North-South Choke
Submission · Side Control
A blood choke: the arm wrapped under his neck and your chest pressing down close both sides of the neck. It comes from north-south while he is still on his back: his head lifts off the mat, or he only starts to turn onto his side to escape. Thread your arm deep under his neck palm up until your biceps is on the side of the neck and your armpit seals over the chin, then lock your hands near his far shoulder. Drop your hips so your weight is on his chest, not on your knees, angle slightly toward the choking side, walk the hips lower and sprawl your legs back. Your chest driving down does the choke; arm strength alone does nothing. If he pushes your hips, the straight arm gives you the armbar from north-south. Squeeze gradually.
How to do it
- Walk around their head to north-south while they are still on their back, keeping your chest on theirs the whole way. The opening is their head lifting off the mat or the very start of a turn onto the side. Their head is under your chest and their arms are toward your hips.
- Thread your arm deep under their neck, palm up, until your biceps is against the side of their neck. Your armpit seals low on the side of the neck and locks over the chin.
- Grab your wrist or hand with your other arm, locking the hands near their far shoulder. Drop your hips down so your weight sits on their chest and not on your knees.
- Angle your body slightly toward the choking side and walk your hips lower to tighten the arm around the neck.
- Sprawl your legs back and squeeze your arm while your chest drives down. The choke closes between your arm and your chest, finished by your body weight rather than arm strength.
Key details
- Hips low, weight on their chest. Your weight pins them and also closes the space between your armpit and their neck.
- The armpit locks the chin; lock the hands near their far shoulder. That keeps the arm tight around the neck so the head cannot slide out.
- Sprawl the legs back to add pressure. Sprawling drives your chest forward and down onto their head and neck.
- Angle your body slightly toward the choking side and walk the hips lower to tighten it. The angle puts your arm on the side of the neck instead of across the face.
- Once the hands are locked, use them to push your body away from him, down toward his hips, and bring your choking shoulder down to your choking wrist like a paper cutter, elbow tucked under you. Do not pull your hands up to your chest: with the arms extended you kill your own choke.
Common mistakes
- Hips high in the air. — Your weight is on your knees, the choke is loose and they slip out underneath. — Sprawl flat so your weight goes onto their chest.
- The arm is not deep under the neck. — Only the forearm touches them, so there is no pressure on the side of the neck. — Slide the arm through until your biceps is on the side of the neck.
- Squeezing with the arms only. — The arms tire quickly, while your body weight never does. — Drop your chest, sprawl, and let your weight close the choke.
- Squeezing before his chin is locked in your armpit. — He turns his face toward you and the pressure never reaches the side of the neck. — Shift your weight slightly away and push against his head until the chin is trapped in your armpit, then drop low and finish.
If they defend
- They turn their chin in. → Adjust the arm under the chin and keep squeezing.
How to drill it
North-south transitions and choke, 8 reps; then the partner defends and you switch to the armbar.
Safety
Squeeze gradually; release at the tap.
What comes next
Where it comes from