Video: Jefferson Moura teaches a one-handed choke

Jefferson goes deep into the collar to get the choke.

A world champion and teacher at Gracie Barra Aurora, Jefferson Moura brings in today’s lesson a submission that tends to surprise one’s opponent, as the attacker achieves a choke despite there being only one arm in the equation.

The move, often used successfully by Jefferson in his training, starts on the guard pass, when his opponent tries to avoid yielding three points by getting on all fours. With the space made available, Jefferson attacks the neck with one hand really deep in the collar, behind the head. Then he transitions to the opposite side and makes his torso heavy to create the lever necessary to pull the arm and choke.

“I’m here positioning myself to pass his guard,” he says 30 seconds into the following video. “I’ve controlled his leg, I’ve controlled his collar, I’ve put my weight down. When I start arriving here, there are opponents who like to start pushing me here and getting on all fours, to try to recover guard — basically to do any sort of transition to any other position. At this exact moment, I have to use this right hand of mine, which was on the collar. I’ll put it way deep, behind his head. I get my shoulder in and slip my arm. I get it really deep. I have to open the hand to have a second adjustment. I pull his collar and hold here. But I can’t stay here on this side. I have to do a transition, at the same time, to the other side, putting this knee on the ground and, at the same time, putting my chest  behind his back here. What’s gonna happen? When I’m here [1:18], his idea is to try to put his back on the ground, and because of that, I have to put pressure that way. Usually I’ll be kind of mounting him here. At the same time I do a rotation on my hand, pull his lapel and put my chest on top of his shoulder until he taps out. This position can do no wrong. It’s a good position, because the guy that’s on the bottom recovering guard thinks I need the second hand to finish him there. So I’m able to finish him with just one of my hands.”