⚠️ SAFETY: Baseball Bat Choke targets the Carotid arteries and jugular veins. Risk: Loss of consciousness from carotid compression. Release immediately upon tap.
The Baseball Bat Choke is a powerful collar-based blood choke executed primarily from top control positions. Named for the grip configuration that resembles holding a baseball bat, this technique creates a highly effective compression of the carotid arteries through crossed collar grips. The Baseball Bat Choke is particularly effective because it allows the attacker to maintain superior position while applying the submission, making it difficult for opponents to escape once the grips are secured. The technique works by using one hand deep in the collar near the opponent’s far shoulder while the other hand grips high on the near collar, creating a scissoring action that cuts off blood flow to the brain. Unlike many collar chokes that require specific positioning, the Baseball Bat Choke can be applied from multiple top positions including side control, north-south, turtle, and transitional scrambles. The crossed-hands configuration generates tremendous pressure with relatively little effort, making it accessible to practitioners of all sizes and strength levels. The submission is highly reliable in gi competition and represents a fundamental finishing option that every BJJ practitioner should master as part of their attacking arsenal from dominant positions.
Category: Choke Type: Blood Choke Target Area: Carotid arteries and jugular veins Starting Position: Side Control Success Rates: Beginner 35%, Intermediate 50%, Advanced 65%
Safety Guide
Injury Risks:
| Injury | Severity | Recovery Time |
|---|---|---|
| Loss of consciousness from carotid compression | High | Immediate with proper release; potential complications if held after tap |
| Trachea damage from improper collar placement | Medium | 1-2 weeks with rest |
| Neck strain from explosive application | Medium | 3-7 days |
Application Speed: SLOW and progressive - 3-5 seconds minimum in training
Tap Signals:
- Verbal tap
- Physical hand tap on partner or mat
- Physical foot tap on mat
- Any distress signal including loss of muscle tone
Release Protocol:
- Immediately release all collar grips upon tap signal
- Remove hands completely from opponent’s neck area
- Allow partner to recover in side position without pressure
- Check partner’s awareness and breathing before continuing
- Wait for verbal confirmation of readiness before resuming training
Training Restrictions:
- Never apply at competition speed during drilling
- Never jerk or spike the choke
- Always ensure partner can tap with both hands
- Never continue past initial resistance in training
- Stop immediately if partner shows any signs of distress or unconsciousness
Key Principles
- Deep collar grips create the foundation for effective compression
- Crossed-hands baseball bat grip configuration maximizes choking pressure
- Hip pressure and weight distribution prevent opponent escape while finishing
- Elbow positioning drives the choke deeper by creating scissoring action
- Maintaining top position throughout prevents defensive recovery
- Slow progressive pressure allows partner time to tap safely
- Grip security must be established before committing to the finish
Prerequisites
- Establish dominant top position with opponent on their side or turtle
- Secure deep grip in far collar with thumb inside near opponent’s far shoulder
- Obtain second grip high on near collar with opposite hand
- Control opponent’s near arm to prevent defensive framing
- Position hips to drive weight through opponent’s upper body
- Ensure opponent cannot turn into guard or escape to turtle
- Verify both grips are tight before initiating finishing sequence
Execution Steps
- Establish Far Collar Grip: From side control or turtle top position, reach across opponent’s neck and feed your hand deep into the far collar. Your thumb should be inside the collar, with your grip as deep as possible near the opponent’s far shoulder. This is your primary choking hand and must be secured before proceeding. The deeper the grip, the more effective the choke will be. (Timing: Take 2-3 seconds to work the grip as deep as possible) [Pressure: Moderate]
- Secure Near Collar Grip: With your opposite hand, grip high on the near collar with your palm facing down. This grip should be at or above the opponent’s jaw line, creating the top portion of the baseball bat configuration. Your hands should now be crossed with the far-side grip deep and the near-side grip high, resembling the hand position on a baseball bat. (Timing: 1-2 seconds after securing far grip) [Pressure: Light]
- Position Hips and Weight: Drive your hips forward and down, placing your weight on the opponent’s upper body and shoulder. Your chest should be heavy on their shoulder, preventing them from turning toward you or creating space. This weight distribution is critical as it immobilizes the opponent while you apply the choke. Keep your base wide with your legs sprawled to prevent being rolled. (Timing: Simultaneous with grip securing) [Pressure: Firm]
