Precision-positioning for the choke! Photo by Mike Calimbas

Grandmaster Helio Gracie always pointed out that the most efficient Jiu-Jitsu move there is is the choke. “There isn’t a tough guy out there who can withstand oncoming sleep,” he is often quoted as saying.

And the neck is indeed a shortcut to victory. A well-performed chokehold cuts the flow of blood to the brain and prevents oxygen from reaching its target, obliging the opponent to painlessly tap out.

Watch Lisa De La Rosa, a black belt GMA of ours in Illinois, showing how chokes aren’t all about force: they’re about finesse, calm and adjustment.