Choke (martial arts)

As a "choke" is referred to in Grappling - Martial Arts as well as in mixed martial arts attacks, which the task force of the enemy by strangulation. They are to be distinguished from "locks", ie the levering over of joints, such as the legs , arms - or shoulders .

Chokes have the advantage that they also work directly against stronger players, whereas an arm lever , for example , may not be able to be terminated if the opponent is stronger and defends him.

At the same time, the risk of injury is relatively low, as the opponent may lose consciousness after a short time if he does not give up, but wakes up again quickly. The risk of permanent damage is therefore very low.

General distinctions

Chokes can be distinguished both in terms of the effect they are aimed at and the way in which they are performed.

Blood Chokes / Air Chokes

Coarse chokes can be divided into "Blood choke", that chokes which the blood flow in the arteries to the brain disrupt and cause so by the lack of oxygen unconsciousness, and Air chokes which a choking , that is the interruption of the supply of air through the windpipe result to have. However, the difference is fluid depending on the individual anatomy of the fighter and execution technique.

However, if a technique is performed as Blood Choke, it will generally work faster if the opponent does not give up. If the oxygen supply is interrupted, unconsciousness occurs after about 10 seconds, while an interruption in the oxygen supply to the lungs can have no consequences for minutes.

In addition, the risk of lasting bruising of the larynx and the windpipe is significantly greater with an air choke.

On the other hand, a blood choke would theoretically have to be held for minutes on an unconscious fighter in order to cause serious damage or death. This happened in a backyard fight in the summer of 2013 in Brazil. Here a youngster held another in a bulldog choke for 37 seconds after he had given up. → See also: Main article stranglehold

Arm chokes / shoulder chokes

More relevant than the not always clearly distinguishable effect of the chokes is the distinction with regard to the technology with which they are performed. A distinction is made between arm chokes, such as the rear naked choke, in which the effect is achieved with the arms, and shoulder chokes , which work due to pressure from the shoulder.

The triangle choke is a special form in which the legs are used . → Main article Triangle choke

Differentiated from Neck Cranks

Chokes are to be distinguished from neck cranks that aim to tear the neck.

In principle, chokes can be clearly distinguished from neck cranks . However, brutal use or use by an inexperienced person with insufficient knowledge of what they are doing can result in serious injury. A guillotine choke, for example, can be a blood choke, an air choke, but also a neck crank, i.e. the tearing of the neck, depending on the design. For example, the amateur mixed martial arts fighter Zach Kirk was paraplegic in a fight in Iowa on May 27, 2009 due to a guillotine choke.

No Gi-Chokes / Gi-Chokes

Furthermore, chokes can be divided into gi and no-gi chokes.

Gi-Chokes are choke techniques that require a piece of clothing to be carried out. Classically in martial arts this is a gi . In a self-defense situation, this can also be similarly stored, sufficiently wide and tear-resistant clothing, such as a scarf, a leather jacket or a hoodie.

The disadvantage is that in a self-defense situation, it cannot be expected that the attacker will wear such clothes. So if only Gi grips are trained, this is only conditionally suitable for a self-defense situation.

No-gi chokes, on the other hand, do not depend on appropriate clothing. They generally work if they are done correctly.

The downside is that they are often harder to come by when your opponent is defending them. For example, the opponent can protect his neck from a guillotine by pulling his neck and pushing his shoulder forward. However, he can only cover / hide his Gi collar to a limited extent.

The No-Gi chokes are listed below:

Arm chokes

The following chokes are particularly relevant as arm chokes:

Rear naked choke

A U.S. Marines soldier demonstrates the rear naked choke.

The Rear Naked Choke (RNC), also known in Judo as Hadaka-jime (裸絞め, loosely translated "crossed wringing out") is a choke that is used from the back.

Loosely translated it means "bare throttle grip from behind". The word "naked" means in this context that no Gi is required to perform , as is often the case with Judo and JiuJitsu techniques.

When viewed superficially, it can easily be confused with a typical "stranglehold" from behind. In fact, he does not aim at the windpipe, but primarily at the arteries of the opponent. So it's a blood choke.

Two versions are possible:

In the first variant, the attacker puts his arm around the neck of the opponent from behind in a V-shape and holds his own biceps . With the other hand he can now push the opponent's head forward and block the arteries .

In the second variant, one hand also puts one hand around the attacker's neck, but does not grasp his biceps, but puts the hands together crosswise (Gable Grip). He creates the pressure by pressing his elbow against the opponent's shoulder blade .

