Bow and Arrow Choke

What it is

The bow and arrow choke is a collar choke from the back: one hand grips the collar across the neck, the other grips the far leg at the knee or trousers, and you extend like drawing a bow. It is one of the strongest gi finishes from back control and nearly impossible to muscle out of once the leg grip is in. It is the gi answer when the rear naked choke is being defended.

When to use it

• From back control when they are hand fighting hard against the rear naked choke.
• When they try to escape the back by sliding down toward one side.
• From the turtle, once you have a collar grip and a hook in.

How to do it

1. From back control, feed one hand into the collar across the front of the neck, palm up, four fingers in and deep behind the ear.
2. Keep the hook on the same side as your collar grip, and slide your hip out to that side so your back is at an angle to theirs.
3. With the free hand, grab their trouser leg at the knee on that side, or the back of the knee.
4. Put your top leg over their shoulder, foot in front of their chest, and keep the bottom leg hooked.
5. Pull the collar toward you and push the leg away, extending like a bow, until they tap.

Key details

• The collar grip is deep and behind the ear, not on the jaw.
• The hip slides out to the collar side. If you stay square behind them, the choke stays loose.
• The leg is the handle. Pulling the collar and pushing the leg against each other is what finishes.
• The top leg over the shoulder stops them turning into you.
• Tap early when you are the one caught. A choke works in seconds, and holding on only puts you to sleep.

Common mistakes

• Mistake: a shallow collar grip. They peel it off before you get the leg.
• Mistake: not sliding the hip out. The choke stays on the front of the neck and they wait.
• Mistake: letting go of the leg to pull harder. They turn into you and escape.

What they will try

• They grab the choking wrist and turn into the choke to slip out before the leg grip is in.
• They hook the near leg and come up to their knees to relieve the pressure.

Gi and no-gi

There is no collar, so the no-gi substitute from the same position is the rear naked choke, or an arm over the head into a crucifix.