The baseball bat choke is a gi strangle where both hands grip one collar, stacked like hands on a bat, and turning your body twists the collar. You finish by rotating your body so the collar twists around the neck.
- In BJJ: set up from knee on belly, from side control and, in the sneaky version, from the bottom of half guard as the partner passes.
- Grip: one hand four fingers inside the collar at the neck, the other hand thumb inside just below it, both on the same side.
- Needs: a gi. The grips come from the collar and have no no-gi version.
What is the baseball bat choke?
Most collar chokes cross the wrists in front of the neck. The baseball bat choke keeps both hands on one side of the collar and gets its angle from your body instead: once the grips are set you spin toward their head, your forearms close like scissors across the neck, and the collar does the rest. Because the grips look harmless while you set them, people often feel the choke only when it is already tight.
How do you do the baseball bat choke?
- First grip. From knee on belly, grip the near collar with your top hand, four fingers inside, palm down, as deep as the back of the neck.
- Second grip. Put your other hand just below the first on the same collar, thumb inside, palm up, so the two hands are stacked like on a bat.
- Elbows tight. Pull both elbows toward your ribs so the forearms press the sides of the neck.
- Spin. Step your knee off and move toward their head, rotating your body over the top until your chest is on their head and your hands are crossed under it.
- Finish slowly. Drop your weight onto your forearms and tighten the grips a little at a time until they tap.
The common mistake is spinning before both grips are deep; the collar then slips off the neck and you end up in a scramble on the wrong side. Set both hands first, keep the elbows tight the whole way, and because this choke comes on late and fast, apply the last step slowly and release at once.
Is the baseball bat choke legal?
In BJJ the IBJJF Rules Book's table of illegal moves does not list it; for children under 16 the table bans chokes combined with a spinal lock. In judo, collar chokes are legal and a tap scores ippon; the IJF Sport and Organisation Rules penalise with shido a choke made with the belt, the bottom of the jacket or the fingers alone.
Can you do baseball bat choke from the bottom?
The same grips can be set from the bottom of half guard: you take them as the partner starts to pass, let them pass into north-south and finish by turning under them. It only works on a partner who has not seen it, so treat it as a surprise rather than a plan. Gis with firm collars for drilling are in our BJJ training gear.
Sources
- IJF Sport and Organisation Rules, International Judo Federation
- IBJJF Rules Book, IBJJF
Related terms
Knee on belly, Cross collar choke, North-south, Half guard, Chokes, Gi.