At Gracie Kore, Roger teaches a choke to baffle the defender

Roger and Rayron Gracie teaching a lesson in chokes from the back.

Over 40 students were present at Gracie Kore, in Rio, this Wednesday to learn from Roger Gracie. The ten-time world champion imparted details of his favorite positions in a seminar.

Roger spoke of his classic, effective positions, like the armbar from the guard, the choke from the back and the classic choke from the mount that back his trademark move. The secret to not lose the positions even against the toughest opponents in the world? Roger explained. “I sought to evolve my classic game until it started working at a high level. For example, until the black belt, I didn’t choke anybody from the mount. It’s easier to finish with a move like the flying triangle, which depends more on timing, than scissor-sweeping at black belt. To choke from the mount, you have to get about 15 essential details right during the process — otherwise, the whole pyramid of building the move collapses.”

Also noteworthy was his lesson in the choke from the back, which Roger revealed he likes applying “on the wrong side.” He says that he was always told to choke with the hand that is under the opponent, but he felt little mobility in the attack. So he studied the position and developed his own offensive plan, taking away his opponent’s chances of escaping, creating spaces to pass the hand and finish without the use of extreme force.

Watch this exclusive lesson right here: