Ninja Choke (No-Gi)

What This Is

The ninja choke is a no-gi carotid choke that occupies the mechanical space between the guillotine and the D’Arce. It is applied with no arms inside the choke — the opponent’s near arm is outside the choking structure — and uses a figure-four grip configuration that resembles the rear naked choke: one hand hooks under the opponent’s neck, the other grabs that arm’s bicep in a closed loop. The compression is bilateral carotid.

The technique is most available as a counter to a single leg takedown attempt, where the opponent’s head is driven down and into range, and as a recovery from a defended guillotine, where the transition into the ninja choke uses the same arm position without requiring a full grip reset.

It is sometimes categorised as a standing guillotine variant, though the grip geometry is distinct: the guillotine uses a cupped-fist support grip and finishes by driving the elbow up; the ninja choke uses the bicep figure-four and finishes with a squeeze-and-pull mechanics closer to the RNC. The positional requirement — head down, opponent pressing in — is shared with the guillotine.

Disambiguation

The term “Ninja Choke” refers to two distinct techniques. The gi version is a lapel choke applied from side control using the opponent’s own collar — it is gi-dependent and is not covered on this site. The no-gi version described here operates from the front headlock range and is the only application covered on this page.

Safety First

Training note: Because this choke is most commonly set in scrambles from a single leg defence or a failed guillotine, partners may not immediately recognise the grip is transitioning to the ninja choke rather than remaining a guillotine attempt. Both partners should be familiar with the grip to avoid confusion about when the choke is fully applied.

The Invariable in Action

The ninja choke’s bilateral compression mechanism differs from the guillotine in one key respect: in the guillotine, the free hand cups the fist and drives the elbow upward to create the bilateral compression. In the ninja choke, the figure-four configuration does the work — the supporting arm’s bicep closes against the back of the neck and far carotid directly, without the high-elbow drive. The finish is a pull-and-squeeze rather than an elbow drive upward.

Depth of the initial arm hook determines whether the figure-four lands at the carotid or at the jaw. The arm under the neck must be seated deep — the forearm at the throat, not the chin — before the supporting hand grips the bicep. A shallow hook that catches the jaw creates discomfort and airway pressure without the bilateral carotid compression needed for the submission.

The Grip

The ninja choke grip has two components:

Hooking arm: The choking arm slides under the opponent’s chin from the same side as the standard guillotine. The inside of the forearm presses against the throat. Unlike the guillotine, the free hand does not cup the fist — instead it grips the bicep of the hooking arm to close the figure-four.

Figure-four close: The free hand reaches behind the opponent’s head and grips the upper arm (bicep) of the hooking arm. This is the same figure-four geometry as the RNC: the bicep of the supporting arm presses against the far side of the opponent’s neck, and the forearm of the hooking arm presses against the near side. When the figure-four is closed, both carotids are being compressed.

No arms inside: Unlike the arm-in guillotine, neither of the opponent’s arms should be inside the choking structure. The ninja choke is the arm-out variant — the near arm of the opponent is outside and not trapped. This is what distinguishes it from a true D’Arce (which requires the arm threaded through).

Head position: The opponent’s head should be pressed downward and into the attacker’s chest. The attacker’s chest pressing on the crown of the opponent’s head holds the head in place and increases compression when combined with the figure-four pull.

Primary Context — Single Leg Counter

The single leg takedown creates the primary setup for the ninja choke. When an opponent drives a single leg, their head drops and comes into range — typically to the hip or lower abdomen of the defending player. This is the same position that creates the sprawl and guillotine opportunities, and the ninja choke belongs to the same defensive cluster.

The sequence:

Step 1 — Establish the whizzer: As the opponent drives the single leg, the defending player establishes an overhook (whizzer) on the opponent’s near arm. The whizzer controls the opponent’s shoulder and prevents the takedown completion. This is the same first response as the whizzer-based single leg defence.

Step 2 — Push the head away: The whizzer is used to push or steer the opponent’s head laterally — away from the attacker’s centreline. This creates the side angle needed for the arm to hook under the chin. Pushing the head straight forward or downward makes it harder to land the hook; the lateral push opens the neck.

Step 3 — Hook under the chin: As the opponent’s head is steered away, the free hand (opposite side from the whizzer) hooks under the chin from above. The forearm should seat at the throat level.

