⚠️ SAFETY: Bow and Arrow Choke targets the Carotid arteries. Risk: Carotid artery compression leading to unconsciousness. Release immediately upon tap.
The Bow and Arrow Choke is a highly effective gi-based blood choke executed from back control that combines collar control with leg configuration to create a powerful finishing position. Named for its distinctive shape where the practitioner’s body resembles a drawn bow, this submission leverages the opponent’s own lapel and pant leg to generate unstoppable pressure on both carotid arteries simultaneously. The technique is particularly valued in gi competition for its reliability once the position is secured, as it requires minimal strength and relies primarily on proper body mechanics and leverage. The bow and arrow creates a unique predicament where the opponent cannot effectively defend both the choking pressure from the collar grip and the stretching tension from the leg control. This submission is especially effective when transitioning from standard back control positions, as opponents often expose the necessary grips while defending against the rear naked choke. The technique represents a fundamental principle in advanced gi grappling: using the opponent’s own garments as force multipliers to create inescapable finishing positions.
Category: Choke Type: Blood Choke Target Area: Carotid arteries Starting Position: Back Control Success Rates: Beginner 40%, Intermediate 55%, Advanced 70%
Safety Guide
Injury Risks:
| Injury | Severity | Recovery Time |
|---|---|---|
| Carotid artery compression leading to unconsciousness | High | Immediate if released promptly; medical evaluation required if unconsciousness occurs |
| Neck strain from excessive torque and rotation | Medium | 3-7 days for minor strain; 2-4 weeks for moderate strain |
| Jaw or TMJ injury from improper collar placement | Medium | 1-3 weeks for minor injury; 4-8 weeks for significant TMJ damage |
| Knee or hip stress from forced leg extension | Low | 2-5 days for minor discomfort |
Application Speed: SLOW and progressive - 3-5 seconds minimum to allow tap recognition
Tap Signals:
- Verbal tap
- Physical hand tap on body or mat
- Physical foot tap on mat
- Any audible distress signal
- Loss of resistance (immediate release required)
Release Protocol:
- Immediately release collar grip upon tap signal
- Release leg extension and hooks simultaneously
- Allow opponent’s head to return to neutral position
- Check for consciousness and responsiveness
- If opponent was unconscious, elevate legs and monitor until full recovery
Training Restrictions:
- Never spike or jerk the choke - apply smooth progressive pressure only
- Never use competition speed in training rolls
- Always maintain communication with training partner
- Never continue pressure after tap signal
- Beginners must drill position control before attempting finish
- Always allow partner clear access to tap with hands or voice
Key Principles
- Lapel control depth - deep collar grip with four fingers inside creates maximum leverage
- Hip positioning - perpendicular angle to opponent’s spine creates optimal choking geometry
- Leg configuration - straightening the far leg while controlling near leg creates bow tension
- Collar angle - pulling collar toward opposite shoulder targets both carotid arteries
- Body extension - arching back while extending legs multiplies choking pressure exponentially
- Head control - using your chest to control opponent’s head prevents escape angles
- Timing the finish - transitioning to bow and arrow when opponent defends rear naked choke
Prerequisites
- Established back control with at least one hook maintained
- Deep collar grip with four fingers inside opponent’s lapel on choking side
- Control of opponent’s far leg (pants grip or leg hook)
- Hip positioning perpendicular or angled to opponent’s spine
- Opponent’s defensive posture preventing standard rear naked choke
- Sufficient gi material access on opponent’s collar and pants
- Body weight distributed to prevent opponent from rolling or escaping to side
Execution Steps
- Secure deep collar grip: From back control, establish a deep four-finger grip inside the opponent’s collar on your choking-side arm. Your thumb should remain outside the collar while your fingers penetrate as deep as possible toward the opposite side of their neck. This grip should be secured before the opponent realizes your intention to transition from standard back control attacks. The depth of this grip is critical - shallow collar grips will not generate sufficient pressure for the finish. (Timing: Initial setup phase) [Pressure: Light]
