Ok, today I had an interesting conversation via Facebook from one of my students about choking & strangulation. He was asking me what the differences were between the two. Well the first thing that I asked myself is, "how many people don't know the answer to this?". So thats when I decided to write this article for you.
There is a common belief that these two are one and the same. The fact is these are two totally different things. Most people, especially martial artists think this. And they are wrong most of the time.
So I went to my bookshelf and got out a dictionary and this is what it said. What a Choke is, is described as:
This is what the Oxford Dictionary (the only dictionary in my opinion) says
with object hinder or obstruct the breathing in any way. It doesn't matter if it is a person or an animal.
So this says that a choking action is cutting off the persons ability to breath. Air! Imagine someone is pushing hard with their hands or arm against your throat. This happens all the time in the street.
A Strangle is defined usually like this (again from my dictionary):
A Strangulation is a condition where blood flow is cut off or limited by some sort of constriction.
So this is telling us that it is the stopping of the blood flow, NOT the breathing, that is a strangle. This is common in grappling arts and on the street with techniques like the "Rear Naked Choke" (also known as the "Sleeper Hold"). Or when someone tries to strangle you with a shirt or other article of clothing.
Dont wait until you find yourself caught in one of these. Learn how to defend yourself from these extremely dangerous and potentially deadly techniques before you wish you had. This is a must!
Train Hard, Stay Safe
There is a common belief that these two are one and the same. The fact is these are two totally different things. Most people, especially martial artists think this. And they are wrong most of the time.
So I went to my bookshelf and got out a dictionary and this is what it said. What a Choke is, is described as:
This is what the Oxford Dictionary (the only dictionary in my opinion) says
with object hinder or obstruct the breathing in any way. It doesn't matter if it is a person or an animal.
So this says that a choking action is cutting off the persons ability to breath. Air! Imagine someone is pushing hard with their hands or arm against your throat. This happens all the time in the street.
A Strangle is defined usually like this (again from my dictionary):
A Strangulation is a condition where blood flow is cut off or limited by some sort of constriction.
So this is telling us that it is the stopping of the blood flow, NOT the breathing, that is a strangle. This is common in grappling arts and on the street with techniques like the "Rear Naked Choke" (also known as the "Sleeper Hold"). Or when someone tries to strangle you with a shirt or other article of clothing.
Dont wait until you find yourself caught in one of these. Learn how to defend yourself from these extremely dangerous and potentially deadly techniques before you wish you had. This is a must!
Train Hard, Stay Safe
About the Author:
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