The Short Choke is a compact, high-percentage collar strangle executed from back control, particularly effective when combined with body triangle control. Unlike the rear naked choke which requires getting the choking arm deep across the throat, the Short Choke uses a shortened grip configuration where your hand grabs the collar behind the opponent’s neck while your forearm creates the choking pressure across their throat. This makes it an excellent alternative when the opponent successfully defends the traditional RNC by tucking their chin or fighting your choking arm.
The technique capitalizes on the stability provided by the body triangle, which frees your upper body to focus entirely on the choke without worrying about maintaining positional control with your legs. The body triangle’s breathing restriction compounds with the Short Choke’s throat pressure, creating a synergistic attack that becomes increasingly difficult to defend. Opponents often panic when they realize they’re being attacked on multiple fronts - restricted breathing from the triangle squeeze and blood flow restriction from the collar choke.
Strategically, the Short Choke fits into a systematic back attack game where you cycle between RNC attempts and collar chokes based on the opponent’s defensive reactions. When they defend one attack, it often opens the other. The Short Choke is particularly effective in gi competition where collar access is readily available, and it requires less physical exertion than fighting for the deep RNC position. Elite practitioners use this choke as part of a continuous threat cycle that eventually overwhelms the defender’s ability to protect all attack vectors simultaneously.
From Position: Body Triangle (Bottom) Success Rate: 58%
Possible Outcomes
| Result | Position | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Success | game-over | 65% |
| Failure | Body Triangle | 25% |
| Counter | Back Control | 10% |
Attacker vs Defender
| Attacker | Defender | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Execute technique | Prevent or counter |
| Key Principles | Collar grip depth determines choke effectiveness - the deepe… | Protect the collar first - preventing the deep grip behind y… |
| Options | 6 execution steps | 4 defensive options |
Playing as Attacker
Key Principles
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Collar grip depth determines choke effectiveness - the deeper behind the neck you grip, the more powerful the strangle becomes
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Use the body triangle squeeze to restrict breathing and create urgency that forces defensive mistakes opening collar access
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Forearm blade placement across the throat is critical - aim for the side of the neck rather than the trachea for blood choke effect
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Maintain chest-to-back connection throughout the attack to prevent opponent from creating space or turning to escape
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Coordinate pulling elbow down toward your hip while expanding chest to maximize choking pressure without excessive strength
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Use your non-choking hand to control opponent’s defending hand or assist the choke by pushing their head into the strangle
Execution Steps
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Secure collar grip: With your top arm (over-shoulder arm in seatbelt), reach across opponent’s neck and grip their colla…
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Position forearm blade: Rotate your wrist so your forearm blade (the bony edge of your forearm near the wrist) is positioned…
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Control defending hand: Use your non-choking hand to trap opponent’s hand that’s defending their neck by controlling their w…
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Tighten body triangle: Increase squeeze pressure with your body triangle to restrict their breathing and core movement, cre…
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Pull elbow down: Drive your choking elbow down toward your hip in a circular motion while keeping the grip locked dee…
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Expand and finish: Arch your back slightly and expand your chest while continuing the downward elbow pressure, creating…
Common Mistakes
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Gripping collar too shallow near the shoulder rather than deep behind the neck
- Consequence: Choke lacks power and opponent can easily strip grip or create space to breathe
- Correction: Walk fingers deep into collar behind neck before applying pressure, aim for grip at base of skull level
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Positioning forearm across windpipe instead of side of neck targeting carotid
- Consequence: Creates painful trachea crush that opponent can endure longer, may cause injury rather than clean blood choke
- Correction: Angle forearm to attack lateral neck where carotid artery runs, creating blood choke that finishes faster and cleaner
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Releasing body triangle pressure while focusing on upper body choke
- Consequence: Opponent gains hip mobility to turn, bridge, or create escape angles that relieve choke pressure
- Correction: Maintain or increase body triangle squeeze during choke - the leg pressure amplifies upper body attack effectiveness
Playing as Defender
Key Principles
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Protect the collar first - preventing the deep grip behind your neck is far easier than stripping it once established, keep your chin tucked and hands fighting any collar access attempts
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Address the grip before the finish - once you feel fingers walking into your collar, immediately use two-on-one grip fighting to strip or shallow the grip before the forearm blade is positioned
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Manage breathing under body triangle compression by using controlled chest breathing rather than diaphragmatic breathing, accepting reduced oxygen and working efficiently within that constraint
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Turn toward the choking arm side to reduce the angle of pressure across your neck and simultaneously begin creating space for escape sequences
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Chain defensive actions together rather than relying on single explosive movements - strip grip, create frame, hip escape, and turn in a connected sequence
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Keep at least one hand defending your neck at all times even while working to escape the body triangle, as the attacker will immediately re-attack the collar if your neck is exposed
Recognition Cues
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Attacker’s top hand (over-shoulder arm in seatbelt) releases the seatbelt clasp and begins reaching toward your collar behind your neck rather than staying in standard harness position
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You feel fingers walking deep into your gi collar behind your neck with thumb inserting inside the collar fabric, indicating the attacker is establishing the anchor grip for the choke
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Attacker’s forearm rotates and the bony edge of their wrist begins pressing across the side of your neck rather than maintaining flat hand contact, signaling the transition from grip establishment to choke application
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The attacker’s non-choking hand shifts from seatbelt position to controlling your wrist or pinning your defending hand to your body, indicating they are clearing defensive obstacles before finishing
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You feel the attacker begin driving their elbow downward toward their hip while simultaneously expanding their chest against your back, creating the distinctive tightening pressure of the Short Choke finish
Defensive Options
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Two-on-one grip strip on the collar hand - use both hands to peel the attacker’s fingers out of your collar by attacking the thumb and peeling the grip toward your chest away from the back of your neck - When: Immediately when you feel fingers entering your collar, before the grip is fully established and the forearm blade is positioned across your neck
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Turn into the choking arm by rotating your shoulders and hips toward the side of the attacking forearm, reducing the cross-neck pressure angle while creating space to work your chin under the forearm - When: When the collar grip is already established and forearm pressure is building across your neck but the choke is not yet fully cinched
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Frame on the choking arm’s elbow with both hands to prevent the downward elbow drive that creates the finishing pressure, wedging your hands between their forearm and your neck to create a barrier - When: When the choke is being actively applied and you need to prevent the finish while buying time for a positional escape
Position Integration
The Short Choke integrates into the back attack system as a primary alternative to the rear naked choke. When you achieve back control with body triangle, you create a submission cycle: RNC attempts force chin defense, which opens collar access for Short Choke. Short Choke defense often requires hand fighting that exposes arms for armbar. This creates a continuous threat cycle that eventually overwhelms defenders. The technique connects to bow and arrow choke when opponents turn, to armbar when they grip fight, and returns to RNC attempts when they focus on collar defense. It represents a core component of the gi-based back attack methodology.