The Cross Collar Choke is one of the most basic moves in BJJ. It’s a blood choke that you use in order to put your opponent to sleep. The sad fact is that even though this is a basic move – there are still many people that can’t really apply it successfully in any situation. There are some people that can do this move with their eyes closed, though. So, what’s the thing that separates the first category of BJJ practitioners from the second? You’ll learn some details about how to successfully apply this move in this article below.
Cross Collar Choke Defense and Key Details to Finish this Technique
There is a reason as to why many people can’t for the life of them execute this move properly. They can’t do it even on a static opponent and much less in sparring or competition. The reason for this is the fact that there are many different details (cross collar grip, position and more) that you need to be aware of when doing this move.
The first detail is that your opponent can defend the move is he knows what he’s supposed to do. The first thing that he can do is block your hand from entering into the cross collar. In order to remedy this, you will need to try and inject the arm from underneath – not above – your other arm. Your opponent will grab your hand and then you can use your knee to block his entire arm from moving. And there you have it – you have cleared your path for the moment in order to get your arm into the proper position.
But what happens if your opponent creates a frame in-between your arms and uses it to prevent the choke? Well, you need to act with proper technique beforehand. If your opponent manages to set the frame up, then you will have a very hard time in finishing the choke. So, when you’re putting your arms inside the collars, you shouldn’t keep them extended. You need to retract your elbows instead in order to create a more stable, more impenetrable structure. And then you can expand your chest and finish the move.
Finally, your opponent may decide to do a bridge and roll you into the guard position. If he manages to do this, then you will find out that you can still do the choke. But it will be slightly more difficult to perform it due to the fact that your opponent can create a frame a lot easier now than from the mount position.
In order to prevent your opponent from bouncing you off with the bridge, you need to slide a hook between his thigh and his calf. This will neutralize the strength and explosion of the bridge and it will keep you mounted. If you want to see a visual demonstration of all these details, then we suggest that you check out the video below.
Cross Collar Choke from Mount
Mounted cross collar choke is the easiest way to perform this move. You will be able to much better control your opponent and this will make the cross collar choke a lot more effective. What’s more, you will still be able to maintain the stability of your body and your opponent will have a hard time bouncing you off.
The way to do this move is by sliding one of your arms across your opponent’s face into his collar with your thumb up. Then you need to slide your other arm across his face at the other collar, but this time with the thumb down. And this is the reason as to why this choke is called cross-collar. You then need to squeeze your wrists in order to apply sufficient pressure and choke your opponent out. This is the basic mount variant of the cross-collar choke.
Cross Collar Choke from Guard
You can perform this move easily if you’re at the bottom guard and this is why Cross Collar Choke is one of the most famous gi chokes from guard. The great thing about this position is that you have an arsenal of different moves and sweeps that you can pick out from and your opponent has to be cautious about all of them. This will give you the perfect opportunity to slide your arms in their proper positions for the cross-collar choke. And then it’s the same – all you need to do is squeeze your wrists and create the pressure you need in order to finish the choke.
In conclusion
It may take you quite some time to be able to do this move with efficiency. But it will be well worth your while for every step of the way. If you learn how to do this move effectively then you will have a powerful weapon in BJJ that you can utilize both from the top mount or bottom guard positions. We hope that you will find a way to successfully implement the cross collar choke in your game.
Check also:
- Ezekiel Choke: origin and technique application
- Baseball Bat Choke – Effective and Highly Powerful Choke
- Bow and Arrow Choke – The Ultimate Finishing move
- Loop Choke – Versatile and Effective Submission
