⚠️ SAFETY: Buggy Choke targets the Carotid arteries and neck compression. Risk: Carotid artery compression leading to unconsciousness. Release immediately upon tap.
The Buggy Choke is a devastating compression choke originating from half guard bottom positions, particularly effective when the opponent attempts to flatten you out or consolidate side control. This submission creates a unique angle of attack by combining upper body pressure with leg positioning to trap the opponent’s head and arm, cutting off blood flow to the carotid arteries. The technique gained prominence in modern BJJ as a highly effective counter-attack from defensive positions, allowing smaller practitioners to finish larger opponents through precise mechanics rather than brute strength. What makes the Buggy Choke particularly dangerous is its deceptive setup—opponents often don’t recognize the threat until the choke is deeply locked, making escape extremely difficult. The submission can be finished from various half guard configurations and transitions seamlessly into other attacks when defended properly.
Category: Choke Type: Blood Choke Target Area: Carotid arteries and neck compression Starting Position: Half Guard Success Rates: Beginner 30%, Intermediate 45%, Advanced 60%
Safety Guide
Injury Risks:
| Injury | Severity | Recovery Time |
|---|---|---|
| Carotid artery compression leading to unconsciousness | High | Immediate recovery if released promptly, potential for prolonged symptoms if held past unconsciousness |
| Neck strain or cervical spine stress from incorrect angle | Medium | 3-7 days for minor strain, up to 2-4 weeks for moderate injury |
| Shoulder compression injury from arm trap | Medium | 1-2 weeks for minor strain |
| Jaw dislocation from improper chin positioning | High | 4-8 weeks with medical intervention |
Application Speed: SLOW and progressive - 3-5 seconds minimum to full pressure, allow partner to feel compression building
Tap Signals:
- Verbal tap (saying ‘tap’ or any verbal distress)
- Physical hand tap on opponent or mat
- Physical foot tap on mat or opponent
- Any hand slapping motion
- Loss of resistance or going limp
Release Protocol:
- Immediately release head pressure and remove choking arm
- Release leg entanglement and create space
- Move completely away from opponent’s neck area
- Check partner’s consciousness and breathing
- If partner lost consciousness, place in recovery position and alert instructor immediately
Training Restrictions:
- Never apply full pressure during initial drilling phases
- Never hold the choke past the tap signal
- Never use competition speed in training until advanced proficiency
- Always ensure partner has clear tap access with at least one free hand
- Never practice on beginners until they understand proper defense and tap protocol
- Avoid finishing on partners with neck or spine injuries
Key Principles
- Create a tight angle between your body and opponent’s neck using leg positioning
- Trap the opponent’s arm to prevent defensive hand fighting and neck protection
- Drive shoulder pressure into the neck while pulling with the choking arm
- Use your legs to control opponent’s posture and prevent escape routes
- Maintain connection between your chest and opponent’s trapped shoulder throughout
- Angle your body to maximize compression on the carotid arteries, not the windpipe
- Squeeze with your entire core and back muscles, not just arm strength
Prerequisites
- Establish half guard bottom with opponent attempting to flatten or pass
- Secure deep underhook on the near side or control opponent’s far arm
- Create angle with your body positioning, typically turning into opponent
- Trap opponent’s arm across their own neck or behind your head
- Establish leg control to prevent opponent from posturing up or escaping
- Control opponent’s head positioning to prevent them from turning away from pressure
Execution Steps
- Establish Half Guard Control: From half guard bottom, secure your opponent’s leg with your half guard while they attempt to flatten you or consolidate position. Your outside leg should hook deep while your inside knee creates a frame. Recognize the moment when your opponent commits their weight forward, making them vulnerable to the choke setup. (Timing: Initial setup phase, typically when opponent drives into you) [Pressure: Light]
- Create the Angle and Trap: Turn your body into your opponent, creating a sharp angle rather than staying flat. As you turn, thread your inside arm (the arm on the side of your trapped leg) around and behind their head, or trap their far arm so it crosses their own neck. Your goal is to create a position where their own arm contributes to the choke. Use your free hand to control their wrist or sleeve, preventing defensive hand fighting. (Timing: 2-3 seconds to establish proper angle) [Pressure: Light]
- Lock the Grip Configuration: Secure your choking arm position by grabbing your own leg, your opponent’s leg, or establishing a gable grip around their head and shoulder. The exact grip varies based on body proportions and positioning, but the critical element is creating a closed loop that prevents them from swimming their trapped arm free. Your grip should feel secure but not yet applying choking pressure. (Timing: 1-2 seconds for grip establishment) [Pressure: Moderate]
