When it comes to the BJJ ninja choke, there are roughly two moves that have the same name. This is a strange phenomenon that isn’t the case for most moves but is here. For the record, this article is based on the no gi version of the ninja choke. It isn’t about the gi ninja choke, which involves the lapel. With this said, the no gi ninja choke can also be used in the gi, but it’s primarily used in no gi due to the lack of friction from the gi, much like guillotines and other front headlock chokes are. Read on for more information.
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What is the ninja choke?
The ninja choke is an incredibly powerful guillotine variation and uses similar, but different mechanics. Basically, it looks kind of similar but is also quite different. Some people refer to it as a front naked choke, which is also a good way of putting things. In short, this choke can come on incredibly quickly and once it’s locked in, can finish even the most stubborn of opponents. In other words, your choking arm acts as a rear naked choke arm, as it slips under the neck and squeezes.
However, this is done from the front position and not from the back. You then lock this arm over your free arms bicep which chops over the opponent’s neck, securing the position and locking everything in. A good way of thinking about the ninja choke is that it’s cross between a guillotine and RNC.
Entries into the ninja choke
As you may have guessed, the ninja choke has a lot in common with the guillotine, so it’s no surprise that the two have similar entries. Perhaps the most common entry is from standing and this has been used in MMA and UFC a few times. Imagine one fighter has poor posture and ducks their head. This could be due to a snap-down or just bad posture. Then, the one fighter gets the opponent in a front headlock.
However, unlike the guillotine – they don’t slip the head under their armpit. Instead, the head is placed in the center of the attacker’s chest as this makes it easier to get the RNC grip around the neck. Obviously, you cannot slip the second arm so easily if the head is off to the side either, so it makes sense to have the head in the middle.
This also means the choke is available from sprawls, failed takedown attempts, and other front headlock positions. It also means it’s doable from certain bottom guard positions too, such as half guard and closed guard.
Once again, imagine your opponent drops their head, you can slip this in like you would with a regular guillotine. Just remember, you’ll need enough space to get your secondary arm connected via its bicep to make sure the opponent can’t escape.
One issue with the ninja choke is that it can’t really be done from a guard position whilst on top. In other words, whilst it is viable from a top position without a leg entanglement and a bottom guard, it’s not really possible from a position from top half guard for instance.
Whilst this can be done, it’s definitely lower percentage as you need to expose the entirety of the opponent’s head, which can be difficult from a top guard position as the opponent’s head will often be close to the floor. For obvious logistical reasons, this makes it hard to do the ninja choke from there, unless the opponent tries to come up and exposes their head.
How to finish the ninja choke
Whatever the entry, the ninja choke is always finished in the same way. This means that if you’re on top or bottom, the physics remain the same. As mentioned earlier, the idea is to finish in the same way that you would with a rear naked choke.
To do this perfectly, you’d ideally get the center of the opponent’s throat in line with where your forearm meets your bicep. This means that when you compress and squeeze your arm, the opponent’s carotid arteries are crushed by your arms (one side would be done by your forearm, whilst the other would be hit by your bicep).
Once you have this under the opponent’s neck, you’ll then want to quickly get your free arm locked over the back of their head. To do this, grab the bicep of your free arm with your choking arm as if doing an RNC or darce choke. If you want to keep the opponent’s posture broken before using your free arm, you can momentarily hold the head in a headlock position as if trying for a guillotine before adjusting your grip.
Whilst the ninja choke isn’t perfect, it does have certain advantages too. The obvious advantage is that it can choke people very quickly and seems to come on quicker than most chokes. This may be due to its superior mechanics whereby the throat is fully exposed to your arms.
However, there is another key advantage with the ninja choke. In short, the ninja choke can also be finished from conventionally bad positions. In other words, imagine setting this up from a top position, but the opponent runs round your legs.
You could theoretically finish this from bottom side control if it’s locked in. Whilst this is not desirable in case the opponent escapes the position, it’s still a benefit. Like the high elbow guillotine, once this is locked it’s incredibly difficult to escape which is a definite positive.
Conclusion
Whilst the no gi ninja choke isn’t particularly common in BJJ or MMA, it’s still a very effective move in the right setting. This technique is not a gimmick either and is fundamentally sound. The main issue is that it’s quite situational though and its entries aren’t always as easy as say a regular guillotine.
If you learn this though, it will only improve your front headlock game which will add more diversity to your attacks. As a result, your BJJ should sky rocket from that position which is what learning is all about.
