Category: Chokes

Jiu Jitsu Chokes

Most Jiu Jitsu Chokes are blood chokes. They work by cutting off the blood to the brain via the carotid arteries. This is achieved by squeezing both sides of the neck, ideally with a narrow ridge of bone or the lapel of a Jiu Jitsu Gi.

There are also air chokes the most famous of which is the guillotine. These air chokes (also known as strangles) are more painful than blood chokes and if your opponent can endure the pain can be resisted for much longer. A blood choke when effectively applied will render your opponent unconscious in 8-10 seconds and can be fatal in under one minute.

An air choke takes much longer to render someone unconscious; especially if they have a strong neck. Many people tap from discomfort long before going unconscious.

Common BJJ Blood Chokes

Back Choke (Rear Naked Choke)
Triangle Choke
Cross Lapel Choke (Cross Collar Choke)
Baseball Choke
D’arce Choke
Bow & Arrow Choke
Ezekiel Choke
Clock Choke
Anaconda
Brabo Choke
Head & Arm Choke
North South Choke

Common Jiu Jitsu Air Chokes

Guillotine
Gogoplata
Short Choke
Papercutter Choke

Helicopter Armbar & Helicopter Triangle
Breakdown of the Helicopter Armbar & a bonus Helicopter Triangle.

Ryron and Rener Gracie breakdown the helicopter armbar to celebrate the first? application of this technique in a televised MMA fight.
How to do the helicopter armbar
A lot needs to happen to get a helicopter armbar. First up your opponent needs to be standing over you with their feet close to your hips and you controlling at least one wrist and a lapel or preferably two wrists. From here with feet on hips either pull them forward or scoot under their hips and lift with your feet. It’s critical for this that you are under their hips or you feet will just push them away. Lift like you are doing a front sweep but instead of bringing them over your head spin them 90 degrees. Then drop them buy removing your foot from their far hip. As they fall take that free leg over their head knee bent ready to pull them in to your hips as you apply the armbar.
Once you’ve done the helicopter armbar in rolling eventually your training partners will learn to suck their elbows in and escape. This is where the helicopter triangle comes in useful.
How to do the helicopter triangle
From guard with a standing opponent and control of at least both arms. Open your guard and get both feet on their hips. Then shift your hips under theirs and use your feet to lift them off the ground. From this position you should be able to easily hold their weight. Keeping your left foot on their hip, extend your right arm so that their weight is equally between your left foot and right arm (this takes a lot of practice). Now you can remove your right foot from the hip. Shoot it up over their shoulder and lock up the triangle as you allow them to drop to their feet.
To avoid being picked up and slammed (you are now triangling a standing opponent), turn 90 degrees to your right and secure their left leg, reaching through and grape vining back around the leg. This prevents them picking you up while you squeeze and finish the triangle.
August 28, 2020
Scissor Sweep From Spider Guard to Triangle Choke
Hit this Scissor Sweep from Spider Guard. If they post Triangle Choke them.

Starting from spider guard. On your back. With a sleeve grip (your right hand on your opponent’s left hand). Your right foot pushing into your opponent’s left bicep (just above the elbow). Your left arm gripping their right sleeve. Lasso their right arm by putting your left leg over the arm then back under the armpit (without releasing the sleeve grip). Use the foot of your left leg as a hook on their upper back.
Then keeping shin pressure against their side, shift you hips and bring your left foot down. Breaking their posture and bending them forward. Switch your left hand from the sleeve grip to a collar grip. This gives you control of their posture. Pulling down with your left arm fully extend your right leg. This will be unpleasant for your opponent. It creates a lot of pressure on the bicep. Most opponents will drop to their right knee at this stage and look to use their left knee to break your sleeve grip. Once they are on their knee you no longer need your left leg to control them. Take this free leg and swing it back towards your head. Then pivoting on to your left hip push up hard with your right foot in the bicep (this makes your opponent light) as you simultaneously swing your left leg through in a scissor sweep.
Sweep or Choke
One of two things will happen at this point. Either you will get the scissor sweep and can move to top position. Or if they are quick, they’ll post their right arm. Avoiding being swept. But in position for your Triangle.
As soon as they post use your left leg to reverse shrimp. pulling your hips towards them. Switch you hips back to a level position, and the shoot your right leg over their shoulder locking the ankle under your left knee for the Triangle. Push the trapped arm across to the opposite side and pull the head as your squeeze to finish the choke.
August 25, 2020
How to Do an Ezekiel Choke
The Ezekiel (Sleeve) Choke is an Excellent First Attack From Mount.
Time needed: 1 minute
How to do an Ezekiel Choke.
1. When to try it.
  From mount position, when an opponent is blocking your hips and has their hands low.
2. Secure the head.
  Drive forward with your body and secure their head with one arm under their neck.
3. Block the arm.
  With your other arm drop the elbow to the mat tight against their shoulder. This blocks their arm, preventing them defending the choke.
4. Grab your Sleeve.
  With your bottom arm take a 4 finger grip on the sleeve of your other arm. Make sure to keep blocking their arm with your elbow while you do this.
5. The Can Opener
  Work your top hand in under their chin, across the throat. Using the thumb side of your hand as a can opener wedging it in then twisting to lift the chin. Repeat until your wrist is under their chin.
6. Slide the choke into place.
  Next slide both arms to the side, so that the sleeve you are gripping is hard against the side of their neck. Ready to choke.
7. Position your body
  Keeping your knee tight against their body on your low arm side, flare your ankle and shift your weight to this side. Getting your spine out of parallel.
8. Tighten the Ezekiel Choke
  Posture up with your weight over your butt. Straightening and extending your arms, until your opponent taps out.
How does an Ezekiel Choke work?
The motion is like a pair of scissors. Your sleeve grip is the bolt holding the blades together. As you posture up and straighten your elbows your wrists come together the the blades of a pair of scissors, choking your opponent.
August 23, 2020
No Gi Ezekiel Choke Breakdown
Yes it is possible to do a Ezekiel Choke no gi. Rener, Ryron & Vince Vaughn Celebrate the UFC’s first Ezekiel Choke with a Gracie Breakdown.