Due to the simple principle and the fact that this choke can be used both on the floor and while standing, it is very well suited for self-defense. The disadvantage is that the attacker or the person defending himself has to get on the opponent's back.

guillotine

Schematic representation of a guillotine choke

The guillotine choke, also known as Mae Hadaka Jime (前裸絞, "front naked choke, cf. RNC)"; In contrast to the Rear Naked Choke, it is used from the front.

It is commonly known in German-speaking countries as the reverse headlock .

To use it, the opponent's head is placed under the armpit and blocked with the other hand. So the head is stuck like in a historical guillotine .

The guillotine can be used either with or without the opponent's arm in its grip.

To properly prepare the grip, the opponent's chin can be grasped and raised slightly. The second hand now grabs the first hand in the area of the little finger and increases the pull.

The guillotine can be carried out both standing and on the ground. There are numerous variants for this, for example from the guard , the half guard , as a defense against a double leg takedown , or as a defense from the side control .

It is closely related to the D`arce Choke, in which the own biceps are gripped as with the Rear Naked Choke (instead of the wrist) and pressure is exerted on the opponent's back. A fluent change between the two chokes is easy for experienced fighters.

Shoulder chokes

D'arce Choke / Brabo Choke

The Darce Choke, also known as Brabo Choke (also known as Ukemi (受身) in Judo) was named after Joe D'Arce, a third-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Renzo Gracie .

Under his second name "Brabo Choke" he became known at the same time independently of Joe D'Arce through the Portuguese BJJ black belt Leonardo Vieira. He saw the handle on one of his students. The word "Brabo" means something like "angry, tough / tough" or "aggressive" in Portuguese.

When he tried this position himself, his e-mail address was "leobrabo @ ...". Therefore, and because it matched the content of the choke, the name "Brabo Choke" caught on.

For the sake of clarity, the choke will only be referred to as D'arce choke in the rest of the article.

As with the guillotine, the attacker brings his arm under the opponent's neck and through the armpit. However, he does not grasp his own hand, as with the guillotine, but his biceps, as with the rear naked choke.

In order to get even deeper into the opponent's neck with the shoulder, the attacker can perform a longitudinal roll with the opponent over the blocked shoulder (known as the "Gator roll")

In order to increase the pressure with the shoulder in the neck, he now "wanders" his legs from top to bottom, while at the same time maintaining the grip. This increases the pressure on the opponent's neck / back of the head with his torso and presses him into the choke.

"Wandering" fulfills the purpose of "pushing forward" with the rear naked choke. In terms of its design, the D'arce Choke could therefore be compared with an inverted (upside-down) Rear Naked Choke: While with the Rear Naked Choke the person performing the task sits or stands parallel behind the opponent, with the D'arce Choke the attacker is offset by 180 ° to the Opponent. The pressure on the shoulder blades corresponds to the effect of the pressure on the head with the Rear Naked Choke.

This also shows the disadvantage of the D'arce choke: It can only be used against standing opponents if they have already leaned forward deeply (for example in the event of a failed double leg takedown ).

Anaconda choke

The Anaconda Choke is basically the same as the D'arce Choke. However, the attacker does not reach under the armpits to the neck, but the other way around, i.e. from the upper shoulder under the opposite armpit.

The rest of the design is identical to that of the D'arce choke: the attacker "locks" his grip by grasping his own biceps and, using the torsional force , turns his shoulder deeper into the opponent's neck by using a "gator roll" practiced (similar to an anaconda , which wraps its prey and rotates around its own longitudinal axis).

From Flue Choke

The Von Flue Choke was made famous in 2006 by the UFC fighter Jason Von Flue, who successfully used it in UFC Fight Night 3 against Alex Karalexis.

It is a defense from side control against a guillotine that has been held for too long. To use the Von Flue Choke, timing is important. It works in the same way as a Triangle Choke or an Arm Triangle by compressing the artery. The decisive factor here, however, is the pressure with the shoulder: the opponent now blocks himself with his arm, which he has attached to the guillotine.

One advantage of the choke is that it can often be used surprisingly. Disadvantages result from the short time window, which requires good timing, as well as the fact that it can only be set on the ground.

North South Choke

A fighter applies a north south choke. The pressure is created with the shoulder.

The North South, also known in Judo as Kami shiho gatame (上四方固, freely translated "hold upper four quarters"), also known in variations as kuzure kami shiho gatame (崩崩四方固 "broken upper four quarters hold")

It is basically a side control from the head of the opponent. So while in order to use a D'arce - or Anaconda - choke it is necessary that the opponent has his back to you, this choke can be used when the opponent is on his back and the two fighters are facing each other.

Similar to a guillotine, this involves reaching under the opponent's neck. However, this happens on the one hand from the front, i.e. the side of the face, not from the back of the head. Furthermore, the other hand is not locked with the free hand. Instead, this effect is created by the pressure with the shoulder.

