Cross Collar Choke - Fundamentals Made Easy
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Cross Collar Choke·Jordan Teaches Jiujitsu
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Cross Collar Choke
Genus十字絞(Juji-jime)
TraditionalTranslation: Cross Strangle
Overview
The cross collar choke from back control is executed by inserting one hand deep into the far-side collar with the wrist blade rotated toward the carotid artery, and the other hand gripping the near-side collar. The finish comes from rotating both wrist blades inward against the sides of the neck (not the trachea) and drawing both elbows together while pulling the opponent's head into the attacker's chest, compressing both carotid arteries. [1],[2] From back mount with hooks or a body triangle, the attacker has the stability to work past the opponent's defensive hand-fighting and sink the grips progressively deeper. [1],[3]
History & Origin
The cross collar choke from behind derives from judo's jūji-jime (十字絞め) family, adapted for back control positions. [2],[3] In classical judo, cross-collar strangles were primarily applied from front-facing pins. [2] Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners developed the rear application as back-take systems became central to competitive strategy in the 1990s and 2000s. [1],[4]
Effectiveness
The cross collar choke (juji-jime) is the fundamental gi choke, applied by gripping both lapels in a cross pattern and pulling the forearms into the sides of the neck. [1] Roger Gracie demonstrated that this basic technique, when executed with perfect timing and grip depth, can defeat the highest-level competitors despite being fully anticipated. [2]
Lineage
Juji-jime (十字絞め) is one of the original Kodokan Judo shime-waza techniques codified by Jigoro Kano. [1] The Gracie family, particularly Hélio Gracie, made cross collar chokes from guard and mount fundamental to BJJ. [2] Roger Gracie's dominance with the cross collar choke from mount at IBJJF Worlds (2004–2009) cemented its status as the quintessential BJJ technique. [3]
Competition Record
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Biomechanical Mechanism
Primary Action — Bilateral compression of the carotid arteries — restricts blood flow to the brain, causing unconsciousness within seconds
Joints Involved — Cervical spine (lateral flexion), glenohumeral joint of the trapped arm (if arm-in), nuchal region
Force Vector — Lateral squeeze creates inward pressure on both sides of the neck simultaneously
Choking Mechanism — Vascular strangle — occludes carotid arteries and jugular veins, distinct from airway (tracheal) chokes
Position & Entry
From back control with seatbelt — Establish hooks or body triangle, slide choking arm under the chin, connect hands and squeeze
From turtle top (back take) — Break down the turtle, insert hooks, secure seatbelt grip, slide to back control and apply the choke
From standing back clinch — Secure rear body lock, drag opponent to the mat while inserting hooks, transition to choking position
Videos
How to Actually FINISH The Cross Collar Choke from Guard
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Cross Collar Choke·Stephan Kesting
How to actually successfully choke someone out with the cross collar choke from closed guard. Excerpt from https://www.g…
Everything You Need to Know About the Cross Collar Choke | Jiu Jitsu Fundamentals #bjj
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Cross Collar Choke·Matt Arroyo Jiu Jitsu
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3 videosWhat Instructors Say
The cross collar choke is a fundamental Brazilian jiu-jitsu submission that requires precise hand placement and sequencing rather than simple muscular pressure. All three instructors—Matt Arroyo Jiu Jitsu, Jordan Teaches Jiujitsu, and Stephan Kesting—emphasize that grip depth and wrist blade positioning are critical to effectiveness. The first grip must be inserted deeply across the opponent's body, with the wrist blade (not the flat of the wrist or gi material) positioned directly on the carotid artery; Matt Arroyo specifies the thumb should be behind the ear when properly seated. The second grip follows, ideally placed as close as possible to the first hand to minimize gaps. All instructors stress turning the wrist blade to face the artery before applying significant pressure. The finishing mechanics differ slightly: Arroyo emphasizes "hammering in an imaginary nail" while pulling the head into the chest with elbows driven straight down to the hips, whereas Jordan and Kesting focus on bringing elbows inward and chest-to-chest contact. Kesting uniquely highlights maintaining a very tight first grip as the foundation, allowing the second grip to be looser, and positions this choke within a broader threat framework of arm bars and triangles. All three note the choke is effective from guard and mount, though variations exist in hand positioning (palm up under vs. palm down over the first arm). The instructors collectively stress that premature elbow flaring and insufficient grip depth are common mistakes that prevent successful submission.
Synthesized from 3 instructors
- Matt Arroyo Jiu Jitsu — Everything You Need to Know About the Cross Collar Choke | Jiu Jitsu Fundamentals #bjj: Detailed four-step sequence: deep grip with thumb behind ear, blade rotation to face artery, hammering motion to increase pressure, and pulling head into chest with elbows to hips. Emphasizes gi as leverage tool, not choking agent. Shows palm-up (under) and palm-down (over) variations for second grip. Discusses armbar follow-up when opponent defends.
