The clock choke is a collar choke against a turtled partner: you grip the far collar under the chin and walk your feet around their head like a clock hand.
- In BJJ: the main attack on the turtle in the gi; in Portuguese it is the relógio, the clock.
- Name: BJJ Heroes records Wallid Ismail finishing Royce Gracie with a clock choke (relógio) in their 1998 match, and notes that okuri-eri-jime is sometimes used as its judo name.
- Needs: a gi collar. The no-gi equivalent from the same position is the anaconda or D'Arce.
What is the clock choke?
The choke uses the collar as a noose and your body weight as the pull. Your hand grips the far collar, your chest pins their upper back so they cannot sit up, and your feet walk toward their head. As your body rotates, the collar slides across the neck and tightens with no arm strength involved.
How do you do the clock choke?
- Take the side of the turtle. Kneel at your partner's side with your chest heavy on their upper back and your near knee tight to their hip.
- Grip the far collar. Reach over their neck with your near hand and grip the far collar under the chin, four fingers inside, thumb out.
- Control the near arm. With your other hand, reach under their near armpit and grab the wrist or the sleeve, so they cannot post that hand.
- Drop your weight. Sprawl your legs back and put your chest and shoulder on the back of their head and neck.
- Walk the clock. Step your feet around toward their head, slowly, keeping your weight down, until the collar tightens and they tap.
The common mistake is pulling the collar with the arm and staying square. The finish comes from the walk and the weight, with the collar hand just holding its grip. Walk slowly, feel the collar tighten and stop at the tap; from this position your partner cannot see you and taps may be late, so watch for a hand pat on your arm.
Is the clock 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 clock choke work on the turtle?
A turtled partner has their arms busy protecting the hips and their head down, which exposes the far collar and the neck. The clock choke punishes the turtle without trying to take the back first, and when they roll to escape you follow into back control. Mats and gis for drilling it are in our BJJ training gear.
Sources
- BJJ Heroes records Wallid Ismail, BJJ Heroes
- Okuri-eri-jime is sometimes used, BJJ Heroes
- IJF Sport and Organisation Rules, International Judo Federation
- IBJJF Rules Book, IBJJF
Related terms
Turtle, Back control / rear mount, Sliding collar choke, Anaconda choke, Chokes, Gi.