Glossary /// Alias
Inverted north-south choke
Also known as Crucifix North-South Choke — the canonical term used on this site.
Training background: names the orientation rather than the position
Descriptive — the north-south clamp with the orientation reversed
Inverted north-south choke names the crucifix version of the north-south choke by its orientation: the same head-in-the-armpit clamp, closed from alongside rather than from above.
Etymology. “Inverted” marks the attacker’s relationship to the opponent rather than any change to the strangle. The clamp is unchanged; what inverts is where the attacker’s body sits, and therefore how the clamp is shortened.
Mechanics. From the pin the compression comes from sinking the shoulders and hips straight toward the head. That path does not exist from alongside, so the closure has to come from the arm structure contracting while the legs hold everything still — which is why leaning is the characteristic error.
Cross-reference. Full mechanical coverage on Inverted north-south choke.