Other than the gi version, I'd say it's hard to get it as a blood choke, unless you can target the carotid arteries. For no-gi, I submit people from the pressure on their neck. It's very painful and they can't breathe, but it doesn't attack the arteries as much.
Lautaro
"Other than the gi version, I'd say it's hard to get it as a blood choke, unless you can target the carotid arteries. For no-gi, I submit people from the pressure on their neck. It's very painful and they can't breathe, but it doesn't attack the arteries as much.
Lautaro"
Two questions? Would you consider yourself to be a strong individual? And would you say this works on an opponent who's MUCH bigger and stronger than you, at least compared to your own physical prowless?
Yes, I do consider myself strong and I have tapped people out who are bigger and stronger than me with the no-gi ezekiel. Size and strength will always make a difference, but I prefer to rely on technique than strength. With the use of proper technique, less strength is required in making the no-gi ezekiel work.
Part of the problem is that most people are really lacking in proper technique with this submission because they haven't put enough time and practise into it and they don't have a strong mount. A lot of times people try a new technique a few times and if it doesn't work they give up on it, unless it's one of the core techniques. What's great about this submission (once you get good at it) is that not many people do it and therefore not many people can defend against it properly, assuming that you have a good, strong mount and solid technique.
By contrast, I very often fail in my attempts to catch people with standard armbars and triangles, as an example, because we know those submission very well and can see them coming a mile away. Unless I get sneaky with my setup, it's hard to catch an experienced grappler with those things. I myself am very rarely caught in an armbar or a triangle for that very reason.
As I've also mentioned before, I've developed different ways of doing the no-gi ezekiel because I sometimes have to switch from one method to another before I finally lock it in. That's because I've done this submission so many times and I've seen so many ways people counter it that I've developed several variations depending on my opponent's resistance. Again, I put in a lot of time and effort into perfecting this submission, which is why it is now a high percentage move for me.
So my point is that those lacking in technique can MAKE this submission work if they're strong enough, but that applies to any submission. With proper technique though, you don't need to rely as much on strength. My hope is that by sharing what I've learned through my own time and research into this submission, you can learn what is necessary to apply it properly. I wasn't taught this stuff, I had to develop it on my own. Since I've already done the legwork, it's up to you to put in the time and effort to perfect it for yourself if it's something you want to add to your bag of tricks. Speaking strictly for myself, it's been very well worth all the effort :).
Lautaro
here's a mechanics question:
say you have your left arm under their head and right forearm on their neck, and left hand on top of edit: YOUR right forearm,
do you make the pressure by
a)pulling your elbows apart and pulling both hands down into his neck
or
b)squeezing your elbows together, driving your right forearm into his neck, and driving your left hand deeper past your right bicep?
Hmmm, your left hand on top of THEIR right forearm, not YOUR right forearm? The only way I can picture that is if their right arm is wrapped around their face. Please clarify if this is the case so I can more easily answer the question.
Lautaro
edited for late night misprint.
Ah, thank you for the edit. Makes much more sense now :).
Ok, in answer to your question, we have to go back to a couple of very important points that I mentioned earlier on:
1) "My elbows are based out as far as I can and I drive them tight into the mat. This is very important since I can't base out with my hands!"
2) "Once I have the ezekiel locked in, I drive into him with my chest, using my body and not the strength of my arms to apply pressure."
In other words, I shouldn't be moving my elbows around unless I'm still adjusting. Once it's locked in though, my elbows need to be based out wide and super tight to the mat. This is really important because if I don't do this, I'll get rolled more easily.
My arms should only be a small source of pressure. Relying on my arms for pressure converts this into a strength technique. Instead, I'm generating the pressure for the submission from my body. I'm bearing my body down into him at an angle, leading with my chest. When done correctly, this makes a HUGE difference!
It's too bad I can't show you in person what I'm talking about because I'm sure it would be way more clear when FEEL the difference. But I hope that helps!
Lautaro
ttt good thread
"I'm bearing my body down into him at an angle, leading with my chest. When done correctly, this makes a HUGE difference!"
This is the key. Now, how exactly do I accomplish this angle? Wouldn't I have to lift my pelvis up a little bit to shift more weight to my upper body. How can I square my hips with his, and yet shift my weight to my upper body? The only way I think of doing this is lifting my butt off the ground.
TTT
Great question, originalSEAL! Ok, now bear in mind that you may have to make more or less adjustments depending on your size/strength/skill vs your opponent's size/strength/skill. In other words, if you're bigger, stronger and more skilled than your opponent, you won't have to do as much to submit him. If your opponent is bigger, stronger and more skilled than you, then Heaven help you :). It'll mean you'll have to work a lot harder and make further adjustments to make any submission work.
Now remember that I mentioned the need to press down on his hips with your own hips. This pressure hinders his hip mobility and makes it more difficult for him to upa or roll, so it's an important detail. So whenever you raise your pelvis up it decreases the pressure on his hips and makes it easier for him to escape. When you're fighting for position against a struggling opponent and adjusting your weight on top of him, your centre of gravity will inevitably rise and fall until you've finally locked yourself in. As your skill improves, your pressure game will improve and you'll adjust your weight more quickly and with less effort.
So with all that in mind, how do apply pressure with your body if your lower body is "occupied"? Think of your torso as one unit, from your hips to your neck. Separate that unit horizontally into upper and lower units. Once your opponent is locked into your ezekiel tight and your mount is bearing down on him hard (he should have trouble breathing already), drive your upper torso leading with your chest into his neck. This is where your pressure is coming from. Your lower torso is bearing down on him due to your hips pressing into his, so it's up to your upper torso to generate the pressure.
If you choose to use a high mount and therefore be able to bear even more pressure down on your opponent, you run the risk of getting rolled or having your opponent escape because now his hips are free to move. This is what happened to JJ Machado in his attempt to submit Uno with the no-gi ezekiel. Of course it could still work, since it allows you to apply greater pressure, but comes at the risk of decreased stability. I personally prefer the low mount for the ezekiel because I value strong control over my opponent.
Lautaro
I rolled with a guy yesterday who was at the same level as me but 50 pds heavier and built like a truck. Needless to say, it was pretty tough :). He was able to submit me twice with the no-gi ezekiel. I noted that his mount was tight and very heavy (I could barely squirm) and that the only time I was able to thwart his attempts at the ezekiel was before he locked it in. On both occassions he did lock it in, I had less than 3 seconds before I had to tap out despite my efforts to defend it. I think it's a fantastic submission if done skillfully.
Btw, the points I mentioned regarding hip pressure in the low mount are useful for the low mount in general, not just for the ezekiel submission.
Hope this was useful!
Lautaro
Whats the name origin with Ezekiel? Did we f it up and it is really Easy Kill Choke?
Food for thought.
some guy named Ezekiel was good at it. or that was his nickname. something like that. if you google it you can find it.