On this episode of the podcast we talk to Clark Gracie. Clark talks about training in America before BJJ was popular, his famous family, the Gracie diet, and his philosophy of the gentle art. Enjoy!
You can learn more about Clark Gracie by visiting his website here..
It’s the
oldest trick in the book.Everybody
knows it and everybody can see it coming from a mile away.Yeah, you know what I’m talking about… the
cross collar choke.Ever learned it?Of course you have.If it wasn’t the first submission you were
shown when you walked into the academy, it has to have been in the top 3.
Primarily
seen from either the guard or the mount, it’s a classic gi submission.Now, the second part of the question:when’s the last time you caught somebody with it?(Subbing
the guy that started training last week doesn’t count.)How’s your success rate with it?Unless your name is Roger Gracie, chances are
that your technique needs some work.(And
if your name is Roger Gracie, want to
come on the podcast and talk to us?)
There are a
few different ways (grip-wise) to set up this choke, though the most popular
seems to be the “both palms up” method.There’s
also the “one palm up one palm down” when you bring the second (palm down) hand
around and grab the fabric on the opposite side shoulder/neck.And don’t forget about the “one palm up
opposite thumb goes in and bring the arm around” version. The videos below show a mix of all three of those grips.So check it out below,
fellow Geeks, and you’ll be subbing fools with Grandmaster Helio’s favorite choke
before you know it!
Here’s a Professor
Pedro Sauer instructional on the choke (using the "both palms up" grip) with the finer points outlined.Check out how he flexes his wrists before he
starts using his arms to bring his opponent chest-to-chest.
Here’s a
video of the modern-day master of the cross collar choke explaining it.This goes over how to get the choke from mount, which
Roger is known for, including where to place your feet and knees to secure your
opponent.The version he shows here is
the “thumb-in” version, which if you get your thumb behind their head, will get
tight on the opponent as soon as you flip your arm around to form the “x” on
their neck.Yay!
And for
those of you who think you can only do this with a gi, check out this video
showing otherwise.The hand positioning
in this version is the “palm down” grip as well, but instead of putting the
thumb in he grabs the fabric near the shoulder.Since bunching up a t-shirt will create that handle at the bottom of the
t-shirt material that “palm down” grip is easier to get in this version, rather
than with a gi when it’s harder for your fingers to get a grip.Of course there’s no way you could get away
with this in a no gi competition, but still… never hurts to know it.
Mostly
still on topic, here are the Gracie brothers with a preview of the video they
put out a few years ago of “street chokes” where you use everyday pieces of
clothing to choke your opponents.The
cross collar choke is featured in several different forms.It’s not the whole video, but it gives you an
idea of what they show if you want to buy it.Having watched the whole video a few times I can tell you that most of
it is stuff you probably already know, but some of it is pretty sneaky.It’s worth a watch.
And just to
give you something to aspire to, here’s a highlight reel of Roger.Check out the section devoted entirely to the
cross choke (starts about 01:30) he’s subbing the best guys in the world with
the most basic choke there is.
