Guest post by Henry Akins, the third American to receive a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt from legendary fighter Rickson Gracie. Akins trained under Rickson Gracie for 15 years. Akins became the head instructor or “Professor” at the Rickson Gracie Academy from 2005 to 2008 before resigning due to a back injury. 

Akins has recently released an instructional website called Hidden Jiu-Jitsu where for the first time ever, he reveals the secret details that nobody outside of the Gracie family has been taught. 

Is it really possible to finish your chokes with only 3-5% strength, no matter how hard your opponent is trying to defend?

There are two words you need to understand for this to make sense.

Efficiency and effectiveness.

Efficiency in jiu-jitsu means using the least amount of strength to make something work, so you save your energy.

It’s extremely important to conserve energy in a fight, because you never know when the fight will be over until it’s actually over.

And, if you run out of energy before then, you’re in big trouble.

Effectiveness in jiu-jitsu is when a technique works even when your opponent is trying his best to stop you.

Let’s take the rear naked choke.

This choke has been taught so many different ways, it’s hard to keep up with.

If you learn it my way, however, you will understand what Jack Tauffer said in his video of Rickson Gracie stories, about the “3 pressures” Rickson praised him for.

What you need to know:

How to apply all 3 pressures effectively even when your opponent has his hands inside your choking arm to defend!

Where the elbow of your choking arm should be for the RNC to make it work every time.

Why you never want to reach your non-choking hand this way, and what to do instead.

Why the hand behind his head should make a fist, and where to put it.

Which direction to face the palm of your non-choking hand for maximum effectiveness.

The goals of the RNC.

The only two motions you need to apply all 3 pressures flawlessly, and with almost zero effort.

How to get a good grip when it feels like your arm gets stuck.

Why you should never drop your chin to defend the RNC – and the terrible thing that can happen if you do (trust me, it’s not worth it. You could be eating through a straw for months).

Why you don’t need to take a deep breath in and swell your chest to finish the choke. Actually, this is totally irrelevant when you understand how to properly apply what Rickson Gracie calls “the 3 pressures”.

Here you can see how I apply various chokes using very little effort.

If you liked this video, then check out my Chokes course, where I show you everything you’ll ever need to know about how to apply efficient chokes with minimum effort: