When fighters Eat their words

[Jonathan Wylie]

Well my knowledge comes from a Gracie blackbelt who taught me the triagle choke many years ago. I was instructed that in order to finish the choke (not the ryan hall way, i know he does it differently and it is very effective and it feels like your head is about the pop, and actually that is how I finish mine in these days), to scoot back with my hands as soon as I have the triangle locked to break the posture of the opponent and pull on the head. Pulling on the head, if done correctly, is really forcing the chin of your opponent to his neck, combined with the rest of the squeeze from the triangle this effectively closes the airway effectively becoming an air and a blood choke at the same time. A lot of new jiujitsu players just tap to the fact that they cannot inhale anymore. People who are higher levels keep their composure allthough the airway is closed but still try to fight with the remaning oxygen in the blood, as the blood choke sets in and the oxygen levels in the brain start to drop you start to pass out and thats where highger level guys tap or just fight till they go to sleep. This is how it was expalined to me, I applied it in this manner and my airway was closed everytime somebody applied a triangle to me in the way described above. My source is a Gracie BlackBelt. If you accept him as a credible source then I do know what I am talking about.
I am not saying this is the best or only way to finish triangles, all I am saying is that pushing the chin down does close the airway.

Of course pulling on the head is an effective way to finish. But like I explained in a previous post its do to added pressure on the carotid arteries not shutting off your airway. Most instructors teach to align your elbow with your opponents chin when applying the rear naked choke, effectively creating space for your airway but putting your for arm and bicep in a better position to squeeze the carotid arteries. I can show you a red and black belt teaching it that way!(as if it really matters) So if your black belt told you that's the effective way to finish the choke he's right but if he told you its because it shuts off the air way he's wrong. A black belt in bjj doesn't equal a black belt in anatomy. Having a drivers license doesn't mean you know how the car works just how to drive it.