Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu offers a wide array of submission holds, joint locks and chokeholds for the mixed martial arts fighter. While it pays to know some Muay Thai and boxing, these BJJ skills can make a huge difference during a bout. Chokeholds are particularly common in MMA, and there are several different ones that you should consider learning in order to increase your effectiveness as a fighter.
While holds and locks are very effective tools, a choke can offer you an extremely quick way to end a fight in your favor. An air choke cuts off the opponent’s airway and makes it difficult or impossible to breathe, which can quickly finish off the opponent. An even faster option is to apply a blood choke to the jugular or carotid artery, which renders an opponent unconscious in mere seconds, with no physical damage, but it’s still a win for you. A blood choke requires almost no physical strength, so it is also a good self-defense procedure for anyone to learn.
The triangle choke is an excellent option if you find yourself in on the ground in a guard or open guard position. The fighter encircles his opponent’s neck as well as one arm, constricting blood flood via the carotid artery, and if properly applied, this move causes quick unconsciousness. Not only is this a popular move during real bouts, it has been seen in several movies. Most notably, Mel Gibson overtook Gary Busey using a triangle choke in Lethal Weapon. Gibson learned the skill from none other than Royce Gracie.
Rear naked chokes are one of the most common types of chokeholds used in mixed martial arts. There are two variations of this choke. For one version, you would encircle the neck of your opponent and then clasp your hands together. Another way to do this would be to grab your bicep. Either way, this choke is considered to be a blood choke, and your opponent should be unconscious within a few seconds. Many fighters have won bouts using this choke, including Fedor Emelianenko, Anderson Silva and Matt Hughes.
If you are a Bruce Lee fan (and if you aren’t, just stop reading and take up knitting or curling), then you have probably watched ”Way of the Dragon” a few times. One of Lee’s signature moves in that film was the dreaded guillotine choke, which basically looks like you are breaking your opponent’s neck. Actually, you encircle the neck with your arms and apply pressure to either the windpipe or the artery. This can be done from a close guard position on the ground or standing, and it can serve as a fast way to end the bout.
While chokeholds have caused the ends of many an MMA bout, they aren’t foolproof, even if your opponent is lying unconscious on the mat. The recovery from these holds usually takes only a few seconds, so it is a possibility that your opponent can still fight. So while learning chokes is an excellent strategy, it should be just one of many skills that you perfect during training.
Rod Bourgoine loves blogging about mixed martial arts benefits. For more details about San Diego mixed martial arts lessons or to find a San Diego jiu jitsu gym, please check out The Arena MMA site today.
Source:
http://martial-arts-techniques.bwsgroup2.com/martial-arts-2/a-few-jiu-jitsu-chokes-you-should-learn/