The Best Cross Collar Choke You'll Ever Learn

Posted by Fanatics Authors on December 13, 2018

Learn The Cross Collar Choke From Roger Gracie

Roger Gracie is a 14 time World, ADCC, Brazilian Nationals, and Pan Americans Champion. Roger has choked out many of the best utilizing the basics of jiu jitsu. It goes without saying Roger Gracie is the right person to learn cross collar chokes from. If you have spent any time at all on the mats in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu you are likely to be familiar with the cross collar choke. If it a choke you struggle with, do not worry about it, many of us have. By breaking it down into fundamentals, Roger Gracie shows us just how easy and effective this submission can be.

It's no doubt that Roger Gracie is that master of chokes in BJJ. Travis Stevens is also a true master at chokes for BJJ and Judo. Judo favors chokes, and Travis Stevens knows how to hit A TON of them from everywhere.

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Watch the video below now and then we will break down the technique. Check it out!

A lot of BJJ players get this choke wrong from the very start. They think this choke is all in the arms. The secret of this choke is that it is actually in the wrists. Your arms should not be moving much at all. It is all about tightening your wrists to put a lot of pressure on your opponent. Once you have the choke tight of course you are going to pull your opponent close to you using the arms. It is not about squeezing with the arms but rather it is about bending with the wrists using the sharp part of your bones to dig into your opponent putting pressure on their neck. This makes the choke effective from any position, guard, mount, even side control. When you go in for the cross collar choke, of course you do not want to go in with the arms. Notice that with a deep collar grip and the right angle all it takes it a twisting of the wrist to get this submission. Look at how very little Roger Gracie has to move his wrists to get the choke. It is already very tight, and it hurts to have those bones digging into your neck, cutting off blood flow to your brain. Also take note that when you twist your wrists you make it nearly impossible for your opponent to clear your arms.

There is a lot of detail in this technique, but that is why many of us probably struggle to pull off a cross collar choke. So remember the next time you are on the mats in a live roll or in competition that if you are trying to get the choke with your arms you need to instead use your wrists.