s extremely effective.
Your opponent won’t understand what’s coming even if he knows this variation. You’ll be working quickly and passing through the steps effectively.
It’ll be better if you watch this demonstration along with this article to understand further what the entire execution looks like.
These are the 4 variations we’ll cover in this article. If you want to learn about another effective submission and many of its variations, follow this link to read about the Ezekiel Choke and how to perform it flawlessly!
How to Monoplata – Breakdown
Alright, we’re now in the really fun section. This is where we’ll break down the 1st variation (Monoplata from the side) so you can perform it flawlessly.
I’m a big advocate of learning as much as possible, especially in things with infinite knowledge, such as chess and martial arts.
On the other hand, you want to find the balance in this sense. Because if you’re learning and practicing everything you encounter, you’re unfocused. Therefore, you won’t be able to practice one or two variations until you can’t hear another thing about them. That’s when you know you practiced a lot.
But this is how you master a technique: you practice it so many times you get tired of doing it.
Step #1 – Start perpendicular to the opponent
The first step is to start perpendicular to the opponent. We’ve also reviewed a variant from Side Control. However, this isn’t what it is. You want to let the opponent space to underhook you (which is the next step.)
Therefore, if you want to execute this variation, you want to avoid attaining Side Control, which is rather unusual.
Of course, I think you should always strive to attain this position. If you want to learn to finish from Side Control more often, follow this link.
In short, you want to start perpendicular to the opponent.
Step #2 – Wait for the opponent to underhook you
The 2nd step here is to wait for the opponent to underhook you. This is the first condition for performing this variant.
You can deliberately drag the opponent’s hand onto your leg by grabbing it and pulling it toward you. This might be a sufficient incentive to meet this condition.
Step #3 – The opponent grabs your thigh
The 2nd condition for this variation is for the opponent to grab your thigh. Once your training partner meets the two conditions, you can start performing this variation.
It’ll be better if you force these conditions onto the opponent since it’s unlikely he’ll refuse to grab your thigh, as it’ll give him more control (or so he thinks.)
Step #4 – Lean to the side
Next, you lean to the side. This is the first practical step of the Monoplata from the side.
Step #5 – Step over the opponent’s shoulder
Then, you step over the opponent’s shoulder. You want to combine the 4th step with this one and perform them one after another (without stopping.)
This will increase your surprise factor with this submission. It’s unlikely that the opponent will know what you’re going for here unless he learned this variant beforehand. Even if he did, it would be harder to defend against other easier-to-defend submissions.
Once you step over the opponent’s shoulder (quickly), you can advance to the following move.
Before we move on, follow this link if you want to learn about the Helio Gracie Choke, which is an exceptionally painful and effective BJJ submission.
Step #6 – Isolate his arm using your ribs and thigh
You now want to isolate the opponent’s arm using your ribs and thigh. This is such an excellent move, and I hope you can appreciate it. What’s so excellent about it is that you’re not using your hands or feet to isolate his hand.
Typically in BJJ, you’ll be using your limbs to isolate your opponent’s specific body parts, such as the arm and shoulder. That’s not the case here.
You’ll have two free hands and feet to continue controlling the opponent while already having a solid basis in this fight. That’s why this is such an excellent feat (isolating the opponent’s arm with your ribs and thigh.)
Step #7 – Lean back
You now want to lean back while maintaining as much control over the opponent’s arm.
It’ll also be better if you tighten your lock to ensure the opponent can’t escape even if he really wants to. He’ll try to do everything to escape your hold, and you want to be as prepared as possible for when he tries to do that.
So tighten your grip and lean back.
Step #8 – Maintain control over his arm
The 8th step is to maintain control over his arm while leaning back. I’ve decided to separate this step from the previous one since it’s important to understand this move.
Many grapplers lean back and end up giving their opponents too much space to escape. You want to avoid that by tightening your arm lock even more when you lean back.
And trust me, the opponent is already in a world of pain by this point.
Step #9 – Hyperextend his arm
You now want to hyperextend his arm, applying tons of pressure on his shoulder. You can do that by focusing on your grip and applying pressure in the opposite direction to his body.
You hyperextend something by stretching it to a point where you almost break the same part. In our case, the Monoplata is a shoulder manipulation submission. Therefore, if you avoid the opponent’s tap, you’ll eventually break his shoulder.
Remain cautious of that.
Before we dive into the last step, if you want to learn about the Monoplata submission, one of BJJ’s most effective ones, and how to perform it—follow this link.
Step #10 – Wait for the tap
The last step is to wait for the tap. I always include this step in my breakdowns to emphasize the importance of keeping everyone healthy.
Martial arts, and specifically BJJ, are designed not to hurt others. They inflict values in its trainees to think about others, not just themselves. What worse way is there to show this value than by not listening to the opponent’s tap and inflicting permanent damage on him?
Instead, you must release all pressure as soon as the opponent taps. Once you hyperextend his shoulder, divert all your focus to your partner. What expression does he have on his face? Is he tapping out or is he extending his physical limits?
Ensure to keep all of these questions in mind when you apply a lot of pressure on your training partner. The last thing you want is permanently injuring your friend.
Final Words
The Monoplata is a highly effective shoulder manipulation submission. Not a lot of grapplers prepare themselves for this submission, as it’s not as common.
However, for many advanced grapplers’ opinions, it can be more effective than the basic moves. Therefore, it’ll be worth the time spent honing your execution of it.
I recommend you bookmark this article, so you can return to it and keep learning the variations I’ve reviewed here.
If you want to finish from the Full Mount position more often, not only with the Monoplata, follow this link!