Master the Von Flue Choke by Using Less Muscle
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Von Flue Counter·Chewjitsu·Added by Admin
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Von Flue Counter
Genusヴォンフルーカウンター(Von Furū Kauntā)
TransliterationTranslation: Von Flue counter
Overview
The Von Flue Counter is a guillotine escape that converts the defender's position into a counter-submission by passing to side control while the attacker maintains the guillotine grip, then applying shoulder pressure to the attacker's neck to create a counter-choke. [1] Named after Jason Von Flue, who famously used this technique in the UFC, the counter exploits the guillotine holder's refusal to release the grip after the guard has been passed. [1],[2] The defender passes to side control, drops shoulder pressure on the trapped side of the attacker's neck, and the attacker's own guillotine grip completes the choke on themselves. [2],[3]
History & Origin
Effectiveness
The Von Flue choke is a highly effective guillotine counter that punishes opponents who hold onto a guillotine grip after their guard has been passed. [1] Once the defender passes to side control with the attacker still gripping the guillotine, the counter-choke becomes almost inescapable because the attacker's own grip completes the strangle. [1],[2]
Lineage
The Von Flue choke/counter was named after Jason Von Flue, who used it to counter a guillotine in UFC Fight Night 3 (2006). [1]
Competition Record
The Von Flue choke was named after UFC fighter Jason Von Flue, who submitted Alex Karalexis with it at UFC 61 (July 8, 2006). [1] Since then, the technique has been successfully applied multiple times in the UFC, including by Ovince Saint Preux who became known for using it repeatedly in competition. [2]
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Biomechanical Mechanism
Primary Action — Breaking the opponent's leg control to advance to a more dominant position
Joints Involved — Hips (posture and pressure), knees (opening the guard with knee-in or standing), hands (grip fighting)
Force Vector — Forward pressure (stack/smash) or backward posture (stand-up break) to open the closed guard
Passing Mechanic — Once the guard is opened, speed passing, pressure passing, or toreando passing advances the position
Position & Entry
From bottom side control — Create frames with the forearms against the opponent's neck and hip, hip escape (shrimp) to create space, insert the knee to recover guard
From underhook escape — Swim the near arm to an underhook, bridge into the opponent and come to knees or reverse
From opponent's transition — When the opponent moves to mount or north-south, use the movement to create space and escape
Variants
Shrimp to guard — framing and hip-escaping to recover full guard or half guard
Underhook escape — winning the underhook and coming to knees or reversing
Bridge to knees — bridging into the opponent and transitioning to turtle or single-leg
Ghost escape — inverting under the opponent to re-guard from the opposite side
Videos
1 video
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Ratings
Risk of injury to the person this technique is applied to
4
Moderate4/10
Submission escapes carry risk of injury if executed too late; timing-critical
Skill level needed to execute this technique reliably
Intermediate
Whether this technique is allowed under major competition rule sets
— Unified MMA — Legal defensive/transitional technique
Unified Rules of MMA, August 2025PDF— IBJJF — Legal
IBJJF Rules Book v6.0, June 2024PDF— IJF — Legal
IJF Sport and Organisation Rules 2025, Article 27PDF— ADCC — Legal
ADCC Rules Update, April 2025PDF— UWW — Legal
UWW International Wrestling Rules, January 2026PDF— FIAS Sport Sambo — Legal
FIAS International Sambo Competition RulesPDFTraining Notes
✓The Von Flue counter uses shoulder pressure on the opponent's neck to choke them when they hold a guillotine from bottom side control — turning their attack against them (Ovince Saint Preux, UFC application)
✓When you've passed to side control while the opponent maintains their guillotine grip, the Von Flue position is available
✓Execution: from side control with the opponent's guillotine still applied, drive your shoulder into the side of their neck — this creates a shoulder choke
✓The opponent's own grip helps the Von Flue — they're holding their arm around your neck, which prevents them from escaping your shoulder pressure
✓Drop your hips low, drive the shoulder into their carotid artery, and wait for the tap
✓The Von Flue is a reliable counter that punishes opponents who hold guillotines too long
✓The position: you must be in side control, past the opponent's guard, with their arm still around your neck
✓In MMA, the Von Flue has produced numerous finishes — opponents are conditioned to hold guillotines through the pass
Common Mistakes
!Attempting the Von Flue when you're still in the opponent's guard — you must pass to side control first
!Not driving the shoulder into the neck — the choke requires active downward shoulder pressure
!Keeping the hips too high — low hips increase the downward driving force on the shoulder
!Not being patient — the Von Flue takes 5-15 seconds to finish; maintain the pressure
!Applying shoulder pressure to the chin instead of the neck — target the carotid artery on the side of the neck
!Allowing the opponent to re-guard while setting up the Von Flue — maintain side control throughout
!Not recognizing the opportunity — the Von Flue is available any time the opponent holds a guillotine from bottom side control