After Aleksei Oleinik epic Ezekiel Choke from UNDER mount, the boys celebrate with an Ezekiel Choke breakdown. Teaching you how to do it with and without the use of a sleeve. From mount, from inside the guard, and from bottom position. The Ezekiel Choke is one of the only chokes effective from inside the guard.
There is an excellent explanation of why Aleksei chose to allow himself to be mounted to help sink the choke in place. It’s not practical to Ezekiel choke someone from under side control. Allowing them to move to mount brings your spines parallel which opens up the neck so you can get your fist in.
The boys also discuss and demonstrate two escapes if someone has an Ezekiel Choke locked in on you while you are in mount. If you’re on the bottom then good luck.
August 23, 2020
Surprise You’re In a North South Choke
The Perfect North South Choke Set Up & A Backup Armbar.
Jiu Jitsu Legend Marcelo Garcia teaches his set up for the north south choke. How to drive the hands away leaving you space to surprise them. Suddenly shifting from fighting their hands at their waist to encircling their neck and applying the choke.
Great details on what to do with your body once the choke is locked in. Increasing the pressure with your shoulder and keeping your body straight on, without moving around, to make the choke as tight as possible. body flat to the ground, never up on your knees.
Keep watching to the end for a sneaky spiral arm bar. It’s perfect for catching anyone who manages to roll, and get to their knees. Escaping your north south control before you can get to the choke.
August 20, 2020
Slowly Squeeze The Fight Out Of Your Opponent With an Anaconda Choke
How to Do An Anaconda Choke.
Usually performed after you’ve sprawled on someone trying to shoot a double leg, or on someone escaping knee ride to turtle. Anytime they are on their knees and you have your chest on the back of their neck the Anaconda Choke is available. If they have their arms outstretched reaching for your legs that’s even better. Reaching between their arm and neck with on hand, under their body to grab your arm on the far side. Use this grip to pull their elbow in then switch your bottom hand up to your bicep and put your outside hand on their back, safely out of reach. Tuck your head and roll on the side you’ve trapped the arm (so they can’t post). Then bring your hips in so your torso is under their head and squeeze with your body and arms together until they tap.
August 20, 2020
The Gogoplata From Closed Guard
Gogoplata & Locoplata Variation from Guard.
From a closed guard position use your grips and your legs to break your opponents posture, pulling them forward. Take a collar grip with one hand and an overhook with the other. From there you open your guard putting your far leg on your opponent’s hip and your other leg across their back. Once they’re secured in this position, bring your top leg from their back, & place your shin across their throat. If they turn away switch to an Omoplata. If they turn towards you the Gogoplata is on. release your overhook and use that arm to reach across behind their head. Grabbing the ball of your foot. Then with your other hand push up on your heel. Your arm holding the foot secures their head; while you’re shin crushes the front of their throat. It’s an air choke so on a stubborn opponent it will take a while to put them to sleep, but most people will tap from the discomfort. (It fucking hurts).
The Locoplata is really just a small variation. If your opponent uses their hand to pull you foot away preventing you from grabbing it. Use your free hand to fight their hand. This allows you to grab the toe. Now you no longer have a free hand but you can take your foot off the hip and use it to push the other heel up affecting the choke.

August 19, 2020
The High Elbow Guillotine
Learn the 3 Key Points to the High Elbow Guillotine.
John Danaher explains the 3 key battles you need to win to pull off an effective high elbow guillotine. First win the battle for distance creating space to pull off the choke. Then you must focus on winning the battle for hand position. Get your locked hands between your opponent’s shoulder and his neck. Finally there’s a battle for head position. Taking your head to the opposite side allows you to raise your choking elbow high. Preventing your opponent getting their arm over yours. Finish the choke by bring your knee up to meet your elbow, and securing them with a foot across the back.
These details are gold. So if you’ve ever gassed out trying to finish a guillotine, this video will give you the knowledge you need to replace strength with technique.
August 15, 2020
Mastering The Guillotine
Don’t Rely on Brute Force to Finish Your Guillotine.
Firas Zahabi and Karel Pravec discuss every detail of the Guillotine choke, including many great variations. Fantastic details on how to use body position and angles rather than strength to finish the choke. Great information on realising when you are not going to get the finish, and what to transition into to maintain position and go for a different finish. If you already have a good guillotine this will make it great. As the Silver Fox says we are not trying to rip the guys head off, we are trying to cause strangulation.
August 15, 2020
North South Control, North South Choke, and a Arm Bar
Establish Control then Attack From North South Position.
Marcelo Garcia explains how and where to push and apply your weight to establish crushing North South Control. Then surprise your opponent with a North South Choke, or an Arm Bar.
North South Choke is a highly effective choke in both gi and no gi competition. So much so that it is one of Marcelo Garcia’s favorite chokes.
August 13, 2020