One of the fears among city-dwellers in 1890’s London was being strangled by an unseen attacker from behind. And why not? That’s a pretty dangerous situation, and one that seems difficult to escape. That particular fear drove the development of Bartitsu.
The neck feels particularly vulnerable, and for good reason.
There are 3 types of vulnerability for any joint:
- stretch pain (exploiting the victim’s reaction to execute a takedown)
- dislocation
- strike pain causing reluctance/difficulty to use the joint
The neck is a versatile joint like the wrist, but has additional concerns:
- breathing
- circulation of blood to the brain
I emphasize in Bartitsu training a principle that I learned playing Go: Your opponent’s good move is your good move. Keeping your own alignment and staying on your feet is a good principle of combat. Therefore, breaking your opponent’s alignment and sending them to the floor is also a good principle.
If your neck feels like one of the most vulnerable parts of your body, protect it, and go ahead and target your opponent’s neck. Here are a few attacks and counters.
Striking the Trachea
Throat punch!
Are you sure you want to play this game? The windpipe that allows you to breathe is made out of cartilage that gets more brittle as we age, especially in men. Breaking the trachea and collapsing it will require a trip to the hospital, so only use the throat punch in real self-defence or to defeat Moriarty.
The strike can be delivered with a closed fist, with a knife-hand or chopper or with the fingertips in what is called “spear hand”.
To avoid the throat punch, get your pugilism skills in Bartitsu class, since it is a small change from a punch to the face.
The Rear Naked Choke
First of all, why “naked”? This choke originated in jujitsu, in which many chokes rely on pulling the collar of the opponent’s gi (jacket) or the operator’s own sleeve. The naked choke can be done with bare arms against an opponent without a jacket.
Of course, if you’re training in Bartitsu assuming everyone is wearing a suit or an overcoat like a winter scene in Victorian London, then you ought to learn those chokes that involve the gi.
The operation of this choke is to cut off circulation to the brain so the victim loses consciousness quickly. That’s why in professional wrestling they call it a “sleeper hold.” It is not an attempt to prevent breathing. You’ll squeeze the sides of the neck to restrict blood flow.
Stephan Kesting has an excellent tutorial on the 6 steps of an effective rear naked choke:
Escape the Rear Choke
The escape for any joint lock, including chokes, is to intercept your assailant’s attempt early. Although there are maneuvers you can attempt when the choke is fully applied, it is far better to get your hands on your attacker’s arm as soon as you perceive it. If you can accomplish that, you have many options for elbow control.
One way that was advocated in Bartitsu was to execute a drop-throw or shoulder throw to send your assailant over your back. If you have not practiced this against different-sized opponents, it will not work. This technical skill requires dedicated work to perform effectively. We look at these types of throws as we progress from Blue Sash to Red Sash.
Guillotine Choke
Sometimes known by different names, such as the “reverse naked choke” or “inverted choke”, the assailant tried to tackle you by wrapping their arms around your waist or picking up one or both legs. You wisely wrapped your arm around their neck with their head by your ribs.
This choke relies not on cutting off blood flow or oxygen, but by the stretch response (pain) and the fear of a dislocated neck. You tighten your grip around the neck by connecting your hands together and pulling upward while leaning backward. I remind students of popping the head off a Barbie doll. Their chin will fold downward toward their chest, but your forearm will act as a fulcrum under their chin, increasing the pressure on the neck at the back of the skull.
There are many issues with applying the guillotine, especially if your assailant is taller. Getting out of it is also technically difficult unless you reacted early.
Remember: Against any joint lock, especially against your neck, get their hands off you as soon as possible, preferably before they link hands.
Chancery or Front Headlock
A common position in bare-knuckle boxing is the front headlock which was known in my neighbourhood as the “noogie” position. This does not lead to an effective choke, but can set up a powerful punch.
To defend against it, first intercept the punch from the other hand. The best option from there can be a lever throw by destabilizing the knee that is just in front of you. Another option is to reach for their face from behind their back and push them away. If your opponent twists with this action, you’ll be putting them into a guillotine choke. Both of these defences are explored in the Blue Sash level of our ongoing Bartitsu classes.
Front Strangle
We’re ending today with an easy one: Using two hands to squeeze the neck while facing your opponent. The front strangle is one of the worst attacks because it takes too long to achieve its goal while being vulnerable to almost any decisive counter.
In other words, never use a front strangle on the attack, and if you get caught in one, the only thing to remember is: Don’t panic. Raise your shoulders and tuck your chin. Then… do anything with abrupt force!
All of your assailant’s targets will be open and facing you (top to bottom):
- Strike the eyes with your thumbs or finger jabs
- Uppercut the jaw (open palm strike to avoid boxer’s fracture)
- Throat punch!
- Punch the Mark (pit of the stomach)
- Knee the groin
- Side kick to knee
- Straight-leg shin kick
- Foot stomp
The elbows of both of their extended arms are your playground:
- Striking downward on the inside elbow
- Striking upward on the ulnar nerve (as we use in the arm-bar)
- Use a big windmill action to capture both arms
- Use a small windmill or an upward elbow to capture one arm
In our Red Sash level, we also explore the slightly more dangerous head-twist defence, as shown in The New Art of Self Defence II (by Barton-Wright as published in the Bartitsu Compendium vol I): No. 7
Head of Stage Combat at Academie Duello and certified Instructor with Fight Directors Canada. Head of Bartitsu at Academie Duello, the longest continuously running Bartitsu program in the world. Read more from David McCormick.