Bow & Arrow Choke -Comparing John Danaher & Ryan Hall's Approach

Bow & Arrow Choke -Comparing John Danaher & Ryan Hall’s Approach

Aug 13, 2020BJJEEArticles

Gi and No Gi strangle from the back are very different from each other says John Danaher. “In the
case of no gi strangles from the back – he says – you must use your head as a blocking wedge close
to your opponents head. Your bodies will be aligned and the power of the strangle will come from
the rotation of your elbow around his neck. The instrument of strangulation will be your
wrist/forearm and bicep.

In the case of collar strangles, things are very different. Now the instrument of the strangle is the
opponents lapel/collar… The power of the strangle comes from your bodyweight hanging off your
opponent and your leverage leg pressing over his far shoulder. This puts all your bodyweight and
leg strength into a strangle with a cutting rope around the neck. This creates a far greater degree of
efficiency strangle than any rear n*ked strangle can ever hope to attain. Back strangles with a gi says
John Danaher, are a very different matter from strangles without the gi”.

Ryan Hall’s approach to the back strangle with the gi from the back (bow & arrow choke) is not so
different from the strangle without the gi. He uses his head and shoulder as a blocking wedge close
to his opponent head and the instrument of his strangulation is his wrist/forearm and bicep. He
doesn’t rely upon the arm extension because that create a disconnection from his opponet’s head
very dangerous. Extending the arm and lying on the back give the opponent the chance to free his
head.

Ryan Hall strangle from a sitting position, as seen in the photo. His compact posture gives the
opponent little chance to slide his head out. Doing so he not sacrifices the position just to increase
the traction force. The Ryan Hall version of the strangle from the back doesn’t come from the
extension of his limbs but from closing his elbow and using the shoulder, the head and the forearm
like wedges.

The pushing-pulling action from the shoulder-head and the forearm creates the amount
quantity of pressure needed to finish the strangle. The sitting and compact posture, with the elbow
closed, is a critical detail to increase the success rate of this strangle. Extending the arm to strangle
can be successful said Ryan Hall but it is also a risky action that can compromise the success of the
submission.

Written by MaxBJJ.