Finishing Moves: Chokes, cranks, smothers, etc..

As some of the most effective submissions in the sport, we often look to chokeholds as a way to finish an opponent. When listening to more experienced fighters, you'll often hear how they look specifically for chokes as opposed to other submissions (hyperextensions, crushes, slices, other joint manipulations, restraints and pain tolerance moves). The most common reason for this is the idea that a tough or determined opponent will often not stop fighting due to a crippling type submission. If you think of it, a good portion of submissions don't actually finish an opponent--though they are based on the principle that the threat of severe damage, the unavoidability of crippling injury, or actual trauma will take the fight out of most people. Exception to this is that the massive/destructive effect of some submissions will put a person into shock. However, there are just those rare few that either through determination (choose not to tap), situation (cannot tap--particularly in a self-defense scenario), or inexperience (don't know when to tap) could possibly fight on. We will talk more on those types of Finishing Moves another day, but as hinted in an early blog, we'll comment a bit on different types of chokes.

In contrast, the benefit of solid choke submissions is that they lead directly to unconsciousness from one form or another.

Air (wind) Chokes- Can include rear-naked choke variations, short trachea choke, five finger choke, certain guillotine applications, and what some people will refer to in a very un-politically correct way, a "rape" choke (hands to the throat, thumbs to the trachea). These chokes work directly against the flow of oxygen and are extremely fast. The opponent will often go limp quite quickly. They can also be extremely dangerous as they do not need to be held as long, therefore leading quicker to longterm damage, and can crush parts of soft-tissue structure in the neck. In many cases these strangles are also hard to apply and, in some competition formats, illegal. Even in MMA formats you are not allowed to blatantly attack the windpipe or place thumbs into the neck to purposely strangle an opponent--note: you are allowed to hold and base off of the neck.

Blood Chokes- Notable examples include triangle chokes, arm triangles, anaconda chokes, circular choke, Darce chokes, and, again, certain applications of the guillotine. The key to the application of these is to realize that these submissions work most often against the major arties and/or veins in the neck (carotid and jugular). The opponent will physically slow and only later go limp. In that way, also keep in mind that the execution of these chokes requires a bit more time than wind chokes. A veteran will work these submissions into position and hold them patiently. In competition you will sometimes see beginners release a blood choke far too early or try to reset a choke incorrectly. After seeing many lower level fights, I for one can't count the number of times I have seen an arm triangle fail because the fighter applying it released the hold prematurely in order to "see" why it wasn't working. The other constant danger for beginners is to burn themselves out trying to finish via an improperly secured submission so be sure to be cutting off the blood flow on these chokes. As a tip, expect a tap from a wind choke in under 5 seconds and to secure a blood choke for at least 10 before feeling an effect in competition.

BONUS notes:

Cranks- I'll include neck cranks here despite the fact that they are not true "choke" holds. However, they are often a result of a variant on a choke-type submission. To give you an idea just think of the many times you have seen a rearnaked choke, Ezequiel, north-south choke, or a guillotine {Note the versatility of the guillotine} transitioned into a neck crank. The goal here is to attack the skeletal structure of the neck and jaw through a twisting, crushing, or elongating motion. In these cases, the imminent threat of permanent paralysis (or if you've ever felt a jaw crank, the threat of breaking teeth) will factor into how long an opponent will hold out. Be careful using cranks. There is no excuse for using an explosive application to any type of crank in training. To knowingly do so is grounds for expulsion in many gyms.

Smothers/Compressions- Other submissions that I'll put here only because of the similarity to choke holds as the concept behind these techniques is to attack or disturb breathing. Often this is not very technical as it could be as simple as placing your hand over an opponent's face--again, another 'technique' that is illegal in MMA. Stronger, longer, and larger fighters will use smothers and compressions such as a the pec choke, body triangles, and other moves that can be described as crushing an opponent. However, it's not just the big guys that do this. Even as a lighter class fighter, I will admit that my favorite is a smother that can be used as a particular rear-naked choke variation. Knee on belly and other positions that put great pressure on the ribcage and chest can also affect breathing. That said, realize that often the best way to use a smother is actually to just slow an opponent down, to cause discomfort, as a set-up for a transition, as a method of control, and to prevent him from recovering.

Feeling 'It'

It will unfortunately be a fitting topic for today's blog as we talk about the harsh reality of over-training. While most times it is the pro-fighters that run the greatest risk of doing this, it is good for the average student to keep in mind how this obstacle can ambush the best of us. I'm on the verge of over-training and so, I'm taking a couple of weeks off.

For one thing, the truth is that you do feel it coming on. Your body will simply want more in the way of rest, food, and mental downtime. This is part of the recovery process and therefore must carefully be weighed against the need to push forward in training in order to reach the next level--don't take today's topic as an excuse to quit everyday.

Most common effects from over-training are lingering injuries and stress. Therefore a good sign to look for is when small things are bothering you a lot more than they should. A stumped toe can take days to heal if your body is struggling to recoup. A simple armbar technique can utterly frustrate you if your mind cannot focus. In the case of the common student, a day away from the gym along with a bit of a cheat meal and some extra sleep can work wonders. For the active competitor, the idea of soldiering on should be weighed next to the possibility of moving up a light training session or reducing contact for just a day. Fighters should also find outlets for their outlets so to speak. While training can help you blow off steam, after you take it on competitively, you should look for other means of stress relief and distraction--guilty but lazy pleasure (mine being playing old school video games).

The most important thing to know is that over-training works as a progressive and multiplying factor. A small bruise on its own will heal in a couple of days. A small bruise after, say, a broken nose, a sprained ankle, and a minor concussion can leave you feeling crippled. Mental mistakes linger as well. Feeling slow for a drill is not so bad. Feeling slow after having a bad sparring session, botching a technique, and feeling weak can drive some otherwise capable athletes to thoughts of giving up. The goal is to then realize what is happening to you and do what you must in order to keep it in check.

I for one am a big proponent of taking time off between bouts as needed. Some fights will leave you unscathed and you feel great through multiple overlapping training camps, but you must factor in the time you have put into training. There is a reason that people don't train 16 weeks leading up to a fight, the body and mind cannot handle that. So to justify fighting 4 times with 4 weeks training all in a row makes one wonder if this is any different. Remember there's a difference between being able to drag dog through it, and being able to do it well.

That said, allow yourself to train smarter. Maybe work on just technique for a bit. Maybe go for light cardio. Reduce your lifting, etc... It helps keep you in the game longer. It's not a machismo competition if you're barely making it through training.

NOTES:

Watch what you take: It's very common to take pain relievers to help you through a particular injury. However, what's also very common is for this to have a masking effect as you won't feel new injuries as they appear. Try to reduce pain relievers as much as you can. Avoid pain killers. Professionals have to battle through injury but don't make it dangerous.

I can hack it: Yes. If you're human, you will have the mind over matter trick on your side. But it's not a testament to your toughness to train with serious and debilitating injury. The reality is that you're not special and while it can be commendable, it can also be remarkably stupid. Training with a bad injury can literally affect the rest of your life.

Sick?: Over-training, at its worst, feels like a nasty case of the flu. That's right, you can literally give yourself aching pain over your entire body, dizziness, fever, nausea, asthma, joint damage, and other long lasting side-effects. Frankly, your body will quit on you. There is nothing you can do at that point. Don't let it happen.