Top 5 Best BJJ Essential Chokes You Need To Master

Whenever we talk about the submissions in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the first type of submission most people would say is the choke. There are various forms of submissions that you can execute against your opponent, and these are also effective. But the best ones in the art are none other than the chokes. Even the greatest players in the art, such as Grand Master Helio Gracie, used to be a fan of chokes. He often used to say that your opponent can save themselves and defend against your leg locks, but they can do nothing against your chokes if you have executed them properly. So now you know how important the chokes are in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Let’s explore them in detail.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu chokes are the most effective submission techniques, in which you apply pressure and force on the neck of your opponent. The chokes are so effective that within a few seconds, your opponent taps out. So they are very fast in giving you the submission.

A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu essential choke is a type of choke that is based on the fundamentals of BJJ. Essential refers to the fundamental, highly effective, and highly efficient choke. One example of such a choke is the rear naked choke, which you can execute without the use of a Gi. It is very effective and it does not need the Gi for its execution.

• There are two ways in which an opponent becomes forced to tap out due to the chokes. The one way is through air flow obstruction. As you are applying the pressure, the opponent finds it very difficult to breathe normally, and therefore, they tap out.

• Another way choke works is by causing a restriction in the blood flow. This also causes the opponent to tap out, as it can make them unconscious.

There are many BJJ practitioners who have repeatedly described the importance of chokes and why they should learn them. These practitioners also include the top BJJ athletes. So beginners can take them as the inspiration and start learning the chokes. The following are the top five BJJ essential chokes that you should add to your daily training routine:

• When anyone who is a fan, practitioner, or beginner in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu discusses the chokes, the first one that comes to their mind is the rear naked choke. This choke is so popular that it can be considered the fundamental or basics of BJJ, which everyone practicing BJJ must learn. This can also serve as the starting point for learning all chokes, which will help them make their game many times better.

• The rear naked choke has two words that explain it. The first word, which is “rear,” means that the choke is to be applied when you are behind the opponent at their back. The second word, “naked,” means that the choke does not need a grip on the Gi or uniform of your opponent. The naked is the term given to this choke because there are many chokes that need a grip on your opponent’s Gi on any part. With that grip, you manage to apply the choke on your opponent. But in the case of rear naked choke, you don’t need any grip. The only thing necessary is your position, which must be behind your opponent. It is a fundamental technique, and that is why it is given the name “naked”.

• The rear naked choke, the kind of all chokes, is performed from the back. You need to find the opportunity to get behind them. Once you are at their back, slightly move your hand around their neck. They can anticipate your movement that you are trying to do the choke. In that situation, they will tuck their chin down. Now you have a number of ways to solve this problem. You can do nothing for a while, make no movement, and at the moment your opponent slightly lifts their face off their neck, even a little bit, you have a chance to get your hand on their neck. The second way is to get your thumb knuckle on their neck, and after this, slowly put your entire hand and then wrist under their neck. So after doing this, cross your arm around their neck, push them back towards yourself, cross your legs around them, and now, when you have done this, you will have the submission. This is how the king of all chokes works.

• For more effect, you can put your other hand at the back of their neck and push their neck forward. This will apply even more pressure on their neck, giving you the submission quickly.

• The second BJJ essential choke in the list of top 10 chokes is the guillotine choke. Many Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners get nervous when they have to fight against wrestlers. They think that the wrestlers have a lot of powerful techniques that they don’t have and are impossible to beat. But you have one technique that can overpower them and all their techniques. You can execute the guillotine chokes against them, and they will have no option other than tapping out. Moreover, the choke is very effective against the BJJ practitioners or any other fighter who keeps themselves in a hunched position. In this position, they put their upper back outwards and head and neck a little bit downwards. This makes their posture perfectly suitable for getting the guillotine choke.

• The BJJ guillotine choke is one of the fastest ways to get a submission. To do this choke, you have to make sure of one thing. The important point here to remember is that when you are having your arm crossing across the neck of your opponent, then the position of your crossed arm must be such that you cannot see the back of your opponent’s neck. It must be your arm all over their neck. You can execute this choke from many positions in BJJ. Once you have crossed the arm, bring your other arm and lock them together. Now twist your arm to give them further pressure. Now you have the guillotine choke.

