***WHAT IS A CHOKE HOLD/ WHAT IS A STRANGLE HOLD?***

 ~MMA guys sometimes think the Gracies invented Jujutsu or Judo newaza and that the terminology used in BJJ and MMA is gospel but all of the techniques have been around for centuries prior to Gracie Newaza (B.J.J.) and have had different names depending upon whether the terms came from Catch Wrestling, Hook Wrestling, Kano Jujutsu/Judo, etc.
~I'd like to address the fact that what the MMA community and it's spectator fanatics (fans) refer to as a rear-naked-CHOKE isn't a choke at all but a 'strangle' hold. When I was a young boy, before the Gracies were popularized by UFC I-V we were taught that this hold was called a 'Sleeper-Hold' and we practiced it on each other when parents weren't around but we let go when they felt like they were going to pass out and tapped.
~My mother was raised a military brat with a brother in law enforcement and she was familiar with the 'sleeper-hold' and how to apply it with or without clothing in the early 80s.
~When I began studying and training I learned that a 'strangle' hold aka 'sleeper hold' is one that restricts blood flow while a 'choke' hold restricts air flow. Fast foward to the UFC era and the Gracies, whose first language was not English, began incorrectly refering to a strangle as a choke.
~To further differentiate, what the MMA and Gracie family incorrectly refers to as a rear 'naked' CHOKE is actually a rear 'figure-four' or rear 'interlocking' STRANGLE/SLEEPER-HOLD which attacks vascular blood flow but not air flow.
~A naked choke is applied with the naked forearm across the trachea, applying pressure with the radial bone against the trachea with the hands clasped together in a mutual grip. This is very lethal and can not really be safely practiced under full contact. It's also illegal under most police department guidelines because so many cops have accidentally killed resisting suspects with the 'naked-choke'. The same 'choke' can be applied using the interlocking or figure-four configuration, which is a much stronger hold and more difficult to escape because the fingers grip the bicep and are then locked by the forearm while the other hand is hidden behind the target's head or neck. The push and pull of the interlocking or figure-four configuration generates more power into either a choke (air) or a strangle (blood).
~The technique which you see or practice in MMA, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (ne-waza), Judo, Sambo or what the U.S. police refer to as the Vascular Neck Restraint is not a naked 'choke' at all but a 'strangle' applied with an interlocking (figure-four) hold. The elbow is placed directly under the target's chin which positions the bicep of one arm and the radial bone of the other arm on each side of their neck while the opposite arm pushes their head forward into the strangle. THIS STRANGLE, WHEN RELEASED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE DESIRED EFFECT, IS MUCH SAFER THAN A CHOKE SO THAT IS WHY IT'S PERMITED IN BOTH COMBAT SPORTS, SECURITY AND IN LAW ENFORCEMENT.
~So the reason why it's important to understand the difference between a choke and a strangle is both for technical reasons and for legalities. MMA and the Brazilian Portuguese speaking Gracies have given new names, often incorrectly, to old techniques that have been around for centuries but for legal, medical and combative reasons it's most important to understand the difference between a strangle (blood restriction) and a choke (air restriction).
~For those whom don't trust my expertise as much as they trust the internet I'll include a third party reference that backs up what I've presented.
Peace be with you and remain HOO-AH,
AnDrew
** Strangling - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"In some martial arts (such as Judo) a distinction is made between a strangle, which interferes with the flow of blood to the brain , and a choke, which interferes with the airway. Depending on the particular method of strangulation, one or several of these typically occur in combination; however, vascular obstruction is usually the main mechanism.[4] Complete obstruction of blood flow to the brain is associated with irreversible neurological damage and death,[5] but during strangulation there is still unimpeded blood flow in the vertebral arteries.[6] Estimates have been made that significant occlusion of the carotid arteries and jugular veins occurs with a pressure of around 3.4 N/cm², while the trachea demands six times more at approximately 22 N/cm².[7] As in all cases of strangulation, the rapidity of death can be affected by the susceptibility to carotid sinus stimulation.[4] Carotid sinus reflex death is sometimes considered a mechanism of death in cases of strangulation, but it remains highly disputed.[3][8] The reported time from application to unconsciousness varies from 7-14 seconds if effectively applied [9] to one minute in other cases, with death occurring minutes after unconsciousness.[3]"
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