Clock Choke From Side Control is a follow up to the previous article we have on the site called How To Do A Clock Choke From Turtle Position. In this article you will learn how to effectively do the clock choke from side control step by step.
Initiating The Clock Choke
We will demonstrate this move from right side control. First you want to gain right side control over your opponent. Once you’ve established that position control your opponents arm. It’s important to control his arms because if you don’t he will have an opportunity to defend against you or create an opportunity for himself to apply a submission on you from the ground.
Once you are pressed up against your opponent in side control; controlling his arms you want to scoot your hip out (break the hip) and extend your right leg out. Then you want to take your left arm and cup it under your opponents head. His head should be cupped between your inner elbow. With your free right hand grab onto his lapel and feed it to the left hand to grip. Be sure that your thumb is sticking inside his label and your four fingers are on the outside. This is a tight grip.
You can tighten your grip on his collar and lean back for a collar choke. The issue with that is he can reach out both hands and pull forward your label grip off him. Thus making an escape. Instead what you want to do when you have your full lapel grip on and securing his arms lift your hip up, take your right leg and extend it underneath your right leg while leaning forward with your grip This will cause the clock choke and your opponent will tap out!
As always you want to practice in order to perfect this move. You will fumble a few times it’s only natural, but you practice in order to make the move more effortless.
The Clock Choke definitely has a great history in jiu-jitsu. All you Jiu-jitsu fanatics who really study and have been paying attention to the sport, not only now-a-days but in the past know what I’m talking about. This was called “the choke heard round the world”, when Wallid Ismail had a match up with the now legendary Royce Gracie and choked Royce unconscious with a clock choke. It happened at the right moment when Royce “turtled” to avoid the guard pass.
Then, to drive home how incredible the submission move was for it’s time, there was an IBJJF tournament match between Mario Sperry and Royler Gracie, and Mario used the clock choke to submit him. The reason why people were so shocked when both the Gracie’s got submitted was because they had a unbeatable mystic about them.
They were out to prove that Gracie Jiu-jitsu was the best self-defense method in the world, and they certainly backed it up by facing anyone who would challenge them. They won every match in garages, basements and gyms! Winning a match against them proved that they were human, it proved that they can be beaten just like anyone else.
Most of the Gracie hype surrounding them was propagated by their performances in early American and Japanese mixed martial arts. Not only that (and most of your mma fans know this) they had great marketing behind them. They told a lot of stories that people started to believe was true. One on going story they created was their father Helio Gracie fighting in jiu-jitsu bouts with guys 4 sometimes even 5 times his size!
But when you do the proper research you find out that wasn’t true. But the stories really worked for them and the fact that the Gracie’s won often added to the belief of those stories.
Right now I’ll go over with you how to apply the clock choke from turtle position, and several ways to avoid or escape the choke.
In Turtle position as you know, your opponent is on his knees hunched forward sometimes leaned over on his forehead, forearms or hands.
You’re also on your knees with your arms wrapped around your opponent from the back; pressing your body against his. Let’s start this move off from your right side to your opponents left side.
First, it’s important to control you opponent while in this position. If not he will just roll under and to the opposite side on you and break free. This is called the barrel roll escape and if you’re not careful in controlling your opponent he can easily execute this move. You will control your opponents hips by sticking your knee in between your opponent’ left elbow and left knee; controlling the inside space.
The next step is to use your right hand to control either their hip, lapel, or to grab a “one on one”. If you don’t know what a one on one is I’d advise you to go ahead and search through our site to read one of our articles on it.
Once you’ve established this position of control your left hand will reach in and under your opponents neck. You will then insert your right hand into their collar, be sure to stick your thumb in and fingers out – gripping the lapel. Make sure that your hand connects with your opponents collarbone, this is to insure that you are deep enough.
Now pull your hip out and remove your right leg from the space between your opponents left elbow and knee. Sit slightly on your opponents left shoulder and extend both of your legs int front of you to the 12 o clock position. While you are doing this be sure to be pulling the choke. Meaning be sure to be sticking your thumb deep into his collar and pulling on his lapel; creating the choke.
Now when your legs are stretch out in front of you, at the 12 o clock position, be sure to be sitting down on him and walk slowly to your right. This secures the choke even deeper and your opponent without a doubt will tap out.
Defending Against The Clock Choke (Turtle position)
The best way to defend against any submission is to avoid it all together. You have to be in a position and be able to sense what move can be done against you. You only have a few seconds to make your move before it’s too late. Over time you will learn how to anticipate certain moves from your opponent and counter them right away.
Escaping the clock choke should happen within the first few seconds of you knowing what position you are in (turtle position) and anticipating what move your opponent can do to you. As soon as your partner establishes a dominant turtle position, turn away and start to build your base up with your hips in the air. Now roll over your shoulder, like doing a rolling breakfall, and spin back through to guard. You should end up in a double under guard maintenance position after the roll.
Finishing up the move while you’re in a double under guard position is fairly straight forward. As you end up with both legs over their arms, allow your heavy legs to push you back and away from your partner (straightening up), creating the distance that you need to establish a good open guard, from which you can effectively attack and defend.
Be sure to practice this in your gym constantly so you can execute it with great precision when you’re in competition.
How to Escape the Turtle and Get Safely Back to Guard
Conclusion: I often hear some people who are getting into jiu-jitsu or people online commenting on videos say “these moves are easy for a black belt to do” or “in a real fight or competition when there’s adrenaline running through my body I’ll never remember these moves.” My answer to that is you have to practice to become better. When you practice the moves, defenses and escapes religiously you will become better at them. And what’s even better you won’t have to think about doing them, you will just do them automatically.
It’s like your brain will be on total autopilot and you will do what needs to be don’t in the moment whether it’s in the streets or in competition. Practicing also boosts your confidence. I’d say for those who are just getting into jiu-jitsu your confidence is not high as yet. but once you start eating healthier, working out, learning the moves, making friends at the mma gym your confidence will slowly start to build.
All of this takes time. And that’s all you have is time to learn, because it takes years to earn you black belt in jiu-jitsu. So take your time and learn what needs to be learn so you can do it on autopilot. Good luck!
In Turtle position as you know, your opponent is on his knees hunched forward sometimes leaned over on his forehead, forearms or hands.