Quick and Effective Front Chokes With Eli Knight
More Street Ready Techniques With Eli Knight!
Anytime you train in martial arts, regardless of your overall goal you should be able to defend yourself in a real life altercation. One martial art that continuously proves itself in sport situations as well as real life self defense is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In high level competition like the UFC, Jiu-JItsu plays a pivotal role for many athletes. On the flip side, law enforcement utilize Jiu-Jitsu in the most threatening of circumstances.
One of the major reasons Jiu-Jitsu is so effective in real life altercations is the ability to perform fight finishing maneuvers that don’t rely on strength or athleticism. The use of chokes is a great equalizer in a self defense situation. As long as the choke isn’t held for too long it is also a good way to avoid an excessive amount of damage. When you see a big knockout blow there is a huge risk of extra damage when they hit the ground. This whiplash of the head is an uncalculated risk that can cause death.
With Jiu-Jitsu you can safely dispatch your attacker with pure technique. Eli Knight has dedicated a good chunk of his training towards real life application of his Jiu-Jitsu techniques. He is a black belt in BJJ, and runs one of the absolute BEST YouTube Channels dedicated to all-things self defense.
Today let’s take a look at some quick and effective front chokes where you can use the aggressor’s jacket to ensure that you can defend yourself but at the same time secure a dominant position.
Many people scoff at the idea of training in a traditional uniform. Their argument is that training in a uniform is impractical for real life altercations. This may be true if you live in a place where it's tropical and no one wears a jacket or hoodie. The reality is that even a small amount of fabric to grab a hold can be used effectively to overcome your attacker. By using specific grips you can gain a positional advantage that limits their options while maximizing yours.
Stay safe on the street with more self defense strategies from Eli Knight! Click Learn More!
In this situation, Eli’s and his partner are both wearing jackets. Eli begins by closing the distance to his partner. By staying inside of his partner’s effective punching range he limits the amount of damage that he can do, while at the same time providing the opportunity to snag a grip on his partner’s jacket. This high collar grip is widely used in Judo as well as Jiu-Jitsu.
Eli points out that it is unwise to immediately go for the choke. This leaves your attacker with two free hands to tee off on you, with little option of defense due to your hands being dedicated to the choke. Instead Eli looks to off balance his partner to provide a better option of attack.
The high collar grip is a great way to move your opponent. To do this Eli takes a big pivot step as he yanks the collar grip towards the floor. By opening this space, Eli is able to break his partner’s posture with the collar grip. By forcing an aggressor into a position where they are off balance while you maintain control is a great way to ensure that if they are able to strike it will be considerably less effective.
Now from this flanking angle, Eli uses a palm down grip on the other side of his partner’s neck. This second grip keeps his partner from raising his head while at the same time it provides the ability to choke. Since your attacker would have both hands, it’s important to keep a stance that keeps your lower body out of range. Eli points out that with this grip you also have the ability to land some big time knees.
If rearranging your attackers teeth isn’t your cup of tea, this grip also provides a great platform to execute trips. A simple sprawl would also serve you well in getting your aggressor to the ground. Always keep in mind that if you can limit the risk that you take in any self defense situation is important. Flash, fancy techniques might leave you in a bad position in the most dire of circumstances. Keep it simple, and practical!
Eli has a knack for adjusting sport based techniques to be applicable to street situations. His instructional Gi To The Street Self Defense focuses on transferring Gi training to the street. This 4-part instructional addresses everything from strikes, closing the distance, and of course Gi-Based chokes equalize the fight!