- Jordan Teaches Jiujitsu — Cross Collar Choke - Fundamentals Made Easy: Focuses on maximum grip depth and optimal positioning from mount position. Emphasizes bringing elbows underneath the chin rather than over it. Stresses that opening elbows increases the space and prevents the choke, whereas closing elbows and pulling inward executes it. Demonstrates using head-on-mat base for stability.
- Stephan Kesting — How to Actually FINISH The Cross Collar Choke from Guard: Emphasizes wrist blade angle (sharp bone edge) cutting into neck rather than flat wrist pressure. Advocates very tight first grip as foundation, allowing looser second grip. Positions the choke within a threat framework of multiple attacks (triangle, armbar) that set up the finish. Stresses chest-to-chest finishing posture and avoiding overexertion when grip isn't secure.
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Ratings
Risk of injury to the person this technique is applied to
8
Very High8/10
Cross collar choke is a foundational gi strangle using bilateral wrist-blade pressure
Skill level needed to execute this technique reliably
Intermediate
Whether this technique is allowed under major competition rule sets
Illegal
— FIAS Sport Sambo — All chokes prohibited in Sport Sambo
FIAS International Sambo Competition RulesPDFRestricted
— no-gi competition only — technique requires gi
ADCC Rules Update, April 2025PDF— technique requires gi — not applicable in MMA
Unified Rules of MMA, August 2025PDFLegal
— IBJJF — Legal at all belt levels, gi and no-gi — chokes a...
IBJJF Rules Book v6.0, June 2024PDF— FIAS Combat Sambo — Legal
FIAS Combat Sambo RulesPDFTraining Notes
✓The cross-collar choke (juji-jime) crosses both hands on the opponent's collar and uses the forearms to compress the carotid arteries from any position — mount, guard, or back control (Kashiwazaki, Osaekomi, 1997)
✓The fundamental mechanic: the first hand grips deep inside the collar (thumb inside for palm-up, or four fingers inside for palm-down), and the second hand crosses over to grip the opposite collar
✓The choke finishes by pulling the elbows toward the attacker's own chest while expanding the chest — the forearms cross against both sides of the neck
✓The cross-collar choke is the signature gi submission: it requires collar grips that are only possible with the gi
✓Roger Gracie's cross-collar choke from mount is considered the highest-level demonstration of this technique — he submitted world champions with the fundamentals alone
✓The first grip must be deep: the hand needs to pass the centre line of the collar for the forearm to reach the carotid artery on the far side
✓Cross-collar chokes work from virtually every position: mount, guard, side control, knee-on-belly, and even from bottom half guard
Common Mistakes
!Gripping too shallow — the first hand must be deep inside the collar, past the opponent's centre line; shallow grips make the choke impossible
!Pulling the arms outward — the elbows pull toward the attacker's own chest, not outward; outward pulling creates a trachea crush instead of a blood choke
!Not staggering the grips — one hand goes deep first, then the second crosses over; trying to insert both simultaneously is impractical
!Ignoring the opponent's grip defence — the opponent will fight the first hand; persist through grip fighting or use feints
!Not driving the head forward — from mount, driving your forehead into the mat above the opponent's head adds pressure
!Squeezing with the arms without chest expansion — the chest must expand to push the forearms into the neck; arm strength alone is insufficient
!Not training the deep grip entry — getting that first deep grip is the hardest part; drill the entry separately from the finish
Related Techniques
Counter Techniques
Tuck Chin — protect the neck by lowering the chin to prevent the choke from sinkingTwo-on-One Grip Fight — use both hands to strip the choking grip before it locksTurn Into — rotate toward the choking arm to relieve carotid pressurePosture Up — straighten the spine and create distance to break the choking angle
Setup Chain
1Achieve Controlling Position — secure the position from which the choke is applied
2Isolate the Neck — clear defending hands and establish access to the throat
3Set the Grip — lock the choking configuration (arm, lapel, or leg placement)
4Apply Pressure — squeeze to compress the carotid arteries for the finish
Sources & References
Primary Source
Kodokan Judo — Official Shime-waza (Nami/Gyaku/Kata variants)
1BookKodokan Judo — Official Shime-waza (Nami/Gyaku/Kata variants)
Japanese terminology sourced from Kodokan Judo — Official Shime-waza (Nami/Gyaku/Kata variants)
Official Kodokan ground technique classification system
Standard Japanese martial arts terminology (kanji/hiragana)
4OtherJapanese Martial Arts Standard Terminology (武道用語)
Established Japanese martial arts naming convention — native Japanese term (和語/漢語)
5CitationKodokan Judo — Official Shime-waza (Nami/Gyaku/Kata variants)
Japanese terminology sourced from Kodokan Judo — Official Shime-waza (Nami/Gyaku/Kata variants)
Community
Athletics
Requires
hip flexibility, long legs relative to torso
Favours
longer limbs for easier figure-four lock around head and arm
Key muscles
hip adductors, hamstrings, quadriceps
Sub-techniques
Notes
Cross collar choke appears in 28 passages across 10 books. The fundamental gi choke — both hands grip deep into the opponent's collar, forearms crossing at the wrists. Applied from mount, guard, and side control. The first gi choke taught in most BJJ schools. (10 books; Ribeiro, Jiu-Jitsu University; Kano, Kodokan Judo)
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the most common mistake beginners make with the cross collar choke grip?
