Baseball Choke

Student Objectives:

1. The student will transition from Side Control to Knee on Belly with a compliant partner.
2. The student will explore the Knee on Belly with a compliant training partner.
3. The student will apply the Baseball Choke from the Knee on Belly position with good technique on a compliant partner.

Teaching Cues:

• Thumb and Knot
• Pop up
• Pull up
• Four Fingers
• Slide and Sheer
• Arms straight
• North South
• Move the Head

Lesson: Baseball Choke

The assisting student will assume a good training position by laying flat on their back with their legs bent and their feet flat on the floor.  The assisting student will then cross their arms and place their hands on their shoulders to allow easier access to their neck and collar.  

The practicing student will start in the Side Control position by laying chest to chest with the arm nearest the head in the Crossface position, and their other arm will be used to block the hip.  This will be done by placing the hand palm down on the floor next to the hip or buttocks.  

To transition to Knee on Belly, the practicing student will slightly remove the Crossface by pulling their elbow towards their own hip until their hand is directly behind the assisting student’s head.  The practicing student will then allow their thumb to slide into the back of the collar and make a grip on the lapel.  The hand that was blocking the hip will make a grip on the assisting student’s belt knot.  

These grips will then be used as posts to elevate into Knee on Belly by pushing off both fists and placing the knee closest to the hip in the space between the belt knot grip and the assisting students hands. The practicing student will place their other foot far away from the assisting student’s body with the foot flat on the floor and their chest angled towards the assisting student.  

The exact placement of the knee can vary depending on how the practicing student wants to play the position.  Some students will prefer to create a lot of pressure by driving the knee into the stomach, while others will want to be more mobile by keeping weight on their posted foot.  Some students will prefer to surf their partners by balancing more on their shin and allowing their heel to compress to their buttocks and using their upper body to compensate for the movements of the assisting student.  While there are a lot of ways to control from this position, many of them are stylistically dependent and the instructor should allow students to try different controls to feel what is comfortable for each individual student.    

While the student should be allowed to explore the feel and control in the Knee on Belly position, it is important for the student to post the outside foot away from the assisting student, and use their grips to assist in the position.  For the application of the Baseball Choke, the practicing student should lift on both the collar grip, and the belt knot grip.  

The lifting on the grips will elevate the assisting student’s shoulders off of the mat making it difficult for them to bridge or shrimp.  This will also flair the collar and make the setting the second grip for the Baseball Choke much easier.  

Once the shoulders have been lifted, and the collar flairs, the practicing student will let go of the assisting student’s belt knot and orientate their palm towards the ceiling.  The four fingers will then be placed in the assisting student’s collar on the opposite side of the Thumb in Grip.  

To set up the choke the practicing student will do two things simultaneously  

1. Move to a modified Kesa Gatame position by sliding the knee off of the assisting student’s belly and dropping their shoulder onto the chest.  
2. Pinch the elbows together driving the forearm of the four finger grip down into the assisting students chest, and then sliding it across the chest until the elbows are close together.    

This movement should be done to crowd the space between the forearms and prevent the assisting student, and future opponents, from defending by placing a hand on their face or using the “answer the telephone” defense.   It is important to point out that this is not to choke the assisting student, only to insulate the position.  However, many students will tap during this step and the practicing student should be prepared to let go if their partner taps.  

To apply the choke  

The practicing student will use their posted leg in the Kesa Gatame Position and lift their hips driving all of their pressure onto their shoulder.  Once elevated the practicing student will transition into North/South by walking their legs and stepping over the head.  

During the transition to North/South, the practicing student will straighten both of their arms by pushing off of their feet.  This will often result in the practicing student’s head placement sliding up to the assisting student’s hip (and that is ok).  Once again, many students will tap during this rotation, especially if the arms are straightened. Lastly, if the assisting student has not tapped, the practicing student will lift their head and quickly bring it across the assisting student’s body and base on their other shoulder.  This will often leave the head on the other side of the assisting student’s hip, which is also ok.

The steps above should easily choke the assisting student when done correctly, even with loose grips.  If the assisting student does not tap it is either the orientation of the wrists, the distancing between the hands or the directional pull to apply pressure at the completion of the movement.  Make sure to observe these three areas if the student is having difficulty.

Possible Extensions:

• The Armbar can be a really great option when the assisting student was able to get a hand between the practicing student’s forearms before pinching the elbows together.  
• To apply the armbar, the practicing student must still be in the Knee on Belly position and they should maintain the collar grips.  Next the practicing student will use the posted foot and step over the assistings students head while maintaining their balance and posture.    
• Next, the practicing student will let go of the collar with the Thumb In grip and slide the hand through the space near the assisting student’s elbow and continue sliding it across their body until they can place the hand palm down on their own thigh.  The Four Finger Grip should be pulling in tightly as the practicing student sits and pinches their knees.  Once seated, the practicing student can let go of the Four Finger Grip and lay back to apply the armbar.
• This can be a great move to teach the value of position over submission.  When this move fails it simply leaves the practicing student in the North/South position. Have the practicing student apply a second submission, this time for the North/South position.  The Head Sit Kimura can be a great option and as it has previously been covered in the curriculum.  Please review that lesson plan if there are questions about the application of the Kimura.  

Possible Refinements:

• When using the Thumb In collar grip to elevate to Knee on Belly, make sure the practicing student is using the knuckles to push off the floor.  This can be accomplished by leaving the thumb in the collar and rotating the complete fist towards the floor.  At first this may feel awkward with the lapel clenched in the fist, however with a little practice it becomes natural.  
• The power of the choke can be controlled by altering the grips on the collar.  To apply a strong choke the practicing student will make sure their hands are close together on the assisting student’s lapel.  To loosen the choke for practicing purposes, instruct the practicing student to increase the space between the hands.  This will allow the practicing student to practice the complete transition around the head without strangling their partner.  This will also build a lot of perception and understanding for how this choke works.  
• The extension of the arms during the transition into North/South will take some practice.  The problem is typically the friction of the shoulder on the chest of the assisting student.  This can be mitigated by rotating the body and chest while extending the arms. While the choke can be applied without extending the arms it greatly helps the rotation of the wrists for a more powerful choke.

Reference materials:

Teaching Reflections:

• How did I do teaching?
• What could I do better next time?
• Did the student gain proficiency in lesson material?

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