I am embarassed to ask this and can't find it online anywhere so I'm afraid the answer is self-evident and I'm just slow. I've been doing BJJ for about 6 months and remember in one of my first randori sessions, trying to cross choke someone when they me in their guard. Our instructor corrected me saying "you don't want to do that, you'll get armbarred pretty fast" and I saw the logic and never tried it again. Nobody else has tried it on me either... until last night in Judo class.

I was working with a fast, heavy brown belt with good ground skills, I tried my sweeps but couldn't get them off, scissors, pendulum and hip, and eventually he'd sink a strong cross grip in. I'd try to grab it and go for the arm bar but he'd eventually get the other grip in, pull em apart and I'd tap, happened 2-3 times.

So does anyone know have tips, videos or links to help with this? It's frustrating because I don't think I should be getting caught in this and the only thing I can think of is being a little more defensive in guard or drilling that situation with the armbar to get my timing faster than the other hand can get in.

Thanks for any help.

It's really simple.

1. Take your right hand, reach across your body, over his arms, and cup your opponents elbow.

2. Take your left hand, reach over your right forearm, and cup your right elbow.

3. Now squeeze both arms, like you are hugging yourself.

That will negate the cross choke while in guard.

Most people I've showed this too, don't know this counter, it's a good one to have.

Reach underneath his arms and choke him back. This has never failed me and I smile every time I get to use it on yet another clueless goon.

If he's up on one leg, which he probably has to be to have the leverage to choke you, you can do this technique. I'm assuming both arms are extended

Put the hand opposite the leg that's up on his wrist and hook your other hand behind his lower leg.

Scoot your hips the opposite way (away from the leg that's up), and swing your [edit: outside] leg across his body/neck.

Roll into the armbar by twisting your hips and turning with the arm under the leg, sweeping him on to his back in the process.

Move your hand from the leg to secure the armbar.

I'm just curious, where was the judoka in your guard? Were his arms straightened out when he was applying the shimewaza?

Thanks for all the tips guys, I'll try to get em lodged in my brain tonight.

OldDog, he was leaning over me with one leg up like Res guessed. His arms were extended when he was coming into it. I'm not sure where he was heading when I tapped though, I was taught to get low and get your chest through the hole you've made. He may have been heading there but I tapped when I felt the pressure on both my carotids, I didn't really wait to see how he was gonna finish.

Chances are hes probably going to posture up to try to smash you when hes choking you. If you dont know how to do an armbar or if you cant x choke him back, simply open your guard and put your feet on his hips to push him away.

Double fucking armbar that brown belt. OMFG would I love the opportunity for someone to try to Xchoke me in my guard. I would stop - redefine my faith - and then gleefully laugh like a little schoolboy as I double armbarred him very slowly...hopefully forcing them to tap with their foot.

is this the "i'm stacking the **** out of you so you cant armbar me muhahahahha" choke

there is a black belt in my judo dojo that favours this one

If you have Renzo and Royer's theory and technique book, its basically technique no. 66, "The arm-inside arm-bar".

Double fucking armbar that brown belt. OMFG would I love the opportunity for someone to try to Xchoke me in my guard. I would stop - redefine my faith - and then gleefully laugh like a little schoolboy as I double armbarred him very slowly...hopefully forcing them to tap with their foot.

I have the same type of problem--getting choked when I have the guy inside my closed guard.

I have tried to armbar the guy, but I cannot. I can't go to a high guard--by which I mean looping one of my legs over his shoulder--because he's smashing down into me with with his head really close to mine. I can pivot by stepping on his hip, but then I have the same problem--he's already stacking into me so hard, and his head is so close to mine, that I cannot pass my leg over his head to get the armbar.

I always just open up and try to off-balance him with a butterfly hook. To the original poster: I know you *should* be able to armbar him from here, and everyone is going to tell you to "just armbar him dude."And that's probably the best way to handle this situation. But if you're an armbar retard like me, try working your hooks to get him worried more about his balance than the choke.

The best defense is a good offense. If he is too busy defending subs and sweeps, how is he going to attack with an x choke? In my experience the only time someone will try for a sub from the guard is when they are frustrated that they can't pass your guard, and don't want to stall, so they say **** it, and try to sub you and hope they don't get sweeped or armbarred. I've gotten the ezekiel inside someone's guard a few times on other white belts, but that was just me being stupid.