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We recommend very strongly that you don’t try this at home. The intention of the video is to demonstrate just how effective a submission the Rear Naked choke (RNC) is. It’s not about power and size, just proper technique.
Uploaded with permission of the content owner, our friend coach Jet Hermida.
This is a brilliant illustration of the effectiveness of jiu-jitsu. Compare for example a girl of the same size trying a punch or kick. Even on a compliant partner, no on is going to sleep.
This is not at all to say that jiu-jitsu is better than the striking arts. It is simply demonstrating that jiu-jitsu works frighteningly well.
How Does The RNC Work?
To understand what happens when the Rear Naked choke is correctly applied, it’s useful to know some basic anatomical definitions.
•Trachea: Windpipe.
•Sternocleidomastoid: Large muscle, one on either side of the trachea, that turns and flexes the head.
•Common carotid: Artery that is the main target of the RNC; it is encased in the carotid sheath and runs alongside the jugular vein underneath the sternocleidomastoid.
•Jugular vein: Large vein of the neck, and the primary source of blood to the brain.
Application of the RNC first causes compression of the jugular vein. Further pressure narrows the carotids. This reduces blood flow to the brain, and significantly hinders blood return from the head (and brain) to the heart. The recipient begins to feel flushed – engorged in the face and brow.
If properly applied, the person goes unconscious in under ten seconds.
How Do You Do An RNC?
The best explanation of how to execute a Rear Naked choke comes from New Zealand John Danaher, via the great BJJ Fanatics.
And Where Does The Word Naked Come From?
The Rear Naked choke (RNC) is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent’s back. Depending on the context, the term may refer to one of two variations of the technique; either arm can be used to apply the choke in both cases.
The term Rear Naked choke originated from the technique in Jiu-Jitsu and Judo known as the “Hadaka Jime”, or in English “Naked Strangle”. The word “naked” in this context suggests that, unlike many other strangulation techniques found in Jiu-Jitsu/Judo, this hold does not require the use of a keikogi (“gi”) or training uniform.
So it is choke that works without using any clothing, and is, thus, naked.
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