Sleeve choke

Sleeve choke is the older gi-context name for the ezekiel choke — a strangulation applied with one arm threading inside the opposite-arm’s sleeve and pulling the forearm across the neck. In no-gi, the sleeve grip is absent and the technique relies on the attacker’s biceps and forearm forming the same closed loop without any clothing anchor.

Etymology. Ezequiel jime (“Ezekiel choke” in Portuguese-rendered Japanese) entered BJJ vocabulary through Ezequiel Paraguassú, a judo-trained Brazilian who used it in BJJ competition in the 1980s. “Sleeve choke” is the descriptive English-language label that flagged the technique’s original gi-context grip — the choking arm threaded into the opposite-arm’s sleeve to anchor the loop. In no-gi, the sleeve disappears; the choke survives by substituting the attacker’s own biceps for the sleeve anchor.

Mechanics. The compression requires both sides of the neck loaded simultaneously — the forearm crossing one carotid, the biceps closing the other side — and connection through the closed loop is what prevents the opponent from rotating their chin past the choking arm.

Cross-reference. Most no-gi vocabulary uses “ezekiel” or “ezekiel choke”; the “sleeve choke” label is now mostly historical or used to specifically flag the gi context. Full mechanical coverage on Ezekiel Choke (No-Gi).