The second hand should be used to block the opponent's hips in order to avoid relieving the neck by "walking along" and thereby improving the angle.

Special forms / mixed forms

In addition to these "classic chokes" there are other chokes that either represent mixed forms or are used exclusively in disciplines in which a Gi is worn.

Bulldog choke

The Bulldog Choke is essentially a "headlock" which aims to pinch the opponent under the armpits. It is used relatively rarely in MMA, but was twice successful in UFC 32 and UFC 181. Uriah Faber and Raquel Pennington both scored submission wins with the technique.

The choke is put on from the Kesa Gatame . The fighter brings the back leg under the shoulder of the opponent lying on his back; Then he grabs his own leg with the hand facing the opponent and thus closes the space between the opponent's neck and chest . By pushing his hips into the opponent's ribs , he increases the pressure. The bulldog choke is a special form because, on the one hand, it has to be performed with a lot of force in order to achieve the opponent's task. Furthermore, it does not aim directly at the throat, rather it acts through the pressure on the lungs and the resulting shortness of breath . The effect can be further increased if the fighter increases the pressure every time the opponent exhales (contraction of the lungs ), making it impossible to exhale.

Gi chokes

Gi chokes only play a role in grappling martial arts in which a Gi is worn, for example in Judo, Jiu Jutsu or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

In martial arts without Gi, such as wrestling or MMA, these are ineffective in their basic form. Therefore, there are many no-gi adaptations.

The most important Gi-Chokes are:

Bow and Arrow Choke / Standard Collar Choke

BJJ Black Belt Lucas Leite performing a standard collar choke at the 2009 Pan-American Jiu-Jitsu Championship

The Bow and Arrow Choke (Okuri-Eri-Jime (送襟絞)), ("Arrow and Bow Choke) and the Standard Collar Choke from the back are two important gripping positions that are typical for Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu The attacker uses his opponent's lapel to obtain a submission. Both positions are usually achieved by controlling the back, although it is not essential that control be secured in order to establish any of the holds.

Although they are often mentioned in the same breath, Bow and Arrow and Standard Collar Chokes have different physical approaches.

Standard collar choke

The Standard Collar Choke from behind, also known as Sliding Collar Choke, Collar and Lapel Choke or Cross Collar Choke from behind, is the most common submission when fighting Gi in BJJ.

The attacker grabs both sides of his opponent's Gi collar from the back control.

This means putting the right forearm under the opponent's chin, gripping the left side of the collar, while the right arm gripping under the opponent's armpit and controlling the right side of the collar. The power of the choke now arises when it crosses both arms and thus pulls the collar shut.

Bow and Arrow Choke

The Bow and Arrow Choke, also known as the "Berimbau" choke (in Portuguese / Brazilian), is another highly effective choking technique that relies on the attacker grabbing one of his opponent's collars from a situation of controlling the back.

Here, too, the fighter grabs the side collar of the opponent with one hand. In contrast to the standard collar choke, it does not reach under the armpit, but under the opponent's leg facing it.

The pressure arises from a "tensioning movement" of the opponent like a bow and arrow.

Baseball choke

U.S. Army soldiers training a baseball choke. Instead of the Gi, the opponent's uniform is used here.

Another very effective choke is the baseball choke. It is carried out from the front, for example from the mount. The opponent's collar is gripped deeply to the side and strangled crosswise. The hands should end up in a row, as if you were holding a baseball bat (hence the name)

Baseball Choke - No Gi variant

It is a classic Gi-Choke, which is why it is listed under one in this article. Nevertheless, there is a no-gi variant. This involves grasping the neck of the opponent and hooking your fingers together, then bringing your arms together with a scissor movement. So the missing collar is replaced. However, the hands are then no longer in the eponymous "baseball bat position".

Ezekiel choke

Soldier applying the choke from inside his guard, during US Army combatives competition at the 807th MDSC Best Warrior Competition.

The Ezekiel Choke (also known as Sode Guruma jime (車絞め), loosely translated as sleeve grip in Judo) is a chokehold (shime waza) that compresses the opponent's trachea or carotid artery. The handle is named after Ezequiel Paraguassu, a Brazilian judoka.

The technique can be performed from a variety of positions, but is generally performed by reaching behind the opponent's head with one arm and grasping the sleeve of the gi with the opposite hand. While the lever is pressed against the sleeve, the opposite forearm is passed over the neck and clamped. The choke is designed for the use of a gi; Similar to the baseball choke, there is also a no-gi variant here.

Ezekiel Choke - No Gi variant

Since the choke is based on the leverage of the sleeve, it must be performed in No-Gi as an alternative. Typically, this is accomplished with the lower arm reaching for the opposite wrist or elbow.