- Adjust Head Position: Position your head to the opposite side of where you’re choking (if choking from the right, your head goes to their left). This creates the correct angle for carotid compression and prevents them from turning into you to escape. Your ear should be pressed against their shoulder or upper back, creating maximum leverage. Ensure your chin is tucked to protect your own neck if they attempt to counter. (Timing: 1 second for optimal head placement) [Pressure: Moderate]
- Drive Shoulder and Hip Pressure: Begin applying the choke by driving your shoulder into the side of their neck while simultaneously pulling with your arms and driving your hips forward. The pressure comes from your entire body rotation, not just arm strength. Your trapped leg should extend slightly to create additional leverage while your free leg hooks over their back or maintains half guard control. This coordinated movement compresses the carotid arteries from multiple angles. (Timing: 3-5 seconds progressive pressure increase) [Pressure: Firm]
- Finish with Core Engagement: Tighten the choke by squeezing your entire core, engaging your lats, and driving continuous pressure through your shoulder into their neck. Maintain the angle by keeping your head position stable and your hips tight. The finish should feel like you’re trying to touch your shoulder to your opposite hip while keeping everything compressed. Watch for the tap and release immediately. If they defend by tucking their chin, maintain pressure and wait for fatigue, or transition to other attacks. (Timing: 2-4 seconds to full submission) [Pressure: Maximum]
Opponent Defenses
- Posture up and create space by driving forward (Effectiveness: High) - Your Adjustment: Maintain your angle by turning harder into them and using your legs to break their posture down. If they successfully create space, transition to sweep attempts or deep half guard recovery.
- Free the trapped arm by swimming or pulling it back (Effectiveness: High) - Your Adjustment: Immediately tighten your grip on their wrist and use your head position to block their arm extraction. If the arm escapes, switch to alternative half guard attacks like the electric chair or old school sweep.
- Turn into the choke to relieve pressure (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Adjustment: Use their turning motion to transition to back control or maintain the choke while adjusting your angle. Your leg position should prevent them from completing the turn.
- Tuck chin and protect neck with free hand (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Adjustment: Maintain pressure and wait for their arm to fatigue from the defensive position. Often you can still get carotid compression despite the chin tuck if your angle is correct. Be patient and maintain position control.
- Roll or scramble explosively to escape position (Effectiveness: Low) - Your Adjustment: Use your leg control to prevent the roll or follow them through the scramble while maintaining your grips. Often their explosive movement actually tightens the choke if you stay connected.
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: What is the primary target of the Buggy Choke and why is proper angle so critical? [SAFETY-CRITICAL] A: The primary target is the carotid arteries on the sides of the neck, not the windpipe. Proper angle is critical because you need to create compression from the side to effectively cut off blood flow to the brain. If your angle is wrong and you compress the windpipe instead, you create a painful but less effective submission that’s also more dangerous to your partner’s throat structure.
Q2: What are the minimum safety requirements before attempting this choke in training? [SAFETY-CRITICAL] A: You must ensure your partner has at least one hand free to tap, apply pressure progressively over 3-5 seconds minimum (never explosive), watch for all tap signals including verbal and physical taps, and immediately release all pressure when partner taps. Additionally, you should only practice this technique with partners who understand proper defensive protocols and tapping etiquette.
Q3: Why is trapping the opponent’s arm such an essential component of the Buggy Choke? A: Trapping the opponent’s arm serves multiple purposes: it prevents them from using that hand to defend their neck, it contributes to the choking pressure by creating an obstacle their neck is compressed against, and it limits their mobility and ability to posture up or escape. Without the arm trap, opponents can easily hand fight and prevent the choke from being secured.
Q4: What should you do if your opponent successfully defends the Buggy Choke by freeing their trapped arm? A: Maintain your positional control and immediately transition to alternative attacks rather than losing the position entirely. Common transitions include the electric chair sweep/submission, old school sweep, deep half guard, or taking the back if they overcommit to escaping. The key is to stay offensive and use their defensive movement to set up the next attack.
