Short Choke

What This Is

The short choke is a rear strangle that attacks the carotid arteries from below the chin rather than over the shoulder as in the rear naked choke. In the seatbelt back control, the attacker has two arms: the strangle hand (over the shoulder) and the control hand (under the armpit). The RNC uses the strangle hand as the choking arm. The short choke uses the control hand — the under-arm — as the choking arm, sending it across the opponent’s throat from below.

The short choke is the primary alternative to the RNC. When the opponent’s chin tuck defence prevents the over-shoulder strangle arm from reaching the carotid, the short choke offers a different entry path. The under-chin arm has a shorter path to the throat — hence “short” choke — and does not need to pass over the chin, making it less dependent on solving the chin defence.

The trade-off relative to the RNC is the opposite arm is now doing the choking, which changes the mechanical advantage. The short choke is typically less powerful than a fully-applied RNC but more accessible when the chin is defended. It is best used as a threat within the back attack system rather than as the first-choice submission against a relaxed opponent.

The Invariable in Action

The short choke achieves bilateral carotid compression via the under-chin arm: the forearm sits across one carotid from below, and the bicep of the locking arm (the over-shoulder arm, now repurposed as the locking arm) applies pressure to the other carotid. The mechanics are inverted relative to the RNC — the roles of the two arms are swapped — but the goal is identical: both carotids must be compressed simultaneously to produce the submission.

Like the RNC, the short choke cannot be applied without maintaining back control. The under-chin arm’s path to the throat depends on the attacker’s chest remaining connected to the opponent’s back. If back control is lost during the entry, the under-chin arm loses its mechanical advantage and the choke fails. Short choke attempts must not sacrifice positional connection for throat reach.

The Mechanics

From seatbelt back control, the short choke is applied as follows:

The under-chin entry: The control arm (the arm that sits under the opponent’s armpit in the seatbelt) is the choking arm. This arm reaches across the opponent’s body — going under the chin from the armpit side — and the forearm seats across the throat at the carotid. Because the arm enters from below, the forearm does not need to cross the chin: it slides underneath it and finds the carotid from the front-low direction.

The locking arm: The strangle arm (the arm over the shoulder) becomes the locking arm. The hand of the strangle arm grips the bicep of the under-chin arm (the same grip relationship as the RNC, but with the roles reversed). The strangle arm’s forearm may also push on the back of the opponent’s head to increase the pressure differential.

The finish: Squeezing the elbows toward each other — both arms contracting — compresses the two carotids simultaneously. The squeeze direction and the forearm positioning determine the compression quality. If the under-chin forearm has not found the carotid but is instead resting on the trachea, the choke becomes a tracheal compression — painful and damaging but not submissive. Confirm carotid contact before squeezing.

Setup and Entry

As a Direct Attack from Seatbelt

The short choke can be attempted directly from seatbelt back control when the opponent is not actively defending the under-chin space. The control arm reaches across and finds the throat without the opponent’s chin blocking the path. This is most available when the opponent’s attention is on the RNC threat — they are tucking their chin to block the strangle arm, which opens the under-chin space for the short choke.

As a Conversion from the RNC

The most common setup. The attacker begins the RNC entry with the strangle arm. The opponent tucks their chin to block the entry. Rather than fighting the chin tuck with the strangle arm, the attacker switches to the short choke — releasing the RNC attempt and sending the under-chin arm across the throat. The opponent’s chin tuck, which was blocking the RNC, does not block the under-chin entry. The chin tuck creates a gap that the under-chin arm can exploit.

From Body Triangle and Harness

The short choke is available from body triangle and harness back control with the same mechanics. The body triangle’s rib compression and the harness’s arm control both restrict the opponent’s escape options, making the short choke entry less likely to be disrupted by framing or bridging.

Position Requirements

• Seatbelt Back Control (POS-BACK-TOP-SEATBELT) — Primary position. The seatbelt structure defines the two arm roles — control arm (under armpit) becomes the choking arm for the short choke.
• Body Triangle (POS-BACK-TOP-BODYTRI) — Available. Body triangle reduces bridging escapes, making the choke entry more reliable.
• Harness Control (POS-BACK-TOP-HARNESS) — Available. The harness’s arm control creates the arm position from which the short choke entry begins.

Defence and Escape

Two-on-one grip on the choking arm: The defender grabs the choking arm’s wrist and elbow with both hands and prevents it from seating across the throat. This defence works earlier in the entry — once the arm is across the carotid, two-on-one becomes a stall rather than an escape.

Hip escape to create space: Escaping back control is the upstream defence against both the RNC and the short choke. See the seatbelt defence page for the back escape system.

Chin-to-chest — less effective here: The chin tuck that defends the RNC does not defend the short choke in the same way — the short choke enters from below the chin, not over it. The defender must instead direct their chin to the side of the choking arm, turning it away from the entry.

Tap early: The short choke applies bilateral carotid compression with less warning than the RNC in many cases, because the under-chin entry can seat faster. Tap at first clear pressure on the throat.

Common Errors

Drilling Notes

RNC-to-short-choke conversion drill. From seatbelt back control, attacker begins the RNC entry. Partner tucks chin. Attacker converts to short choke — under-chin arm crosses, locking arm grips bicep. Confirm forearm is on the carotid, not the trachea. Ten reps. This is the most important drill because it trains the conversion response that makes the short choke useful in live training.

Short choke finish mechanics (static). From a static position with the short choke grip established, practise the bilateral squeeze with graduated force. Partner gives feedback on where pressure is felt. Confirm both carotids are being compressed before adding finishing force.

Ability Level Guidance

Also Known As

Related Pages

Concepts layer