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Chokehold

 
Chokehold

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Chokehold



 
 
A chokehold or stranglehold (in budo
Budo

is a Japanese language term describing martial arts. In English, it is used almost exclusively in reference to Japanese martial arts.Etymology...
 referred to as shime-waza, ??, "constriction technique") is a grappling hold
Grappling hold

A grappling hold is a grappling, wrestling, judo or other martial arts term for a specific grip that is applied to an opponent. Holds are principally used to control the opponent, and to advance in points or grappling position....
 that strangles
Strangling

Strangling is compression of the neck that leads to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxia state in the brain. Fatal strangling typically occurs in cases of violence, accidents, and as the mechanism of suicide in hangings....
 the opponent, and leads to unconsciousness
Unconsciousness

Unconsciousness, more appropriately referred to as loss of consciousness or lack of consciousness, is a dramatic alteration of mental state that involves complete or near-complete lack of responsiveness to people and other environmental stimuli....
 or even death
Death

Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that define a life organism. It refers to both a particular event and to the condition that results thereby....
. Chokeholds are practiced and used in martial arts
Martial arts

Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat. While they may be studied for various reasons, martial arts share a single objective: to physically defeat other persons and to defend oneself or others from physical threat....
, combat sports, self-defense
Self-defense

Self-defense is the act of defending oneself, one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm. While the term may define any form of personal defense, it is strongly associated with civilian hand-to-hand defense techniques....
, law-enforcement and in military hand to hand combat
Hand to hand combat

Hand-to-hand combat is a generic term often referring to weaponless fighting conducted from a military based point of view. This distinguishes it from combat sport....
 application.






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Maldives25a Rear Choke
A chokehold or stranglehold (in budo
Budo

is a Japanese language term describing martial arts. In English, it is used almost exclusively in reference to Japanese martial arts.Etymology...
 referred to as shime-waza, ??, "constriction technique") is a grappling hold
Grappling hold

A grappling hold is a grappling, wrestling, judo or other martial arts term for a specific grip that is applied to an opponent. Holds are principally used to control the opponent, and to advance in points or grappling position....
 that strangles
Strangling

Strangling is compression of the neck that leads to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxia state in the brain. Fatal strangling typically occurs in cases of violence, accidents, and as the mechanism of suicide in hangings....
 the opponent, and leads to unconsciousness
Unconsciousness

Unconsciousness, more appropriately referred to as loss of consciousness or lack of consciousness, is a dramatic alteration of mental state that involves complete or near-complete lack of responsiveness to people and other environmental stimuli....
 or even death
Death

Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that define a life organism. It refers to both a particular event and to the condition that results thereby....
. Chokeholds are practiced and used in martial arts
Martial arts

Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat. While they may be studied for various reasons, martial arts share a single objective: to physically defeat other persons and to defend oneself or others from physical threat....
, combat sports, self-defense
Self-defense

Self-defense is the act of defending oneself, one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm. While the term may define any form of personal defense, it is strongly associated with civilian hand-to-hand defense techniques....
, law-enforcement and in military hand to hand combat
Hand to hand combat

Hand-to-hand combat is a generic term often referring to weaponless fighting conducted from a military based point of view. This distinguishes it from combat sport....
 application. They are generally considered superior compared to brute-force manual strangling
Strangling

Strangling is compression of the neck that leads to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxia state in the brain. Fatal strangling typically occurs in cases of violence, accidents, and as the mechanism of suicide in hangings....
, which usually requires a large disparity in physical strength to be effective. Instead of simply using the fingers or arms to attempt to crush the neck, chokeholds effectively use leverage such as figure-four holds or collar holds that use the clothes to assist in the strangle. Depending on the reaction of the victim, it may compress the airway
Airway

The airways are those parts of the respiratory system through which air flows, to get from the external environment to the alveoli.The airway begins at the mouth or nose, and accesses the vertebrate trachea via the pharynx....
, interfere with the flow of blood in the neck, or work as a combination of the two (see the 'General
Strangling

Strangling is compression of the neck that leads to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxia state in the brain. Fatal strangling typically occurs in cases of violence, accidents, and as the mechanism of suicide in hangings....
' section in the article on strangling for further detail).

The word also refers to an occupied state where the occupiers severely prevent any kind of civil rights, quelling all opposition and/or resistance.

