Learn This Powerful Choke with Sagi Muki
The ability to switch strategies on the fly is a great attribute to possess. If you are only focused on throwing your opponent you may miss opportunities to land submissions. Being able to flip that switch to go from throwing to attacking submissions can be obtained through drilling and mat awareness. It also helps if you have a World Champ showing you some of the finer aspects of attacking the turtle, that is where Sagi Muki comes in.
Sagi Muki is one of the most technical Judo athletes on the planet. Fresh off a triumphant 2019 World Championship where he took home the Gold, Sagi is here to help us with a little choking action when our opponent engages the dreaded Turtle position. This position is often used when trying to evade a throw, or in other forms of combat, to prevent the guard pass.
The Turtle can be a frustrating position to deal with. The Turtle is mainly a defensive position that can be utilized to defend throw attempts. In Jiu-Jitsu people will often Turtle away from their opponent to avoid points being scored from a guard pass. One of the first lines of attacking the turtle is to break it open. While this is easier said than done Sagi has an option he shows us here in this video. Check it out!
Sagi utilizes a strong two handed belt grip to pull his opponent’s hips up. While how much the break open may vary, this method should provide some space. This space is crucial to find with our feet as we begin to take the back. Once Sagi establishes his hooks he grabs the lapel and begins to roll away from it. This grip and rotation will generate a lot of pulling force on your opponent which forces them to roll.
There are many variations to taking the back from this position. Even with a single hook a successful back attack can be made. Again this is made possible by the defensive nature of the opponent. A good practitioner will only use the Turtle transitionally, even the strongest Shell can be cracked if there is no movement.
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Now that Sagi has his partner’s back it’s time to slap on a vicious choke. The World Champ begins by using the grip he established during the back take to open his partner’s collar. By opening the collar you allow maximal space for your choking hand to enter. Once the free hand slides into place Sagi uses the bottom grip to cinch the grip tighter.
After getting his strangle set up, Sagi starts to switch his hooks. A good way to think about this is revolving yourself around your partner. The leg that is on the same side as the choking hand will slide out enough that you can place it on your partner’s shoulder. This is made more manageable by placing your other leg across your partner’s belt line, as you see at the 0:45 second mark in the video. Another good way to self check this technique is that when you revolve around your partner it should only tighten the choke, not loosen. If your grip is loosening you are revolving the wrong direction!
Sagi goes on to show another angle of the back take and choke. He also demonstrates a nice variation with the feet going a bit higher to close and secure the choke. Many of Sagi’s techniques are designed to maximize what your body is already capable of. You don’t have to be an extraordinary athlete to achieve these types of results. With proper placement and technique you TOO can strangle like Sagi!
Power Judo By Sagi Muki is a collection of Sagi’s BEST techniques. The above instruction was just a glimpse into what this 4-Part Judo masterpiece has to offer! Take your game to the next level with Judo’s VERY Best! Sagi Muki has you covered with Power Judo.