In this video I show a fantastically easy and effective counter to the North South Choke.
I had not seen this counter until recently. I had taught the North/South Choke and my student asked me how I deal with this specific counter to that choke. I had never even heard of something like this and when he showed it to me it was kind of baffling. At first I didn't believe it could work, then when you have it happen...well let's just say it changed my mind. So, if you've never seen this before suspend your disbelief until you've tried it.
Although this is a great technique this is the last ditch effort to avoid tapping. Make sure you start off defending by never letting people lasso your head, then stop them from going north/south, then keep your face turned towards them. If you failed at all of those things and you find yourself ready to tap, this move is your last bag of tricks.
Make sure that you get a firm grip with your bicep against the neck. This is very important and I have found that it is easiest to do this when you straighten your arm like you're asking a question.
After you have a firm grip with your bicep it's time to bring the hand down across the back of the neck perpendicularly. It is important that you do this so that you can ensure you get maximum pressure and still have space to grab your bicep. Make sure to reference the video to see how I clinch my hands and the pressure with my elbows.
The last and very important piece is to bridge. Lifting your hips both separates your opponent's face/chin from his/her body while simultaneously allowing you to make a little bit of space with your shoulder/chin area. This may buy you enough time to get your choke/counter without being submitted.
Make sure you tighten the arms before you bridge. Once you bridge you will never be able to tighten your arms as your core muscles are stronger than your arms.
lastly, this can be a game of chicken. You may need to tap. It does not mean that you are doing anything wrong, it just means you made a lot of mistakes and their position was too strong for this too work. With that being said, I have tapped everyone that attempted to North/South choke me (the first time).