Blood choke

A blood choke or carotid restraint, also known as the sleeper hold, specifically refers to a chokehold that compresses one or both carotid arteries and/or the jugular veins without compressing the airway, hence causing cerebral ischemia
Cerebral ischemia

Brain ischemia, also known as cerebral ischemia, is the reduction of blood flow to the brain. Brain ischemia has been connected to cerebral hypoxia and, if prolonged, to cerebral infarction....
 and a temporary hypoxic
Hypoxia (medical)

Hypoxia is a Pathology condition in which the body as a whole or a region of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply. Variations in arterial oxygen concentrations can be part of the normal physiology, for example, during strenuous physical exercise....
 condition in the brain. Regardless of who the opponent is, a well applied blood choke leads to unconsciousness in 3-5 seconds, while a poorly applied choke can take upwards of thirty seconds to render the opponent unconscious. If released, the subject usually regains consciousness in double the time the choke was applied after he had blacked out. Compared to traditional manual strangulation, properly applied blood chokes require little physical strength, and can be applied successfully by a comparatively weak person. Blood chokes are considered safe for practice and application, although being a lethal technique when held long enough. In Judo
Judo

, meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either Throw one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling manoeuvre, or force an opponent...
, no deaths have occurred through the use of the blood choke.

Use in combat sports

Most chokeholds featured in combat sports and martial arts are blood chokes, although some air chokes or combinations occur as well. Blood chokes, especially the rear naked choke (mata lećo), triangle chokes, or gi chokes, are commonly used as submission holds in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art and combat sport that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting. It is a derivative of early 20th century Kodokan Judo, which was itself then a recently-developed system , based on multiple schools of Japanese jujutsu....
. In Judo
Judo

, meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either Throw one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling manoeuvre, or force an opponent...
, chokeholds, known as shime-waza, are used but are often subject to restrictions based on age or rank. Chokeholds are not allowed in Sport Sambo
Sambo (martial art)

Sambo is a modern martial art, combat sport and self-defense system developed in the Soviet Union and recognized as an official sport by the USSR All-Union Sports Committee in 1938, presented by Anatoly Kharlampiev....
 but are allowed in Combat Sambo. The chokeholds used in Catch wrestling
Catch wrestling

Catch wrestling is a style of wrestling. Catch wrestling is arguably the ancestor of modern grappling, professional wrestling, mixed martial arts and no-holds-barred competition....
 are the inspiration for the "chokeholds" in modern professional wrestling
Professional wrestling

Professional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is a non-competitive professional sport, where matches are prearranged by the Professional wrestling promotion List of professional wrestling terms#B, and is also considered an athletic performing art, containing strong elements of catch wrestling, mock combat and theatre....
 performances. Due to the effectiveness of chokeholds and their popularity in a wide variety of martial arts, they are often used to force submissions in mixed martial art organizations such as the UFC and WEC
World Extreme Cagefighting

World Extreme Cagefighting is an United States mixed martial arts promotion. It is the sister promotion to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, both owned and produced by Zuffa, with a focus on the lighter weight classes ....
, and submission grappling tournaments, such as ADCC
ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship

The ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship is a competition involving professional athletes who have been successful at the highest levels of Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, Judo, Sambo, Shooto and Mixed Martial Arts....
 and Grapplers Quest
Grapplers Quest

Grapplers Quest is a grappling event promoter started in 1996 by Brian Cimins it hosts submission grappling and brazilian jiu jitsu tournaments throughout the World under the RATED, World Grappling League....
.

Use in law enforcement

The law-enforcement lateral vascular neck restraint (also called sleeper hold) is a widely taught blood choke in law enforcement, and is performed from behind by putting an arm around the neck with the crook of the elbow over the midline of the neck. By pinching the arm together while assisting with the free hand, the carotid arteries and jugular veins are compressed on both sides of the neck. This hold does not put any pressure on the airway, but an improperly applied hold can quickly turn into an air choke if the person being strangled resists the hold
Grappling hold

A grappling hold is a grappling, wrestling, judo or other martial arts term for a specific grip that is applied to an opponent. Holds are principally used to control the opponent, and to advance in points or grappling position....
 by attempting to turn around.

Due to risks of fatal injuries, law enforcement agencies
Law enforcement agency

Law enforcement agency is a term used to describe either an organisation that enforces the laws of one or more governing bodies, or an organization that actively and directly assists in the enforcement of laws....
 may discourage, restrict, or forbid its use. The Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department

The Los Angeles Police Department is the law enforcement agency of the city of Los Angeles, California, California. With nearly 9,900 officers and more than 3,000 female staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 3.8 million people, it is the fifth largest law enforcement agency in the United States ....
, for example, prohibited its officers from using the air choke and restricted use of the carotid hold to instances where death or serious bodily injury was threatened in about 1985, after routinely using chokeholds for many years.

