Can Gi Chokes work for self-defense?

**Epicurus** · Posted On: 10/20/2008 11:25am

A friend of mine is a Judo black belt and insists that Judo chokes involving the Gi are useless in "real life" since no one wears an article of clothing with the right kind of fabric to allow Gi chokes to work. I hear other people say that collar-based chokes will work fine with such items as a leather jacket or even suit jacket, and Bas Rutten advocates one or two chokes which he demonstrates on someone in a Tee shirt.

I'd test this myself but I have a real lack of willing test dummies. Does anyone know the truth of the matter? Can an incapacitating collar choke be reliably applied to someone in ordinary clothes of any sort?

**Horus** · Posted On: 10/20/2008 11:30am

There was a thread on this a while back and it was figured out that unless they're wearing a shirt made of tissue paper a gi choke will work fine with a t-shirt/jacket/pink cardigan

**sempaiman** · Posted On: 10/20/2008 11:38am

...and if you are attacked by guy wearing his gi or a girl with a bra......

**Gezere** · Posted On: 10/20/2008 11:51am

Your friend is wrong and he should turn in his BB.

**ChickenBeakFist** · Posted On: 10/20/2008 11:53am

I would think that if the guy you were choking was wearing a jacket with a metal zipper it would be even worse

**1point2** · Posted On: 10/20/2008 12:10pm

Relevant thread (please read the whole thing):
ON NOES!!! I DON'T HAVE A GI ON THE STR33T!!! - No BS Martial Arts

My experiment-based contribution to the thread:
No BS Martial Arts - View Single Post - ON NOES!!! I DON'T HAVE A GI ON THE STR33T!!!

Gi chokes are a misnomer. Anytime someone has some cloth or leather near their neck, and you control their body, it can be party time for restricting bloodflow to their brain. T-shirts, buttondowns, polos, jackets, even a muscle shirt. The flimsier, the more difficult, but it's still VERY possible.

I recommend replicating my experiment and posting the results. THIS IS SCIENCE! </300>