Alias · Front Headlock
No-gi brabo
Also known as D'arce Choke — the canonical term used on this site.
Training background: Informal term — brabo choke uses the gi lapel; this site covers no-gi only
No-gi adaptation of the gi-context brabo choke
No-gi brabo is the no-gi-adapted name for the front-headlock arm-in strangle — the configuration that in its original gi-context brabo form used the opponent’s own lapel, and in no-gi reduces to the D’arce choke mechanics with the attacker’s biceps replacing the lapel anchor.
Etymology. Brabo is colloquial Portuguese for “wild” or “fierce.” The original brabo choke entered BJJ vocabulary as a gi-context strangulation that fed the opponent’s own lapel under their neck to anchor the loop. In no-gi the lapel is absent, so the technique survives by substituting the attacker’s own biceps for the lapel anchor — producing what is mechanically identical to the D’arce choke. “No-gi brabo” is the bilingual reference that retains the Portuguese name while flagging the no-gi adaptation; in practice it points at the same configuration as the D’arce.
Mechanics. The choke requires bilateral compression of the carotid arteries — the attacker’s biceps on one side and forearm on the other — and the chest connection to the opponent’s back maintains the closed loop as the opponent rotates to escape.
Cross-reference. “D’arce choke” is the standard no-gi label for the same configuration; the original gi-context “brabo” is at the canonical brabo page. Full mechanical coverage on D’arce Choke.