- Pull Elbows Together: Begin drawing your elbows toward each other in a scissoring motion. The far elbow (deep grip) pulls toward your centerline while the near elbow (high grip) pulls in the opposite direction. This creates the choking pressure by tightening the collar around the carotid arteries. Focus on the direction of your elbows rather than just pulling with your hands - the elbows create the mechanical advantage. (Timing: Apply over 3-5 seconds progressively) [Pressure: Moderate]
- Expand Chest and Shoulder Pressure: As you pull your elbows together, simultaneously expand your chest and drive your shoulder into the opponent’s neck. This creates additional compression and makes the choke more effective. Your body position should feel like you’re hugging a heavy object to your chest while pressing it away with your shoulder. This body mechanics multiplies the choking pressure without requiring excessive grip strength. (Timing: Continuous pressure building over 2-3 seconds) [Pressure: Firm]
- Adjust Angle and Finish: Make micro-adjustments to your angle and grip depth based on opponent’s response. If they turn toward you, maintain pressure and potentially transition to modified mount. If they turn away, follow and maintain the choke. Continue steady, progressive pressure until the tap comes. The finish should feel inevitable as the opponent has no escape route while you maintain superior position and tight collar control. (Timing: Hold steady pressure until tap (typically 2-5 seconds)) [Pressure: Maximum]
Opponent Defenses
- Turning into the choke to face attacker (Effectiveness: Low) - Your Adjustment: Maintain grips and follow the turn, allowing them to give you modified mount or full mount while keeping the choke secured. Their turn actually makes the angle worse for them.
- Tucking chin to protect neck (Effectiveness: Low) - Your Adjustment: The chin tuck is ineffective against baseball bat choke as the collar compression bypasses the chin. Continue elbow scissoring action regardless of chin position.
- Grabbing your choking arm with both hands (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Adjustment: They cannot break properly secured collar grips. Maintain position, keep elbows tight, and continue pressure. Their grip fighting wastes energy while you control position.
- Rolling to turtle or trying to come up on single leg (Effectiveness: Low) - Your Adjustment: Follow their movement while maintaining grips and chest pressure. Often their movement tightens the choke. Be prepared to sprawl or take back if they stand.
- Bridging explosively to create space (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Adjustment: Keep hips heavy and base wide. A strong bridge might create momentary space, but your grips remain. Reset your position and reapply pressure immediately after bridge.
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: What is the primary mechanical principle that makes the baseball bat choke effective compared to other collar chokes? A: The crossed-hands configuration creates a scissoring action where the elbows drive toward the centerline from opposite directions, creating powerful compression of the carotid arteries with relatively little effort. The baseball bat grip allows the forearms to act as levers, multiplying the force applied to the collar while maintaining superior top position.
Q2: Why is it critical to establish the deep far collar grip before securing the near collar grip? A: The far collar grip is the foundation of the choke and provides the primary choking pressure. If you secure the near grip first, the opponent can defend the far grip more effectively by controlling your arm or turning away. The deep far grip must be established first because it’s harder to secure and provides the leverage needed for the entire technique to work. Without proper depth on the far grip, the choke will be weak regardless of the near grip quality.
Q3: What should you do immediately upon feeling or seeing a tap signal during the baseball bat choke? [SAFETY-CRITICAL] A: Immediately release all collar grips and remove your hands completely from the opponent’s neck area. Do not maintain any pressure or grips after the tap. Allow your partner to recover in a neutral position and wait for verbal confirmation that they are okay before continuing training. This immediate release is critical because blood chokes can cause unconsciousness quickly if held past the tap.
Q4: How does hip positioning and weight distribution contribute to the effectiveness of the baseball bat choke? A: Driving your hips forward and down while placing your chest weight on the opponent’s shoulder serves two critical functions: it prevents the opponent from creating escape space through shrimping or bridging, and it immobilizes them while you apply the choke. The heavy pressure makes it nearly impossible for them to turn into you or away from you effectively. Your wide base and sprawled legs prevent them from rolling you while your upper body weight enhances the choking pressure by driving your shoulder into their neck.
