When executing the paper cutter choke, uke will likely be defending against the choke with their far hand, blocking tori’s free hand from securing the grip on the far lapel to finish the choke. Sometimes, uke will be very stubborn and defensive, making the choke difficult to finish. If this is the case, it may be worth using the strong paper cutter grip to transition into different positions or submissions.
To deal with this, I use several different techniques:
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They may not be defending it at all. If this is the case, just go for the grip and finish them.
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feigning the grip elsewhere to distract uke, tricking them from moving their hand away from their neck. This creates a brief opening that can be exploited to secure the second grip.
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flattening the free hand out, sliding/stabbing it underneath uke’s hand to secure the far side collar.
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using my head to push uke’s forearm away from their neck, pinning it to their chest. This creates enough space that the free hand can simply secure the lapel.
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using my head to go underneath tori’s far side elbow, weaving my head underneath their arm, placing the top of my head between their head and shoulder. This separates their arm enough to secure the far side grip.
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with a strong grip behind uke’s collar, first bring your knees close to uke. Next, pull uke’s near arm up towards the ceiling as if you are going to armbar them or roll them away from you. This often causes them to try to post on the mat, or frame their free arm elsewhere to defend against the armlock. Once their neck is open, secure the far side collar grip and choke them.
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transition into the crucifix position by controlling uke’s far wrist, jamming my shin into the crook of their elbow. From here, I can fall backwards and pummel my legs with uke’s far arm, securing the crucifix position.
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transition into an armbar.
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transition to mount, knee on belly, or back control.
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“handcuff” uke’s far hand using their far lapel. Pull uke’s lapel out from their belt and grab near the tip. Circle their lapel over their forearm and pin their arm to the mat using the lapel. From here, uke may pull their hand out to defend their arm. This creates an opportunity to let go of the lapel tip and go for the choke normally. If uke does not free their arm, the lapel can be weaved behind their head and passed to the hand with the behind the collar grip. Once the grip has been switched from the back of the collar to the lapel tip, uke’s far arm is immobilized and unable to defend the choke. Rather than grabbing uke’s far collar, a similar grip can be made on the lapel tip to finish the choke.
The lapel handcuff can also be used to transition into cruficix if uke attempts to turn away from you.