Paper Cutter Choke
Submission · Side Control
A choke with the collar and your forearm: the collar tightens around the back of his neck while the forearm presses the throat, so it squeezes the windpipe as well. It opens when he turns away from you in side control and exposes the far collar. Feed your head-side arm under his near arm, like an arm drag, and grip the back of his collar as high behind the neck as you can. Pull him toward you with that grip, take his lapel with your other hand, thumb inside, and bring that forearm across his throat, the blade under the chin, not on the jaw. Walk your knees toward his head, lock your shoulder into his chest, drop the elbow first and only then sprawl your hips back onto the forearm. If he turns in to you, follow to the back; if he grabs your choking arm, take the armbar.
How to do it
- When they turn away and expose the collar, feed your head-side arm under their near arm, like an arm drag, and grip the back of their collar behind the neck. Drop your chest and shoulder as you feed it: the higher your hand gets behind the neck, the better the grip.
- Pull them toward you with that grip, take their lapel with your other hand, thumb inside, and bring that forearm across their face down to the neck, the blade of the forearm under the chin. The forearm sits on the throat, not on the jaw.
- Walk your knees toward their head, almost to north-south, and lock your shoulder into their chest. Your weight now goes down through the shoulder instead of out to the side, where one bridge would roll you over.
- Finish by pulling the collar and dropping the elbow of the choking arm down to the mat, like a paper cutter blade. If that is not enough, sprawl your hips back and drop your weight onto the forearm, so your body, not your arms, closes the choke.
Key details
- The choke is the pull of the collar plus the push of the forearm, both at once. The collar tightens around the back of the neck while the forearm closes the front.
- Grip deep, close to the back of the neck. A deep grip makes the collar a loop that closes; a shallow one only presses the throat.
- Your arm under their near arm controls it. If they hand-fight the choking arm, pull them closer with the collar grip, drive the forearm across the face and down under the chin.
Common mistakes
- A shallow collar grip. — It only presses the throat and does not choke, because the collar never closes around the neck. — Feed the grip deep, near the back of the neck, so the collar closes as you pull.
- The forearm lies on the chin. — The pressure goes into the jaw, not the neck, and they can hold it for a long time. — Place the blade of the forearm across the throat, below the chin.
- No hip control while the grips are set. — With the hip free they turn in and the collar loosens around the neck. — Keep your other hand on their hip until the forearm goes across the neck, and keep your hip tight to their side.
- Basing out wide and sprawling before the elbow drops. — All your weight hangs out to the side; one bridge toward that side rolls you under. — Walk toward his head, put your shoulder into his chest, drop the elbow first and sprawl only if he still defends.
How to drill it
Paper cutter setup, 8 each side; finish slowly on the last 3.
Safety
This choke presses the windpipe: squeeze slowly.
What comes next
Where it comes from