The grip isn't deep enough. Matt Arroyo Jiu Jitsu emphasizes that you need to get your hand as deep as possible into the collar, wrapping far around the neck. Many beginners also place their hand too high on the neck instead of getting it deep enough to control the choke properly.
How should my wrist be positioned to finish the cross collar choke effectively?
Stephan Kesting stresses that the sharp part of your wrist should cut into the neck at an angle—not flat. You want to use the hard part of your wrist on the soft part of the neck, and keep adjusting by pulling the wrist out more as you increase control of your opponent's posture.
What's the correct arm finishing mechanics for the cross collar choke?
Jordan Teaches Jiujitsu explains that you should bring your elbow underneath the chin, not over it, so when you bring your elbows together the pressure is all choke. Matt Arroyo adds that you should pull your elbows straight down to your hip bones and pull your opponent's head into your chest for maximum power.
How do I know when to commit to finishing the cross collar choke?
Stephan Kesting advises that you should only commit and pull tight when you feel like you're going to get the choke and put your opponent out. Pulling too early or too hard without proper positioning wastes energy; wait until you have the proper grip and control before finishing.
How does the Cross Collar Choke work?
The cross collar choke from back control is executed by inserting one hand deep into the far-side collar with the wrist blade rotated toward the carotid artery, and the other hand gripping the near-side collar. The finish comes from rotating both wrist blades inward against the sides of the neck (not the trachea) and drawing both elbows together while pulling the opponent's head into the attacker's chest, compressing both carotid arteries.
Where does the Cross Collar Choke come from?
The cross collar choke from behind derives from judo's jūji-jime (十字絞め) family, adapted for back control positions. In classical judo, cross-collar strangles were primarily applied from front-facing pins.
Is the Cross Collar Choke legal in competition?
IBJJF: legal — Legal at all belt levels, gi and no-gi — chokes are the safest submission cat…; IJF: legal — Legal (shime-waza) — strangulation techniques are one of three permitted subm…; ADCC: restricted — N/A (no-gi competition only — technique requires gi); Unified MMA: restricted — N/A (technique requires gi — not applicable in MMA); FIAS Sport Sambo: banned — All chokes prohibited in Sport Sambo; FIAS Combat Sambo: legal — Legal
How dangerous is the Cross Collar Choke?
Danger rating 8/10. Cross collar choke is a foundational gi strangle using bilateral wrist-blade pressure
How do I set up the Cross Collar Choke?
The standard setup chain: Achieve Controlling Position → Isolate the Neck → Set the Grip → Apply Pressure.
How do I defend against the Cross Collar Choke?
Standard counters include: Tuck Chin — protect the neck by lowering the chin to prevent the choke from sinking / Two-on-One Grip Fight — use both hands to strip the choking grip before it locks / Turn Into — rotate toward the choking arm to relieve carotid pressure / Posture Up — straighten the spine and create distance to break the choking angle.
What are the variants of the Cross Collar Choke?
Common variants: Standard triangle (classic figure-four leg lock around the head and one arm …); Reverse triangle (legs locked from behind or inverted angle for different a…); Mounted triangle (applied from mount position with gravity assisting the sq…); No-arm triangle (both arms excluded, legs-only compression on the neck).
How effective is the Cross Collar Choke in competition?
Roger Gracie won 10 IBJJF World Championship gold medals (2004–2009), with the cross collar choke from mount being his signature finish, submitting most of his opponents at the highest level. The technique is statistically the most common gi choke finish in IBJJF competition.
What are common mistakes when doing the Cross Collar Choke?
Top errors to watch for: Gripping too shallow — the first hand must be deep inside the collar, past the opponent's centre line; shallow grips … / Pulling the arms outward — the elbows pull toward the attacker's own chest, not outward; outward pulling creates a tr… / Not staggering the grips — one hand goes deep first, then the second crosses over; trying to insert both simultaneous… / Ignoring the opponent's grip defence — the opponent will fight the first hand; persist through grip fighting or use f….
What are other names for the Cross Collar Choke?
The Cross Collar Choke is also known as Juji-jime, Rear Cross Collar Choke, Ushiro Juji-jime, Back Cross Choke.