- Transition hips to perpendicular angle: Begin rotating your hips away from parallel alignment with the opponent’s spine toward a perpendicular position. This rotation should be smooth and controlled, using your bottom hook (if present) to push off the mat while your top hook pulls their body. Your goal is to create approximately 90 degrees of angle between your torso and their spine. This angle is essential for the bow shape that generates the choking mechanism. Maintain collar grip security throughout this transition. (Timing: Mid-setup phase) [Pressure: Moderate]
- Establish far leg control: With your non-choking hand, secure a grip on the opponent’s far-side pants at the knee or lower leg. Alternatively, if your top leg is already positioned, thread it across their far hip and bend your knee to hook their far leg. This control prevents them from turning into you and creates the foundation for the stretching mechanism. The pants grip should be firm - use all four fingers inside the fabric with thumb outside for maximum security. (Timing: Setup completion) [Pressure: Moderate]
- Remove bottom hook and position leg: Release your bottom hook (the leg closer to the mat) and begin extending it toward a straightened position. Simultaneously, your top leg should maintain its hook or transition to draping over the opponent’s far hip. Your bottom leg will become the primary extension force, so position your foot to push against their near hip or place it on the mat for maximum leverage. This step transforms your body from a back control configuration into the characteristic bow shape. (Timing: Transition to finishing position) [Pressure: Moderate]
- Create bow tension through extension: Begin extending your bottom leg forcefully while pulling the collar grip toward your opposite shoulder. Your top leg should simultaneously push or pull their far leg away, creating separation. This creates the bow shape - your body arches with your spine as the bow’s curve while your legs and arms create opposing tension forces. Your chest should press against the back of their head, controlling its position. The extension should be progressive but continuous. (Timing: Initial pressure application) [Pressure: Firm]
- Final adjustment and maximum pressure: Make final adjustments by ensuring your collar grip pulls across their neck at an angle targeting both carotid arteries. Your choking-side elbow should be tight to their neck with your wrist creating the primary pressure point against their near-side carotid. Continue extending your legs while arching your back to generate maximum bow tension. Your chest controls their head position, preventing any rotational escape. The pressure should build progressively until they tap. If they don’t tap within 3-4 seconds of maximum pressure, release immediately and reassess position. (Timing: Finishing phase - 3-5 seconds) [Pressure: Maximum]
- Maintain until tap and immediate release: Hold the maximum pressure configuration while remaining alert for any tap signal - hand taps, foot taps, verbal submission, or loss of resistance. The moment you detect a tap, immediately release the collar grip and leg extension, allowing the opponent’s body to return to a neutral position. Check their responsiveness and ensure they recovered consciousness if the choke was held to completion. Never maintain pressure beyond the tap signal, as this choke can induce unconsciousness rapidly once properly locked. (Timing: Completion and release) [Pressure: Maximum]
Opponent Defenses
- Tucking chin and grabbing choking arm with both hands (Effectiveness: Low) - Your Adjustment: The bow and arrow does not require neck access like rear naked choke. Continue extending legs to generate pressure through the collar grip regardless of chin position. The leverage from your body extension overcomes grip fighting.
- Attempting to roll toward you (into the choke) (Effectiveness: Low) - Your Adjustment: Use this rolling momentum to help establish the perpendicular angle faster. As they roll toward you, accelerate your hip rotation and immediately establish the bow configuration. Their own movement assists your positional transition.
- Straightening their far leg and creating rigid posture (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Adjustment: If they prevent the leg control, shift to a modified finish by placing your bottom foot on their near hip and your top leg straight across their far side. Use this configuration to generate the same bow tension through different leverage points.
- Turning away from you (rolling away from the choke) (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Adjustment: This is their highest-percentage defense if executed early. Counter by immediately tightening your bottom hook and using your collar grip to pull them back toward you. If they succeed in creating space, transition back to standard back control and reset the position.