List of chokeholds


  • Anaconda choke — Choke starting with attacker facing the opponent on all fours. Attacker passes their leading arm under the neck, and outside past one of the opponent's arms while then grabbing the opponent's free arm biceps (resulting in similar arm positioning to a rear naked choke). The attacker then arches their back, bending backward to apply the choke. (Not to be confused with a gator roll choke, which involves the roll)
  • Arm triangle choke
    Arm triangle choke

    Arm triangle choke is a generic term describing blood chokeholds in which the opponent is strangled in between his or her own shoulder and the performers arm....
     — Similar to the leg triangle choke
    Triangle choke

    A triangle choke is a type of figure-four chokehold which strangling the opponent by encircling the opponent's neck and one arm with the legs in a configuration similar to the shape of a triangle....
     except that it is performed from above a grounded opponent using the arms.
  • Gator Roll Choke — Choke starting with attacker facing the opponent on all fours. Attacker passes their leading arm under the opponents arm, and inside under the opponents neck while then grabbing their free arms biceps (resulting in similar arm positioning to a rear naked choke). The attacker then drops their opponent onto their back, then follows through bridging to create additional pressure. (Not to be confused with an anaconda choke, which does not involve the roll)
  • Gi-choke — Any choke applied by using the own or the opponents gi
    Keikogi

    or dogi is a uniform for training, used in martial arts derived from Japan, or budo. . In English language, the term keikogi is sometimes referred to simply as the gi, which would be an incorrect use of the word in Japanese....
     (i.e. uniform), most commonly used in Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Example: Ezequiel choke, slide choke, half nelson choke, bow and arrow choke, clock choke).
  • Gogoplata
    Gogoplata

    A gogoplata is a type of chokehold also called Kagato-Jime in Judo, that is used in grappling and was popularised by practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu....
     — Performed from full guard by using an Omoplata setup to trap the top man's arm, then pulling the bottom man's foot past the top man's head, pressing the shin of that leg against the throat. The bottom man then pulls on their opponents head, cutting off the airflow and forcing him to submit or risk passing out from lack of oxygen.
  • Guillotine choke
    Guillotine choke

    The guillotine choke is a chokehold in martial arts applied from in front of the opponent. The choke involves using the arms to encircle the opponent's neck in a fashion similar to a guillotine....
     — Applied in front of and above the opponent, holding their neck in the crook of the elbow. A common finishing hold in mixed martial arts.
  • North/South choke — Applied from the north-south position
    North-south position

    The north-south position is a grappling position#Ground grappling position where one combatant is supine, with the other combatant invertedly lying prone on top, normally with his or her head over the bottom combatant's chest....
     with opponent facing up. Uses the biceps to cut off blood flow on one side of the neck. Takes longer than most chokeholds to take effect.
  • Rear naked choke
    Rear naked choke

    The rear naked choke is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. Depending on the context, the term may refer to one of two variations of the technique, either arm can be used to apply the choke in both cases....
     — Applied from behind the opponent, starting by looping one arm around the neck so that the crook of the elbow is under the opponents chin, then placing the hand of that arm on the opposite biceps. The other hand is then placed on the back of the opponents head and pushes the opponents head and neck forward into the crook of the flexed arm. Additional pressure may be applied by pinioning the opponents lower body by locking the legs around the opponents waist(referred to as "hooks") and arching the back to place more force against the neck. A simple and effective chokehold, it is the most common finishing hold in mixed martial arts
    Mixed martial arts

    Mixed martial arts is a Contact sport combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques, from a mixture of martial arts traditions and non-traditions, to be used in competitions....
     competition.
  • Triangle choke
    Triangle choke

    A triangle choke is a type of figure-four chokehold which strangling the opponent by encircling the opponent's neck and one arm with the legs in a configuration similar to the shape of a triangle....
     — Applied from below, with the opponent's neck trapped in a triangle formed by their own arm and the attacker's thigh and calf. A top finishing hold in mixed martial arts.


See also

  • Choking game
    Choking game

    The fainting game, also commonly known as the choking or the pass out game, is a loose term that covers dangerous activities designed to induce a partial or complete loss of consciousness brought about by the intentional deprivation of oxygen to the brain for a period of time....
  • Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
    Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

    Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art and combat sport that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting. It is a derivative of early 20th century Kodokan Judo, which was itself then a recently-developed system , based on multiple schools of Japanese jujutsu....
  • Judo
    Judo

    , meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either Throw one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling manoeuvre, or force an opponent...
  • Compression lock
    Compression lock

    A compression lock is a grappling hold which causes severe pain by pressing a muscle into a bone. A compression lock can cause a joint lock in a nearby joint when it is applied by squeezing a Limb over a fulcrum....
  • Joint lock
    Joint lock

    A joint lock is a grappling technique involving manipulation of an opponent's joints in such a way that the joints reach their maximal degree of motion....
  • Grapple tackle
    Grapple tackle

    A grapple tackle is a controversial Tackle technique used in rugby league. It has gained notoriety in Australia's National Rugby League competition whereby the tackler attempts to impede the ball carrier by applying a chokehold grip....
     - used in rugby football


External links

  • . Discussion about whether hadakajime can be classified as an air or blood choke.