• The triangle choke is also the most famous and fundamental choke in the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. When you start your BJJ career, this choke will be your first choke to learn because it is also easy to do if you have completely learnt the basics.

• For doing the triangle choke, you cross your legs in a triangle shape across the neck of your opponent. Your legs, when crossed around the neck of your opponent, make the shape of a triangle. That is why the choke is given the name triangle.

• You need to get in the guard position and then grab their one or both arms. Once you have done this, slowly get both legs above the body of your opponent and eventually reach the neck. Once you have reached, the rest of the work to do is just crossing the legs around the neck and applying the force, and you will have the triangle choke.

• The fourth choke you need to learn is the BJJ bow and arrow choke. This is not the famous one, like the triangle and rare naked chokes, but still, it is highly effective. It can be performed only with the Gi, so if you are in No Gi, you cannot execute this choke against your opponent. This choke is very powerful. You can call it the king of Gi chokes, just like the rear naked choke is the king of all chokes. Also, it is powerful, effective, and efficient just like the rear one. The choke provides you with the opportunity for multiple grips so that you can have more control over your opponent’s body. You can execute it against any opponent, no matter how big and strong they are. So it is effective against all opponents, just like the king of all chokes in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

• To do the bow and arrow choke from the back control, you need to have one hand across their neck, grabbing the collar of your opponent, and with your left hand, you must be grabbing the Gi on their left knee. You must have crossed both your legs over your opponent’s body. Then, after setting up the position, using your right foot, push them to the right, move yourself backwards on the ground, and you have the bow and arrow choke.

• The final BJJ essential choke in the list of top 5 is the cross collar choke. It is also among the fundamental BJJ chokes that you learn in the beginning of your Brazilian Jiu Jitsu journey. It can be the first one to learn if you are in the Gi BJJ.

• To do the cross collar choke, you need to be on top of your opponent, typically in the mount position. You should have both your legs on both sides of your opponent, with one leg on one side of your opponent. So in this way, you already have your opponent in your control. Getting into the mount position makes it easy for you to execute the cross collar choke. But this does not mean that you can execute it only when you are in the mount position. The cross choke is versatile and can be executed from various positions, such as from guard, mount, etc.

• So once you are on top of your opponent in the mount position, the next step is to make the cross shape with your forearms around the neck of your opponent. You should first put your one forearm on one side of the neck of your opponent and grab their collar strongly. The grip must be in a way that your thumb is over the collar, which you can see, and the fingers must be on the inside, which you cannot see.

• Now, bring your other forearm around the neck of your opponent by making the cross shape with your previously positioned other forearm. With this, grip the collar on the opposite side in the same way as you did previously. Your thumb must be on the outside, which you can see, and your fingers must be on the inside of the collar of your opponent. Now, put pressure on their neck with your forearms, and ultimately, your opponent will tap out as they will be experiencing a lot of pain.

The chokes, whether essential or not, are the most important part of your Brazilian Jiu Jitsu game. You must include different types of chokes in your skills so that you are able to execute the choke in every situation or position of the match. This will give you an edge on your opponent. There are a lot of chokes. Some of these are very quick, while others take time. These include both easy and difficult ones. You should start with the essential chokes and continue training them until you become a master at them.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu chokes are the most effective submission techniques in which you apply pressure and force on the neck of your opponent. The chokes are so effective that within a few seconds, your opponent taps out. So they are very fast in giving you the submission.

A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu essential choke is a type of choke that is based on the fundamentals of BJJ. Essential refers to the fundamental, highly effective, and highly efficient choke. One example of such a choke is the rear naked choke, which you can execute without the use of a Gi. It is very effective and it does not need the Gi for its execution.

• There are two ways in which an opponent becomes forced to tap out due to the chokes. The one way is through air flow obstruction. As you are applying the pressure, the opponent finds it very difficult to breathe normally, and therefore, they tap out.
• Another way choke works is by causing a restriction in the blood flow. This also causes the opponent to tap out, as it can make them unconscious.