North-South Choke

What It Is

The north-south choke is a submission applied from the north-south position, where the attacker's chest is over the opponent's chest but facing the opposite direction, toward their legs rather than their head. The choke uses a grip pulling one of the opponent's arms across their own neck, combined with body weight and positioning, to cut off blood flow, distinct from the way most other chokes rely primarily on a collar or arm around the neck directly.

Why It Works

North-south is a position most grapplers, even fairly experienced ones, treat as a transitional control spot rather than a genuine finishing position, which is part of why the choke catches people. Because the opponent's shoulders are pinned under the attacker's chest weight and their vision of the choke setup is limited, given the reversed facing direction, they often don't recognize the submission threat building until the grip is already secured.

Key Details

Chest and shoulder pressure driving down into the opponent's upper chest and shoulder area is what prevents them from bridging or turning to escape while the choking grip is established. The choke itself depends on trapping and pulling one of the opponent's own arms across their neck, meaning arm control is as essential to the setup as the position itself.

Common Mistakes

A common mistake is treating north-south purely as a resting or transitional position and missing the window to attack before the opponent recovers and creates space. Losing chest pressure while adjusting grips is another frequent error, giving the opponent room to bridge, turn, and escape the position before the choke is ever secured.

When to Use It

North-south chokes are most available immediately after passing into the position, before an opponent has settled into their defensive framing, or during scrambles where north-south emerges briefly as a transitional stop. Recognizing it as a live finishing opportunity rather than only a place to pause and reset is what separates grapplers who use this submission from those who pass through the position without ever attacking it.

Watch It in Practice

See it demonstrated by Andre Galvao: North South Choke Variations →