The Judo Choke: Safety Rules
By Neil Ohlenkamp
Choking techniques must be taught and supervised by a qualified instructor. Since the Judo syllabus has always contained more well-developed choking techniques than any other martial art and they are practiced in real contest situations, Judo instructors usually have extensive experience in the proper application of chokes. Judo is well known for the "Judo choke", but many other martial arts are now teaching choke holds without the wealth of background and experience most Judo experts have. Chokes are potentially fatal and should be treated seriously. As taught in Judo though they are a temporary incapacitating technique of short duration whose proper execution should be quite harmless. Judo choking techniques have been used in Judo classes and at thousands of Judo tournaments all over the world for more than 100 years without one reported fatality. It is only with the appropriate emphasis on safety and supervision that this record can be maintained.
Care should be taken when teaching chokes to children whose physiology is different and naturally less developed than adults. In most Judo tournaments in the U.S. chokes are not permitted for children under 13 years old. Children approaching this age may be prepared by learning basic chokes with escapes and defenses, always under strict supervision. Feeling different chokes being applied in practice to you and learning when to submit is an important form of preparation for tournament and for learning how to choke others. At this very young age, and in fact for beginners of all ages, the emphasis should be on recognizing the effect of chokes and protecting yourself while always avoiding extreme pressure and unconsciousness in practice.
Chokes may be practiced from either a standing position or on the ground but the ground is inherently safer. When applying a standing choke with the intention of gaining the full effect you should recognize that the victim will not be able to remain standing. In tournament and practice the person being choked should always be immediately taken to the ground for better control and to prevent an accidental fall which could injure the athlete as they go unconscious.
Learning when to give up is an important part of training to avoid the risk of unnecessary periods of unconsciousness. While judoka should not give up any opportunity to escape from a choke, they must also be trained to surrender in a timely fashion when necessary by recognizing when defeat is inevitable and when further resistance will result in unconsciousness. Once you allow yourself to be choked unconscious your life is literally in your opponent's hands, and the practice of any martial art requires that the student learn ways of avoiding this condition of ultimate helplessness. Since it is virtually impossible to speak while being choked, the universal signal for submission is tapping of the opponent or mat repeatedly.
The most important safety rule when applying a choking technique is to release pressure immediately when the opponent submits. When applying a choke one should be sensitive enough, and have sufficient control over the opponent, to recognize when he or she loses consciousness so that you can immediately release pressure. Loss of consciousness can be detected easily by the sudden lack of resistance and generally limp feeling of the opponent's body as well as the color of the face and the eyes closing. Sometimes if the choke is held too long convulsions may begin, but the effects of the choke should generally be recognized earlier with proper training and supervision.
The second article in this series on Judo Chokes will examine resuscitation techniques (Kappo) used to revive practitioners who have been rendered unconscious by Judo chokes.
References
Canon of Judo. Mifune, Kyuzo. Tokyo: Seibundo-Shinkosha Publishing Co., LTD., 1956
Kodokan Judo. Kano, Jigoro. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1986
Judo in Action. Kudo, Kazuzo. Tokyo: Japan Publications Trading Co., 1967
Judo. Tomiki, Kenji. Tokyo: Japan Travel Bureau, 1956
The Overlook Martial Arts Reader. Nelson, Randy. Woodstock: The Overlook Press, 1989
Emergency Care for Choke Holds. Boulay, John. Ottawa: "Coaching Review"
Deaths Allegedly Caused by the Use of "Choke Holds". Koiwai M.D., E. Karl.
This page is copyright © 1995/96/97/98 by Neil Ohlenkamp, Encino Judo Club, California, USA. This article was originally published in the January 1996 edition of "Judo Trends Magazine."
Neil Ohlenkamp
Neil Ohlenkamp
Member – US Ju-Jitsu Masters Caucus
California USJJF Regional Representative
Mr. Ohlenkamp holds a sixth degree black belt in Judo and a sixth degree black belt in jujitsu with over 36 years of training and experience in various martial arts as a competitor, instructor, team coach, and tournament official. He has been awarded black belt rank certificates by the United States Judo Association, United States Judo Federation, Southern California Black Belt Association (Nanka Yudanshakai), United States Martial Arts Federation, United States Ju-Jitsu Federation, and the Kodokan Judo Institute in Tokyo, Japan. He is an active member of these organizations as well as United States Judo Inc. and the International Judo Coaches Alliance.
Mr. Ohlenkamp has been teaching martial arts for twenty five years, and has been the head instructor of the Encino Judo Club since 1985 responsible for classes in four locations teaching over 350 students each year, with the help of 25 other black belt members of the Encino Judo Club. He has developed highly successful Judo, jujitsu and self defense programs for various health clubs, churches, schools, employee groups, community centers, youth centers, and recreation centers throughout Southern California. He has trained athletes and coaches in seminars and clinics at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs as well as other cities in the US and Europe. He has trained national champions as well as recreational Judo players. He is widely recognized as a leader in the teaching and promotion of Judo and jujitsu for sport and self defense.
Mr. Ohlenkamp has been a coach and advisor to the Braille Institute of America Judo Team since 1976. Due to the success of the local Judo program, he led the way in creating a national Judo program for blind athletes, and served many years as head national coach and coordinator for the U.S. Association for Blind Athletes. He was the U.S. Team Coach at the 1988 Paralympics in Seoul, Korea, the 1989 World Championships in Manchester, England, and the 1990 World Championships and Games for the Disabled in Assen, Netherlands. Coordinator of numerous elite athlete training camps, national and local tournaments, and other training opportunities for the visually impaired. He has trained many blind national and international champions, as well as other coaches and instructors. He also served as the US Representative to the International Blind Sports Association Judo Technical Committee from 1988 to 1993 and was instrumental in creating the international rules for visually impaired competitors.
Mr. Ohlenkamp has been certified by the United States Judo Association as an instructor, referee, master coach, and master rank examiner. Certified by the American Coaching Effectiveness Program and the International Blind Sports
Association, with standard Red Cross first aid and CPR certification. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Child Development with a specialty in recreation from California State University, Northridge and has completed post- graduate studies in Public Administration.
As a pioneer in promoting martial arts around the world through the internet, Mr. Ohlenkamp created one of the first web pages devoted to Judo. Since 1995 his Judo Information Site has been the most highly acclaimed, most popular, and most comprehensive Judo web site on the internet. He has also contributed to martial arts books, and had articles published in most of the major Judo publications in the US.
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