- Grabbing your bottom leg to prevent extension (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Adjustment: If they secure your extending leg, use your top leg more actively by pushing off their hip to create rotational force. You can also transition to a modified bow and arrow by accepting less leg extension but increasing the pulling force on the collar grip.
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: What is the minimum time you should apply progressive pressure during the bow and arrow choke in training, and why is this critical? [SAFETY-CRITICAL] A: You should apply pressure progressively over a minimum of 3-5 seconds in training to allow your partner sufficient time to recognize the submission and tap safely. This is critical because the bow and arrow can induce unconsciousness very quickly once properly locked due to its efficient compression of both carotid arteries. Rushing the application creates danger of partner injury or losing consciousness before they can tap, which is completely unacceptable in training environments. Competition speed should never be used in practice.
Q2: What are the two primary anatomical targets of the bow and arrow choke, and what direction should you pull the collar to engage them properly? [SAFETY-CRITICAL] A: The bow and arrow choke targets both carotid arteries simultaneously through compression with the lapel. To engage them properly, you must pull the collar at an angle toward your opposite shoulder (not straight back). This angular pull ensures the lapel crosses the neck diagonally to compress both arteries. Pulling straight back would pressure the trachea (windpipe) instead, creating an airway choke that is painful but less efficient and potentially more dangerous. The proper blood choke should cause rapid loss of consciousness with minimal discomfort when resistance continues.
Q3: Describe the optimal body angle relationship between your spine and the opponent’s spine for the bow and arrow choke, and explain why this angle is mechanically necessary? A: Your spine should be approximately perpendicular (90 degrees) to the opponent’s spine when executing the bow and arrow choke. This perpendicular angle is mechanically necessary because it allows you to create the characteristic ‘bow’ shape with your body - your extended legs push in opposite directions while your torso arches, generating tremendous leverage through the collar grip. If you remain parallel to their spine (standard back control position), you cannot generate the leg extension and body tension that makes the bow and arrow so powerful. The perpendicular position transforms your entire body into a leveraging system multiplying your choking pressure.
Q4: What are the three immediate steps you must take upon feeling your partner tap during the bow and arrow choke? [SAFETY-CRITICAL] A: Upon feeling a tap: (1) Immediately release the collar grip to eliminate all choking pressure, (2) Release leg extension and hooks simultaneously to remove stretching tension from their body, (3) Allow their head to return to neutral position while checking their consciousness and responsiveness. If they were unconscious or unresponsive, you must elevate their legs and monitor them until full recovery occurs. Never delay release even momentarily - the tap signal demands instant response to prevent injury or medical emergency.
Q5: Why is depth of collar grip more important in the bow and arrow choke than in many other collar chokes? A: Depth of collar grip is critical in the bow and arrow because the choking pressure is generated primarily through your body’s leveraging extension rather than arm strength. With a shallow grip, when you extend your legs and arch your back, the collar will slip or pull out of position, dissipating all the pressure you’re generating. A deep four-finger grip with knuckles near the back of their neck ensures the collar remains anchored in the correct position across their carotid arteries throughout your body extension. The bow and arrow is a leverage-based submission - the grip must be deep enough to withstand the significant forces your body position creates.
Q6: What defensive movement by the opponent actually assists your entry into the bow and arrow position, and how should you capitalize on it? A: When the opponent attempts to roll toward you (into the choke) to defend back control or escape position, this rolling momentum actually assists your transition into bow and arrow. You should capitalize on this by accelerating your hip rotation to the perpendicular angle as they roll, using their momentum to help establish the position faster. Their defensive roll inadvertently creates the exact angle you need - instead of resisting their roll, follow it and immediately establish your collar grip depth, leg controls, and bow configuration before they realize their defensive movement helped rather than hindered your submission attempt.
