N/S choke in mma

mcgoatp4p#1

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Im curious why we don't see this more. It seems just as viable as an arm triangle. You can control your opponent pretty well in the position so they can't escape, and it's pretty easy to finish provided they don't turn their head.
 
Michel Prazeres has hit two north south chokes in a row, but the guy is literally built like a tractor.

Not sure about being as versatile as the classic arm triangle, the arm triangle is the quintessential top position submission and the wrestlers favourite.
It's easy to grind someone or punch him in the face and then snatch or force an arm triangle, the north south choke is trickier.

It's also weird compared to other chokes, usually you know if a move is correct and tight, you have feedbacks, but the north south choke you don't really know if you have it until the opponent taps.
I remember Varner trying to north south choke Trujillo, but he forced it too much, he gassed himself and then lost by ko.
 
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I've trained for over 7 years and have been a big marcelo fan for the majority of that time. I can probably count on one hand how many times I've tapped people with that move in training, even though I try it somewhat regularly.
 
I've trained for over 7 years and have been a big marcelo fan for the majority of that time. I can probably count on one hand how many times I've tapped people with that move in training, even though I try it somewhat regularly.

I’m the opposite, I’ve been training since 09, and my ns has become my main weapon once I achieve side mount... if your good at it, then you are really just one step away from finishing the fighr
 
The north south choke is one of my favorites.

There are two main reasons you don't see it in MMA as much as other top chokes like guillotines, arm triangles, or darces.

1. With the north south choke almost everyone will tell you the learning curve is steep as fuck. Marcelo himself practiced it for 5 years before feeling confident going for it in big tournaments. I've trained with a lot of world class guys that say they still have a hard time getting the pressure just right. So unless it's already a go-to move of yours then you probably aren't going to start going for it in MMA.

2. There are safer options for the judges. A lot of times with the north south choke you have to take a minute or two to really move in position. Wriggle in place. Maybe move your ribs a little. Adjust. Adjust more. And once you apply it it's a slow burn choke. And you can't really strike people as you're going for it. If you're on top you can more easily strike your way into arm triangles, guillotines, and darces.

So with the north south choke you basically have to be a hardcore BJJer that's already good at the choke for it to be worth investing time into for MMA.
 
I've trained for over 7 years and have been a big marcelo fan for the majority of that time. I can probably count on one hand how many times I've tapped people with that move in training, even though I try it somewhat regularly.


I hit the ns choke more than anything else. Helps if you practice it in no gi first. It also helped me when I became more aggressive with it--i.e. if they're blocking the choke with their forearm, I'll use my free hand to wrestle it away while the hand that's under their head keeps them in place, whereas before I used to just give up the position and move back into side control
 
A lot of people just have trouble finishing it so they don't work the set ups that much. I absolutely love the north south.
 
I remember Monson put Brandon Hinkle completely to sleep with it. He has a goodntutorial on YouTube. Basically he teaches it exactly like Marcelo teaches it. Interesting details. No s grip or Gable grip, knee wrist above the other then rotate forearms to cinch and finish.

I've trained for over 7 years and have been a big marcelo fan for the majority of that time. I can probably count on one hand how many times I've tapped people with that move in training, even though I try it somewhat regularly.

Same. Maybe twice? I never go for it, it's like I don't even think of it, although I know how to do it pretty well and get that position frequently.

I’m the opposite, I’ve been training since 09, and my ns has become my main weapon once I achieve side mount... if your good at it, then you are really just one step away from finishing the fighr

Dude make a YouTube page already.
 
I remember Monson put Brandon Hinkle completely to sleep with it. He has a goodntutorial on YouTube. Basically he teaches it exactly like Marcelo teaches it. Interesting details. No s grip or Gable grip, knee wrist above the other then rotate forearms to cinch and finish.



Same. Maybe twice? I never go for it, it's like I don't even think of it, although I know how to do it pretty well and get that position frequently.