Q5: How do you properly finish the Buggy Choke in terms of body mechanics and pressure application? A: The finish comes from full body engagement, not just arm strength. Drive your shoulder into the side of their neck while pulling with your arms, engage your core and lat muscles, extend your hips slightly for leverage, and maintain your angled position with your head on the opposite side. The pressure should be progressive and continuous, creating compression from multiple angles simultaneously. Squeeze as if trying to touch your shoulder to your opposite hip while keeping everything tight.
Q6: What is the immediate protocol if your partner loses consciousness during the Buggy Choke? [SAFETY-CRITICAL] A: Immediately release all pressure and remove yourself from their neck area completely. Check their breathing and consciousness level. Place them in recovery position if they’re unconscious. Alert your instructor or coach immediately for medical assessment. Never attempt to shake them awake or move them excessively. Most importantly, this situation indicates the choke was held too long past the point they should have tapped, which represents a critical safety failure.
Q7: Why is the Buggy Choke particularly effective from bottom half guard compared to other submission options? A: The Buggy Choke is effective from bottom half guard because it uses the opponent’s forward pressure against them—when they try to flatten you or consolidate position, they unknowingly move into the optimal angle for the choke. It allows a smaller, defensive player to finish a larger opponent using mechanics rather than strength. Additionally, the setup is deceptive; opponents often don’t recognize the threat until it’s deeply locked, unlike more obvious submissions like armbars where the threat is apparent earlier.
From Which Positions?
Expert Insights
- Danaher System: The Buggy Choke represents an excellent example of using positional mechanics to overcome strength disadvantages. The critical element is understanding that this is fundamentally a compression choke created through precise body angles rather than grip strength. When properly executed, you’re creating a closed system where the opponent’s own arm, your shoulder, and their neck form a triangle with decreasing space. The angle of your body—typically 45 to 90 degrees relative to their spine—determines whether you achieve proper carotid compression or ineffective windpipe pressure. From a safety perspective, this submission requires exceptional control because the compression builds progressively and can reach critical levels quickly once proper position is established. Practitioners must develop sensitivity to pressure application and maintain absolute discipline in releasing immediately upon tap signals. The mechanical advantage is so significant that even small individuals can render much larger opponents unconscious within 5-7 seconds of proper application, making safety protocols absolutely non-negotiable in training environments.
- Gordon Ryan: In competition, the Buggy Choke is one of my highest-percentage submissions from half guard because most opponents don’t recognize it until it’s too late. When someone’s trying to smash through your half guard, they’re so focused on the pass that they walk right into the trap. The key is patience—you don’t force it, you wait for them to give you the angle by driving their weight into you. In training versus competition, there’s a massive difference in application speed. In the gym, I’m applying this over 4-5 seconds minimum and stopping at like 60-70% pressure when training partners tap early. In competition, I’m still controlled but much more aggressive because I trust that referees and my opponent will signal appropriately. One mistake I see constantly is people trying to muscle it with their arms instead of using their whole body. Your shoulder should be doing most of the work, not your biceps. And here’s something crucial: if you feel it’s not there, don’t force it—transition to the electric chair or take the back. Forcing submissions is how people get hurt and how you waste energy in competition. The Buggy Choke works best as part of a system, not as an isolated technique.
- Eddie Bravo: The Buggy Choke is a cornerstone of the 10th Planet half guard system, and it’s one of the most reliable submissions we have from bottom position. What makes it so effective is that it comes from a position where your opponent thinks they’re winning—they’re on top, they’re pressuring, they’re about to pass—and suddenly they’re in a deep choke. From lockdown specifically, this thing is devastating because you’re breaking their posture with your legs while setting up the choke with your arms. It’s a total system attack. Safety-wise, this is serious business. I’ve seen people go out fast from this choke because it hits the arteries so efficiently when you have the right angle. In our gym, we drill this with what I call ‘touch and release’ for the first few months—you get the position, light contact, partner taps, you release. We build up pressure over time because the consequence of screwing around with this technique is people getting hurt. The other thing is understanding the chain: Buggy to Electric Chair to Lockdown sweep to Old School—they all connect. When one doesn’t work, you flow to the next. That’s how you build a dangerous half guard game. But it all starts with respecting the power of these techniques and training them with your partner’s safety as the top priority, because without training partners, you’ve got nothing.