Related Techniques
Counter Techniques
Setup Chain
1Create Space — use frames, hip movement, or leverage to generate room to move
2Disrupt Control — break or weaken the opponent's grips and weight placement
3Execute Escape — apply the specific escape mechanic with timing and commitment
4Recover Position — establish a safe position (guard, standing, or top)
Sources & References
Primary Source
Jiu-Jitsu University (Saulo Ribeiro, 2008)
1BookJiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
Alias sources — [1] Named after Jason Von Flue (UFC debut, 2006) [2] Mastering Jujitsu (Renzo Gracie & John Danaher, 2003) [3] MMA coaching terminology
2BookMastering Jujitsu (Gracie & Danaher, 2003)
Effectiveness sources — [1] Mastering Jujitsu (Renzo Gracie & John Danaher, 2003) [2] Jiu-Jitsu University (Saulo Ribeiro, 2008)
3OtherJapanese Combat Sports Katakana Convention
Standard katakana transliteration of Western martial arts terminology (外来語) — used in Japanese MMA, boxing, and BJJ communities
4CitationJiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
Alias sources — [1] Named after Jason Von Flue (UFC debut, 2006) [2] Mastering Jujitsu (Renzo Gracie & John Danaher, 2003) [3] MMA coaching terminology
5CitationMastering Jujitsu (Gracie & Danaher, 2003)
Effectiveness sources — [1] Mastering Jujitsu (Renzo Gracie & John Danaher, 2003) [2] Jiu-Jitsu University (Saulo Ribeiro, 2008)
Community
Athletics
Requires
hip escape (shrimping) speed, framing strength, timing
Favours
flexible hips and quick lateral movement
Key muscles
hip flexors, obliques, triceps (framing), core
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do people fail when they try to squeeze hard with their arms in the Von Flue choke?
Chewjitsu emphasizes that relying on arm strength may feel tight briefly, but causes fatigue quickly. Instead, you should let your body weight do the heavy lifting rather than muscling the technique.
How should I position my body weight to finish the Von Flue choke properly?
According to Chewjitsu, you want to feel your shoulder skipping to the side while being heavy on your toes, with most of your weight concentrated on your shoulder—this body weight pressure is what finishes the choke, not arm strength.
What's a common mistake that prevents the Von Flue from finishing?
Chewjitsu points out that if your opponent doesn't release the guillotine choke grip, you won't be able to finish the Von Flue counter, so ensuring they've abandoned the original choke attempt is critical.
How does the Von Flue Counter work?
The Von Flue Counter is a guillotine escape that converts the defender's position into a counter-submission by passing to side control while the attacker maintains the guillotine grip, then applying shoulder pressure to the attacker's neck to create a counter-choke. Named after Jason Von Flue, who famously used this technique in the UFC, the counter exploits the guillotine holder's refusal to release the grip after the guard has been passed.
Where does the Von Flue Counter come from?
The Von Flue choke/counter was named after UFC fighter Jason Von Flue, who submitted Alex Karalexis with this technique at UFC 61 in 2006. The counter had been known in grappling before this, but Von Flue's high-profile use in the UFC popularised it as a standard guillotine counter.
Is the Von Flue Counter legal in competition?
Unified MMA: legal — Legal defensive/transitional technique; IBJJF: legal — Legal; IJF: legal — Legal; ADCC: legal — Legal; UWW: legal — Legal; FIAS Sport Sambo: legal — Legal
How dangerous is the Von Flue Counter?
Danger rating 4/10. Moderate — submission escapes carry risk of injury if executed too late; timing-critical
How do I set up the Von Flue Counter?
The standard setup chain: Create Space → Disrupt Control → Execute Escape → Recover Position.
How do I defend against the Von Flue Counter?
Standard counters include: Maintain Pressure — keep consistent weight distribution to limit escape space / Anticipate Direction — read escape attempt direction and block early / Transition — flow to a new position when the current one is threatened.
What are the variants of the Von Flue Counter?
Common variants: Shrimp to guard (framing and hip-escaping to recover full guard or half guard); Underhook escape (winning the underhook and coming to knees or reversing); Bridge to knees (bridging into the opponent and transitioning to turtle or…); Ghost escape (inverting under the opponent to re-guard from the opposit…).
How effective is the Von Flue Counter in competition?
The Von Flue choke was named after UFC fighter Jason Von Flue, who submitted Alex Karalexis with it at UFC 61 (July 8, 2006). Since then, the technique has been successfully applied multiple times in the UFC, including by Ovince Saint Preux who became known for using it repeatedly in competition.
What are common mistakes when doing the Von Flue Counter?
Top errors to watch for: Attempting the Von Flue when you're still in the opponent's guard — you must pass to side control first / Not driving the shoulder into the neck — the choke requires active downward shoulder pressure / Keeping the hips too high — low hips increase the downward driving force on the shoulder / Not being patient — the Von Flue takes 5-15 seconds to finish; maintain the pressure.
What are other names for the Von Flue Counter?
The Von Flue Counter is also known as Von Furū Kauntā, Von Flue Choke, Shoulder Choke Counter, Counter Guillotine.