Dude make a YouTube page already.

I really have a hard time doing the monson way, i feel much better with Marcelo’s way, pressure comes from ribs biceps and shoulder on throat... oddly enough, my left side is much better than my right side, I’ve thought a lot on what the heck am I doing different, and it all comes down to feeling, even though I am mechanically doing the same thing, my left side feels the choke almost as soon as I start gong from side control to ns... this has to be the technique that’s requieres more feeling of all...
 
I really have a hard time doing the monson way, i feel much better with Marcelo’s way, pressure comes from ribs biceps and shoulder on throat... oddly enough, my left side is much better than my right side, I’ve thought a lot on what the heck am I doing different, and it all comes down to feeling, even though I am mechanically doing the same thing, my left side feels the choke almost as soon as I start gong from side control to ns... this has to be the technique that’s requieres more feeling of all...
Yeah, you help yourself with the rib right??
The north south choke is one of my favorites.

There are two main reasons you don't see it in MMA as much as other top chokes like guillotines, arm triangles, or darces.

1. With the north south choke almost everyone will tell you the learning curve is steep as fuck. Marcelo himself practiced it for 5 years before feeling confident going for it in big tournaments. I've trained with a lot of world class guys that say they still have a hard time getting the pressure just right. So unless it's already a go-to move of yours then you probably aren't going to start going for it in MMA.

2. There are safer options for the judges. A lot of times with the north south choke you have to take a minute or two to really move in position. Wriggle in place. Maybe move your ribs a little. Adjust. Adjust more. And once you apply it it's a slow burn choke. And you can't really strike people as you're going for it. If you're on top you can more easily strike your way into arm triangles, guillotines, and darces.

So with the north south choke you basically have to be a hardcore BJJer that's already good at the choke for it to be worth investing time into for MMA.
For training I don´t like the fact sometimes I can´t feel if my partner is ok or not -XD
 
Rani Yahya is a good guy to look at for n/s chokes in MMA.
 
For training I don´t like the fact sometimes I can´t feel if my partner is ok or not -XD

Same here. And in the gi sometimes through all the fabric I can't always tell if I'm fully on their throat or if they have a tiny bit of their chin in there.
 
I don't think I've ever been tapped.by a ns but it's my least favorite place to be caught. My neck always hurts for days afterward. Probably from people just cranking
 
I don't think I've ever been tapped.by a ns but it's my least favorite place to be caught. My neck always hurts for days afterward. Probably from people just cranking
Strong possibility.

I trained once with an ADCC medalist and he said he'd been working on the NS choke for a couple years already and that it was neck cranky and he was trying to clean it up to be more of a strangle. So he warned me ahead of time that he was mostly going to go for those the whole roll. He probably did 7 on me in 5 minutes and my neck was killing me the next day.
 
Im curious why we don't see this more. It seems just as viable as an arm triangle. You can control your opponent pretty well in the position so they can't escape, and it's pretty easy to finish provided they don't turn their head.
Jon Jones used to go for them a lot. He's gone for them at least a few times in his earlier fights. Josh Koscheck got subbed by one from Jake Ellenberger on the record but it looked it me more like a guillotine variation that ended up north south at the end.

Rani Yahya is a great guy to watch for them in MMA. So is Jeff Monson and Michel Prazeres.
 
The trick is to turn it into a dragon sleeper.

 
I remember Monson put Brandon Hinkle completely to sleep with it. He has a goodntutorial on YouTube. Basically he teaches it exactly like Marcelo teaches it. Interesting details. No s grip or Gable grip, knee wrist above the other then rotate forearms to cinch and finish.



Same. Maybe twice? I never go for it, it's like I don't even think of it, although I know how to do it pretty well and get that position frequently.



Dude make a YouTube page already.
I've tried the Monson way where you make an X with your wrists and lay on top of them and it bugs my wrists a lot when I do it that way.

His finish is super powerful though.
 
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