Chokehold

Chokehold

The rear naked choke demonstrated by soldiers of the Maldives Armed Forces
Style Jujutsu, Judo
AKA Stranglehold, shime-waza

A chokehold, choke, stranglehold or, in Judo, shime-waza (Japanese: 絞技; English: constriction technique)[1] is a general term for a grappling hold that critically reduces or prevents either air (choking)[2] or blood (strangling) from passing through the neck of an opponent. The restriction may be of one or both and depends on the hold used and the reaction of the victim. The lack of blood or air often leads to unconsciousness or even death if the hold is maintained. Chokeholds are used in martial arts, combat sports, self-defense, law enforcement and in military hand to hand combat applications. They are considered superior to brute-force manual strangling, which generally requires a large disparity in physical strength to be effective.[3] Rather than using the fingers or arms to attempt to crush the neck, chokeholds effectively use leverage such as figure-four holds or collar holds that use the clothes to assist in the constriction.

The terminology used varies; in most martial arts, the term "chokehold" or "choke" is used for all types of grappling holds that strangle. This can be misleading as most holds aim to strangle not choke with the exception of "air chokes" (choking means "to have severe difficulty in breathing because of a constricted or obstructed throat or a lack of air"[2]). In Judo terminology, "blood chokes" are referred to as "strangleholds" or "strangles" while "air chokes" are called "chokeholds" or "chokes".[1] In forensics the terms "strangle" and "stranglehold" designate any type of neck compression,[3] while in law-enforcement they are referred to as "neck holds".[4]

Air choke

An air choke or tracheal choke specifically refers to a "true" choke that compresses the upper airway (trachea, larynx or laryngopharynx), hence interfering with breathing, and leading to asphyxia. Although less effective at inducing unconsciousness than its vascular counterpart, the air choke causes excruciating pain and air hunger, and in combat sports a fighter will usually submit to such a submission hold. Air chokes have been associated with fractures of the larynx or hyoid bone, and are considered less safe than blood chokes to practice. The arm bar choke is an air choke done by placing the forearm across the front of the neck from behind. The free hand grabs the wrist and pulls back the forearm, hence driving the forearm (usually the radius bone) into the front of the neck.

Blood choke

Blood chokes, carotid restraints or sleeper holds are a form of strangulation that compress one or both carotid arteries and/or the jugular veins without compressing the airway, hence causing cerebral ischemia and a temporary hypoxic condition in the brain.[5] A well applied blood choke may lead to unconsciousness in a matter of seconds. Compared to strangulation with the hands, properly applied blood chokes require little physical strength.[6]

Use in combat sports

Most chokeholds featured in combat sports and martial arts are blood chokes, although some air chokes or combinations occur as well. Blood chokes, especially the rear naked choke, triangle chokes, or gi chokes, are commonly used as submission holds in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In judo, chokeholds, known as shime-waza, are often subject to restrictions based on age or rank. Chokeholds are not allowed in sport sambo but are allowed in combat sambo. The chokeholds used in catch wrestling and shoot wrestling are the inspiration for the "chokeholds" in modern professional wrestling performances. Due to the effectiveness of chokeholds and their popularity in a wide variety of martial arts, they are most often used to force submissions in mixed martial art and submission grappling competitions.

Use in law enforcement (lateral vascular neck restraint)

In law enforcement the goal is to force an uncooperative subject to submit without causing death or permanent injury. In this situation it is vital to distinguish between air and blood chokes. A hold that simultaneously blocks both the left and right carotid arteries results in cerebral ischemia and loss of consciousness within seconds. If properly applied, the hold produces almost immediate cessation of resistance. However to avoid injury the hold cannot be maintained more than a few seconds. When pressure on the carotids is released, the flow of oxygenated blood resumes immediately and consciousness slowly returns. In contrast, if the airway rather than the carotid arteries is blocked, the subject cannot breathe, but his brain is still perfused with blood and he will remain conscious and may continue to struggle for a minute or more; he will lose consciousness only when the oxygen in the circulating blood is consumed and he collapses from hypoxia. Even if the hold is released at this point, the blood circulating through the brain contains no oxygen, and consequently the subject may not regain consciousness or resume spontaneous breathing. Possibly the most important element of training for the use of chokeholds in law enforcement is the understanding that the subject should always be able to breathe freely. In the illustration above the operator correctly uses his right arm to compress both sides of the subject's neck, assisted by the pressure of his left hand, while his elbow, sharply flexed and centered over the midline, places no pressure on the trachea.

Following a series of choking deaths, the Los Angeles Police Department banned chokeholds in 1980, and was soon followed by police departments nationwide. Choking suspects was widely banned by American police departments by the early 1990s, when New York City strengthened the force of an earlier ban on chokeholds.[7] (It is also forensically known as a "carotid sleeper,".[8]

Lateral Vascular Neck Restraint

In 1970, Kansas City Missouri Police started training officers to use a form of the chokehold called the LVNR (Lateral Vascular Neck Restraint), designed by the newly appointed Physical Training and Defense Tactics Supervisor, James W. Lindell. The main goal of the LVNR is not to render a person unconscious but to gain compliance of the subject and to cease their resistance. The LVNR is a control hold that restraints subjects by controlling their neck and limiting their movement which at the highest levels of resistance may or may not render the subject unconscious. There are three levels of control based on the suspects resistance level and allows the officer to de-escalate at any time. Once resistance ceases compression is relaxed. Based on over 165,000 applications by the Kansas City Missouri Police Department 85% of subjects comply before being rendered unconscious. In addition to the unique aspects of the tactic itself the LVNR also addresses training and post application concerns. Training requirements for the LVNR are thorough and continuous.

Types

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Ohlenkamp, Neil. "Principles of Judo Choking Techniques". judoinfo.com. Retrieved March 3, 2006.
  2. 1 2 The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1999). Oxford University press. ISBN 0-19-861263-X.
  3. 1 2 Jones, Richard. Asphyxia, Strangulation Archived 2006-04-30 at the Wayback Machine.. www.forensicmed.co.uk. URL last accessed February 26, 2006.
  4. Reay, Donald; Eisele, John. Death from law enforcement neck holds. www.charlydmiller.com.URL last accessed March 3, 2006
  5. Koiwai, EK (March 1987). "Deaths allegedly caused by the use of "choke holds" (shime-waza).". Journal of Forensic Sciences. 32 (2): 419–32. PMID 3572335. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  6. Koiwai, Karl. How Safe is Choking in Judo?. judoinfo.com. URL last accessed March 3, 2006.
  7. Fisher, Ian (November 24, 1993). "Kelly Bans Choke Holds By Officers". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2015-07-26. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  8. Reay, DT; Eisele, JW (September 1982). "Death from law enforcement neck holds.". The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology. 3 (3): 253–8. PMID 7148779. doi:10.1097/00000433-198209000-00012.
  9. 1 2 3 Sherdog.com. Top 20 most common fight endings www.sherdog.com. URL last accessed February 5, 2006.

Further reading

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