Terminal Positions

Some positions are hard to transition out of, so have a plan to finish.

In Jiu-Jitsu, not every position leads to another. Some positions are terminal positions: the end of the chain, where the game stops evolving and the outcome is decided. Once you arrive there, you’re not looking to advance anymore; you’re looking to finish.

A good example is the rear naked choke. When you take the back and get to a proper choking position, that’s about as far as you can go in the positional hierarchy. There’s no “next step” beyond it. You’re not trying to improve to knee-on-belly or side control; you’ve already reached the most dominant point in the exchange. Your focus now shifts entirely to execution: tightening the choke, controlling their defense, and getting the tap. That’s what defines a terminal position.

The Kimura, on the other hand, is not terminal. It’s a system: a control framework that lets you flow between multiple positions depending on how your opponent reacts. You can attack it from top, bottom, standing, or even from the back. Sometimes it’s a finishing hold, but often it’s a handle you use to force reactions, advance your position, or open up other submissions like armbars and triangles. The same grip can move fluidly from side control to north-south, from half guard to back takes, or from turtle into sweeping sequences.

This is a crucial distinction for how we think about progression in Jiu-Jitsu. If you treat every submission as terminal, you’ll miss out on the depth of those techniques and their value as positions. The Kimura, the triangle, and even the guillotine can all be played as non-terminal positions. They’re not just ways to finish; they’re control hubs that let you dictate the pace and direction of the fight. You can transition, reset, or redirect based on what your opponent does. In contrast, terminal positions like the rear naked choke, the fully locked armbar, or a deep heel hook are about closing the loop. You’ve reached the endpoint of the positional flowchart.

Understanding the difference also shapes your training strategy. In terminal positions, you’re chasing precision and pressure; you drill the finishing details, the micro-adjustments that make or break the submission. But when you’re playing a non-terminal system like the Kimura, the goal is awareness and fluidity. You want to understand all the branches of the tree: how to maintain control when the opponent turns, rolls, or posts, and how to use that reaction to climb further up the hierarchy.

The mental shift from “move-based” Jiu-Jitsu to “system-based” Jiu-Jitsu is largely about identifying which positions are terminal and which aren’t. Beginners tend to see everything as a move: “I go from A to B and then I submit.” Advanced practitioners start to see webs instead of chains. They know which positions end the game and which ones just open up new branches.

So the next time you catch a Kimura, don’t think of it as the final step; think of it as a crossroads. You might finish, you might pass, you might take the back. But when you finally get that rear naked choke locked in, that’s the terminal point. The road ends there.

On the podcast:

• Ep. 361: Submission Series: The Kimura, feat. Stephan Kesting

Further study:

• Funneling
• Position Over Submission
• Technique Chaining