Q5: Why is the baseball bat choke often more successful from turtle top position compared to other positions? A: From turtle, you have easy access to the far collar by reaching under their near arm, and the opponent is already in a defensive posture focused on protecting their back rather than defending collar grips. Their position naturally exposes their neck to the baseball bat grip configuration. Additionally, their turtle structure limits their mobility and defensive options, making it difficult to prevent the grips or escape once the choke is applied. They cannot effectively attack your legs or create frames against your body.
Q6: What is the minimum time you should take to apply choking pressure during training, and why is this safety protocol important? [SAFETY-CRITICAL] A: You should apply progressive pressure over a minimum of 3-5 seconds during training. This slow, controlled application is critical because it gives your training partner adequate time to recognize the danger, decide to tap, and execute the tap signal before losing consciousness. Blood chokes can cause unconsciousness in as little as 5-10 seconds with full pressure, so explosive application could cause injury before the partner can tap. Training is about learning technique safely, not proving toughness or speed.
From Which Positions?
Expert Insights
- Danaher System: The baseball bat choke represents one of the most mechanically efficient collar attacks in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The crossed-forearm configuration creates a lever system where your elbows act as the primary drivers of force, allowing even smaller practitioners to generate tremendous choking pressure. What makes this submission particularly valuable from a systematic perspective is that it maintains your positional dominance throughout the finishing sequence - you never sacrifice your top position to hunt the submission. The key technical element that most practitioners miss is the importance of grip depth on the far collar. Your first grip must penetrate as deeply as possible, ideally reaching to the opponent’s far shoulder blade area. This deep grip is non-negotiable because it provides the foundation for all subsequent pressure. The near collar grip is secondary and simply completes the scissors configuration. From a teaching methodology standpoint, I emphasize that students must understand the distinction between pulling with their hands versus driving with their elbows - the elbows create the mechanical advantage that makes this choke devastating regardless of your grip strength. When properly executed with deep grips and correct elbow mechanics, the baseball bat choke is virtually impossible to defend once established.
- Gordon Ryan: The baseball bat choke is one of my highest percentage submissions from top turtle and side control in both training and competition. What I love about this technique is that it’s relatively low-risk from a positional standpoint - you’re never gambling your position to get it. In competition, I look for the baseball bat especially when I’ve passed guard and the opponent turtles or turns to their side trying to recover. That’s when their collar is most exposed and they’re thinking about guard recovery, not defending collar grips. The competition mindset for baseball bat is different from training though - in training you need to be extremely careful with the application speed because this choke works fast once the grips are set. I’ve seen too many training injuries from people spiking this choke. But in competition, once I have both grips deep, I commit fully and finish quickly because there’s no real defense if your grips are correct. The opponent’s only option is to tap. One competition-specific detail: if your opponent is wearing a thick gi, you need to work your grips even deeper than normal because the extra fabric creates more space. I’ll spend 10-15 seconds working my far grip as deep as possible before even attempting the near grip, and that patience pays off with a quick finish once both grips are established.
- Eddie Bravo: The baseball bat choke is old school technique that still works like crazy, especially in the gi. What’s interesting from a 10th Planet perspective is how the body mechanics of this choke can actually inform your no-gi game even though you obviously can’t use collar grips. The principle of crossing your arms and creating that scissoring pressure translates to setups like the Hindulotine and other arm-triangle variations where you’re creating similar compression patterns without the gi. But in gi training, the baseball bat is straight up money from turtle - it’s probably the highest percentage finish I teach from the top turtle position because the angle is perfect and they can’t really see it coming when they’re focused on not getting their back taken. One thing I emphasize with this choke is the importance of that chest pressure and hip position - a lot of guys just focus on the collar grips and forget that your body weight is what prevents the escape. You need to make them carry your weight while you’re choking them, that’s what makes it unstoppable. Safety-wise, this is one of those techniques where you really need to chill in training because it comes on fast when done right. In our gym culture, we’re very serious about tap-and-release with any blood choke. The second you feel that tap, you let go completely - no ego, no holding it an extra second. Training partners are precious, and this choke can put someone out quick if you’re not careful.