Step 4 — Transition from whizzer to figure-four: The whizzer arm releases the overhook and brings the hand behind the opponent’s head to grip the bicep of the hooking arm. The figure-four is now closed. The choke is applied by pulling the elbows together and pulling the opponent’s head into the chest.

Why this works: The opponent who is driving a single leg is pressing forward and downward — they are actively putting their head into the position the ninja choke requires. Their defensive instinct (driving forward to complete the takedown) is the same motion that tightens the choke when the grip is established.

Secondary Context — Defended Guillotine

The ninja choke has a natural transition from the guillotine when the guillotine grip is stripped or defended. When an opponent successfully grips the attacker’s choking arm and begins to pull it away from the throat, the ninja choke can be slipped in using the same arm configuration without requiring a full grip reset.

The transition: As the opponent’s hand grabs the guillotine wrist to strip the grip, the attacker allows the stripping motion and simultaneously slides the arm from the cupped-fist guillotine position into the figure-four hook position. The arm that was previously the support hand now goes behind the opponent’s head to close the bicep grip. The motion of the opponent stripping the guillotine grip can itself help seat the hooking arm deeper under the chin.

Why this transition is effective: The opponent who is stripping the guillotine has committed both hands to the grip fight on one arm — they are not defending a transition. The ninja choke can be established while their attention is on removing the guillotine grip. The grip change happens in the same spatial area and does not require repositioning the attacker’s body.

This is the standing alternative to pulling guard and finishing the guillotine. When the guillotine grip is defended before guard is established, the ninja choke allows the attacker to remain standing and apply a different submission from the same arm position.

Finish Mechanics

The ninja choke finish is a compression-and-pull, not an elbow drive. Once the figure-four is closed:

Pull the elbows together: Both elbows drive toward each other — the hooking arm’s elbow pulls toward the attacker’s body, and the supporting arm’s elbow pulls toward the same centreline. This is the bilateral carotid compression: the forearm closes one side, the bicep closes the other.

Pull the opponent’s head into the chest: Simultaneously, the entire grip pulls the opponent’s head forward and into the attacker’s chest. The chest-to-crown contact amplifies the compression by preventing the opponent from extending their neck to relieve pressure.

Standing vs. pulled guard: The ninja choke can be finished from standing or from pulling guard. The standing finish requires a tighter grip because there is no guard hip-pressure amplifying the choke. Pulling guard adds the hip-forward pressure that the guillotine guard finish uses — the same mechanics apply. For less experienced practitioners, the guard finish is more reliable. The standing finish is available when the grip is locked before the opponent can create distance or posture out.

Chin tuck response: If the opponent tucks the chin before the forearm seats, the arm is catching the mandible rather than the throat. The solution from the ninja choke grip (rather than the guillotine) is to squeeze the figure-four closed and use the bicep pressure on the far carotid while continuing to seek depth on the near side. The partial compression from one side, combined with the structural pressure of the figure-four against the back of the neck, can still be effective even with a partial chin tuck.

Defence and Escape

Priority 1 — Chin tuck immediately: As with any front headlock choke, the chin tuck is the first defence. It prevents the hooking forearm from seating at the throat. This must happen before the arm hooks under — once the arm is at the throat level, the chin cannot be tucked without the chin pressing directly into the forearm.

Priority 2 — Prevent the figure-four close: If the hooking arm seats, the critical window is before the supporting hand closes the figure-four. The defender should grab the hooking arm’s wrist with both hands and pull it away. Once the figure-four is closed, the grip is much more difficult to break because both arms are in a closed loop.

Priority 3 — Step through and posture: If the choke is set in guard, the same escape mechanics as the guillotine apply: posture the head straight up and back, step one leg over, and walk to side control. The ninja choke in guard is escaped using identical methods as the guard guillotine.

Priority 4 — Level change from standing: If the ninja choke is being applied from standing (not guard), the defender can attempt to drop their level dramatically and shoot into a double leg — driving the attacker’s back to the wall or mat disrupts the choking mechanics. This is a higher-risk defence that requires good timing.

Do not strip after the figure-four closes: Stripping a closed figure-four figure-four grip is extremely difficult. Prevention before the grip closes is far more effective than escape after. The grip fight must happen during the grip-building phase.

Common Errors

Drilling Notes

Ability Level Guidance

Ruleset Context

The ninja choke is a carotid compression choke with no limb attack element. It is legal across all no-gi formats. There are no ruleset restrictions to note.

Also Known As

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