The bow and arrow choke is a collar choke from the back: one hand on the far collar, the other on the near leg, stretching your partner like a bow. In Portuguese it is the berimbau.
- In BJJ: one of the most effective gi chokes from back control; BJJ Heroes names Ricardo Vieira, Bruno Malfacine and Rafael Mendes among its specialists.
- In judo: BJJ Heroes notes that the Kodokan shime-waza list files both the bow and arrow and the sliding collar choke under okuri-eri-jime.
- Needs: a gi. There is no no-gi bow and arrow.
What is the bow and arrow?
BJJ Heroes describes the choke as the attacker grabbing one collar from a back control situation, with the free arm controlling the closest leg. The name, the same page says, comes from the angle between the two bodies and the bend in the person being choked, which looks like a bow with the arrow drawn.
The bow and arrow differs from the sliding collar choke in the second hand: here it holds the leg or the trousers, which lets you pull the body one way and the collar the other.
How do you do the bow and arrow choke?
- Take the collar. From back control with a seat belt, open the far collar with your under-arm hand and feed it to your over-arm hand, four fingers inside, thumb out, deep under the chin.
- Clear the arm. Pull your under-arm hand out and grab their near trouser leg at the knee, or the shin if there are no trousers.
- Swing the leg over. Bring the leg on your collar side over their shoulder, so your shin sits across their chest.
- Fall to the side. Roll onto your collar-side hip so your body is at a right angle to theirs, with your other leg hooked behind their back.
- Pull and extend. Pull the collar toward your chest, pull the leg toward you and stretch your body out slowly until they tap.
The common mistake is pulling the collar across the face instead of into the side of the neck. The collar grip has to be set under the chin before you move; after that the body stretch does most of the work. Apply the last pull slowly and let go at the tap.
Is the bow and arrow 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.
Why does the bow and arrow choke finish?
With the leg controlled your partner cannot turn into you, the usual escape from back chokes, and the collar tightens as the body lengthens. Drill the collar feed every time you take the back. For gis with firm collars see our BJJ training gear.
Sources
- BJJ Heroes describes the choke, BJJ Heroes
- IJF Sport and Organisation Rules, International Judo Federation
- IBJJF Rules Book, IBJJF
Related terms
Back control / rear mount, Sliding collar choke, Single wing choke, Rear naked choke, Chokes, Gi.