Q7: How does leg control function differently in the bow and arrow compared to standard back control, and why is this mechanical difference important? A: In standard back control, your hooks serve to control the opponent’s hips and prevent escape by maintaining inside leg position. In the bow and arrow, leg control transitions from containment to force generation - your legs become the primary mechanism creating the ‘bow’ tension that multiplies your choking pressure. Your bottom leg extends forcefully while your top leg pushes or pulls their far leg in the opposite direction, creating a stretching force that dramatically increases collar pressure on their neck. This mechanical difference is important because it explains why you must establish proper leg configuration before applying finishing pressure - without the opposing leg forces creating bow tension, you’re essentially attempting a weak one-armed collar choke.
From Which Positions?
Expert Insights
- Danaher System: The bow and arrow choke represents a fundamental principle in submission grappling: the conversion of positional control into leveraged mechanical advantage. What makes this submission particularly sophisticated is its use of the opponent’s own garments as force multipliers - the gi becomes an extension of your skeletal structure, transforming your body into a compound lever system. The key technical insight is understanding that the perpendicular hip angle is not merely positional preference but mechanical necessity. When your spine aligns perpendicular to the opponent’s spine, you create the geometric foundation for opposing force vectors - your legs extend in opposition while your collar grip becomes the fulcrum point. This configuration generates exponentially more pressure than any amount of arm strength could produce. From a safety perspective, practitioners must understand that this mechanical efficiency means the submission can induce unconsciousness extremely rapidly once properly configured. The training imperative is therefore clear: never rush the application, always apply progressive pressure over several seconds, and develop acute sensitivity to tap signals and loss of resistance. The bow and arrow teaches us that the most effective submissions are those that weaponize physics rather than strength.
- Gordon Ryan: In high-level gi competition, the bow and arrow choke is one of my highest-percentage finishes from back control because it solves a fundamental problem: experienced opponents defend the rear naked choke with exceptional hand fighting and chin protection. The bow and arrow doesn’t care about their chin position or grip fighting - once I establish the deep collar grip and rotate to the perpendicular angle, their defensive options collapse. The technique I’ve refined over hundreds of competition rounds focuses on timing the entry for when opponents are mentally committed to defending the RNC. When they’re fighting my choking arm with both hands and have their chin buried, that’s precisely when I transition my hips and establish the bow configuration - by the time they recognize the position change, it’s too late to defend effectively. The critical competition detail that separates successful execution from failed attempts is absolute commitment to the perpendicular angle. You cannot be tentative - the moment you secure that deep collar grip, you must rotate your hips decisively and establish the bow shape with conviction. Half-committed attempts allow opponents to roll into you and escape. In training versus competition, my pressure application differs dramatically: in the gym, I apply this choke over 4-5 seconds minimum to allow partners to tap safely; in competition, I apply maximum safe pressure immediately because opponents often refuse to tap until unconsciousness is imminent. This submission has won me numerous matches at the highest levels because it’s fundamentally difficult to defend once the position is established.
- Eddie Bravo: The bow and arrow is one of those techniques that proves the gi creates submission opportunities that simply don’t exist in no-gi - the collar becomes this incredible leverage tool that multiplies your pressure like a pulley system. What I love teaching about this choke is how it fits into our back attack philosophy at 10th Planet: always have multiple finishing options so the opponent’s defense to one attack creates openings for another. When we adapt this concept to no-gi contexts, we replace the collar grip with arm-drag or rear naked choke mechanics and use the same perpendicular angle and leg extension to generate pressure. The innovation I emphasize with students is recognizing the bow and arrow opportunity during transitions - like when you’re moving from mount and opponent turns to their side, or when they’re escaping your turtle top position. These transitional moments are gold because opponents are focused on their escape and don’t recognize you’re setting up a submission until the position is locked. From a training culture perspective, I’m absolutely obsessive about safety with this technique because it works so efficiently that people can go out quickly if you’re not careful. In our gym, everyone learns that tapping to chokes is not weakness - it’s intelligence. The bow and arrow deserves massive respect for its effectiveness, which means we drill it with extra attention to progressive pressure, clear tap signals, and immediate releases. The worst thing you can do as a training partner is be the person who spikes submissions or doesn’t release instantly on the tap. That person doesn’t get training partners, and rightfully so.