Professor Mike Martin of Strong Heart Academy, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Phoenix, Arizona, shows off his version of Cross Choke from close guard.

As a third degree blackbelt, Mike will show off the mechanics of this fundamental technique and how to use it from close guard.

Watch the video demonstration below:

We’re gonna do a quick breakdown today on a very simple, fundamental technique. That's super effective. And I feel a lot of people do incorrectly. So we're gonna work off of a cross choke, but generally people, stay square when they cross choke. So when I go in like this, I'm generally putting the side of my arm instead of the bones in, in the neck, on the corotid artery. So when I'm here in closed guard, if I go in straight, which is most people do, the flat part is on the neck and you have to like really twist to get the bones in. So what I like to do is I grab the tricep material foot on the hip is if I'm gonna set up an arm bar, when I place my hand inside, I get the bone on the neck automatically. I don't have to turn my hand around.

I get it. And when I get deep, I start to curl this hand here. Even if the arm is inside, I like to keep it there. I come, like I'm gonna saw his head and I grab material. I don't like to fumble by getting my thumb inside. I like speed. So when I grip, it's saw, grip. As I square back up, it's gonna get tight just by squaring up. I'm not even curling. He's already turning colors. I would pull my knees in, crank my head. So again, we go for here. I would open the Gi also, so that it's quick and easy to get my hand inside, hand comes over, square and pull.

It's important that I'm pulling with my legs and tightening with my abs. As I pull elbows down, we should never be here. But again, it's all really honestly the angle that gives me the grip. You can pull your wrists towards you. So wrists towards the elbows. Okay. Will also tighten the grip.

Thank you.