Chokes are the ultimate weapon in BJJ/MMA

Chokes are the ultimate weapon in BJJ/MMA

Chokes are the ultimate weapon in BJJ/MMA. The choke is the ultimate weapon in Jiu-Jitsu because you can’t just power out of it. The great Grandmaster Helio Gracie once said “for the choke, there are no tough guys. With an arm lock, he can be tough and resist the pain. But with the choke, he will just pass out and go to sleep”. Jiu-Jitsu is the art and science of control that leads to submission. Within the realm of submissions you have two main choices, joint locks and chokes. Both are essential knowledge, both are extremely effective,  but if you are ever given a choice,  go with the choke. Chokes take the element of choice out of submission. Whenever you attack a joint, your opponent has a choice of whether to submit or not. The higher the stakes, the more likely the choice will be “no, I will not submit”, and the match will continue. With chokes, their choice becomes irrelevant. If the choice is to submit, the match is over. If they choose not to submit,  they pass out and the match is over. The choice has no effect on the outcome. In a truly tough match with an opponent who is prepared to reckless with their physical health and safety, the choke is truly the grapplers equivalent of a striker’s knock out punch, while the joint lock is perhaps closer to the notion of a body blow, it causes damage that degrades your opponents ability to fight and thus takes you closer to victory but will not always provide a decisive finish. learn your chokes! In your toughest matches, they will be your most trustworthy weapon.