Last week we looked at two videos to break down the Von Flue Choke. This week we have two video examples of one of the most commonly used chokes in MMA today. The Rear Naked Choke.
First off before we get into the video and the submission lets take a look at the name of this move. I'm sure a lot of people are familiar with this move but may be unclear as to why this is called a "rear naked choke." The word "rear" refers to the fact that this is a choke to be applied when you have your opponent's back. This specific choke can only be applied from the back position, unlike an armtriangle which you can apply while you and your opponent are facing each other. The word "naked" refers to the fact this choke does not require a gi to be applied. In BJJ there are countless chokes that can be applied by utilizing different parts of a gi, like collars and sleeves. The rear naked choke however does not require a gi, hence "naked."
The first video is a "how to" video with Bas Rutten demonstrating the rear naked choke. In this video Bas breaks this move down into four simple steps. The first step is to flatten out your hand that will slide across you opponents neck and put that hand on the same side of their neck (0:22). Bas uses his right hand in this case and starts by flattening that hand out and placing it on the right side of his opponents neck. Next he slides his right arm all the way across his opponent's neck so that the inside of his elbow lines up with his opponents trachea (0:32). The next step is to grab your own left bicep with your right hand, and then put your left hand behind your opponents head (0:42). Once you have this position the final step is to squeeze your muscles and pull your shoulders back to finish the choke. The rear naked choke is one of the simplest, most basic chokes used in BJJ and MMA today, but there are several variations on how to execute this move.
The second video today is from Affliction: Banned, a match between Fedor Emelianenko and Tim Sylvia. In this match Fedor submits Sylvia via rear naked choke in the first round. The fight starts with an exchange of punches. Fedor gets the better of the exchange and drops Sylvia (0:25). Fedor continues with some ground and pound as Sylvia is turtled (basically on his hands and knees). Sylvia rolls to his back and Fedor takes side control still landing some ground and pound (0:29). Sylvia gets on his hands and knees again and Fedor immediately takes the back (0:31). He knows Sylvia is hurt so he doesn't put the hooks in right away. He lands a few more shots and as Sylvia makes a weak attempt to scramble he puts the hooks in (0:35). At this point Fedor immediately attacks the neck of Syliva. Fedor slides his right arm about halfway across Sylvia's neck and then makes a hand to hand grip (0:39). Sylvia tries to roll Fedor off of him but that does no good. Fedor then squeezes the choke and gets the tap (0:43). The choke that Fedor applied to Sylvia is one of the many variation of a rear naked choke, and is slightly different from the choke Bas demonstrated in the first video.
The way Bas demonstrated the rear naked choke is the ideal way to execute it. However, you might not always have the luxury of applying the move so cleanly. As a result you may have to improvise the submission. That's what Fedor did. He wasn't able to slide his right arm all the way across Sylvia's neck to get the rear naked blood choke, so he left his forearm in front of Sylvia's trachea and applied an air choke instead of the usual blood choke. An air choke compresses an airway such as the trachea and can be very painful. Fedor squeezed this choke and immediately got the tap from Sylvia.
Those are two variation of the rear naked choke and their are still a few more variations than that submission. This is one of the most commonly used chokes because it is easy to use and extremely effective at the same time. Next week we'll continue to look at and break down some more popular MMA and BJJ submissions. Be sure to comment below if you have any questions or suggestions for next week.
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