The Bow and Arrow Choke is one of the top ten most successful submissions in BJJ.

And when you get to the upper ranks – purple, brown and black – where people really know how to prevent and counter many of the ‘easy’ submissions – the Bow and Arrow is one of the top three submissions in BJJ competition.

My point is that if you do BJJ you’ve gotta know how to do the Bow and Arrow Choke!

In the video below my friend Emily Kwok (from How to Defeat the Bigger, Stronger Opponent with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) shows you the step-by-step breakdown for the Bow and Arrow Choke from both the mount and rearmount positions.

Watch how my head turns red: this choke was TIGHT!

Bow and Arrow Choke takeaways from this video include:

If you’re applying this choke from mount and your opponent starts to turn let him. Drive his arm across, get your chest behind his shoulder blade, and base out with your arm to make it difficult for him to turn back.

You can also apply it from rear mount if your opponent strips one of your grips if you’re attempting a two-handed lapel choke.

One hand goes under the armpit and opens up the lapel so that your other hand can grab it easily.

The grip is critical: turn the lapel inward so that the fat part of the lapel rests on the palm of your hand (described at about 1:10 and 2:50 in the video above). This makes for a tighter grip and a much more powerful choke.

Don’t leave your elbow hanging out when you’re applying the choke – your opponent can pop your arm over his head.

Ideally you hook the leg with your arm but you can also grab the cloth on the leg.

This technique is an excerpt from the very popular ‘How to Defeat the Bigger, Stronger Opponent’ instructional set, available both as a 5 volume DVD set and as a series of 5 apps for smartphones and tablets. Check them out – I guarantee you’ll be happy with them!

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