In Brazilian jiu jitsu choke attacks are very effective especially when training in the GI because you have added attacks due to the use of the lapel. Today we are going to focus on chokes from the closed guard. Some of the most popular choke attacks include collar chokes, arm chokes and triangle chokes. Although all of the chokes may look different the goal is the same, to cut off the blood to your opponent’s brain. This is done by putting pressure on your opponent’s carotid arteries which are on either side of your neck. Chokes can be very effective and will either submit your opponent of put him unconscious. Some common mistakes people make are to put all their strength in to the choke straight away and burn out there arms and another mistake is to apply pressure in spurts and this lets the blood still flow. The key to choke successfully is to keep constant pressure through the choke this stops the blood flow and the choke gets worse the longer its applied.
Using your opponent’s bjj gi collar to choke him is a highly effective way to finish him. It’s important with most collar chokes to get a deep first grip on the collar and also to position the blade of your wrist across one of his carotid arteries. The second grip is also important it doesn’t have to be as deep because the second grip is used as the stabilizer. Once both grips are established your draw your opponent towards you and open out your elbows and this is what creates the pressure on his carotid arteries and severs the blood to the brain. Although there are a lot of defences to collar chokes they are great for setting up other attacks. To stop the attack your opponent will have to uses his hands to release the pressure from your hands and it’s from this position you can normally transition to an arm bar or triangle choke.
Arm chokes include arm triangles and guillotines. To establish either of these techniques you will need to close the distance between you both. This can be done either by sitting up or by dragging him down. Like all other chokes its best practice to keep constant pressure when applying them. Another mistake most people make is to apply either choke when flat on their back. This can cause unnecessary pressure for you so the best way to counter this is to apply the choke when you’re on your side.
One of the most popular and effective chokes in a bjj gi is the triangle choke. Most people can get to the position triangle choke position but have problems with the finish. One of the main things to remember is to control your opponents head otherwise they can posture out of it. The next thing to consider is your position. Most people try to finish from being directly in front of your opponent. This creates two problems. Firstly it allows your opponent to stack you and you definitely don’t want to be stacked and secondly it makes it harder to get the finish because it’s hard to get your leg directly across his neck. A lot of the time if you’re in front of your opponent your leg will be partly on his neck and partly down his back and this will not get the choke. The best way to get the best position and get the finish is to angle your body off to the side. This helps in two ways. Firstly it stops the ability for your opponent to stack you and secondly you can get the best angle to position your leg across his neck.
