Loop Choke

Last updated: June 18, 2026

What is a loop choke?

A loop choke is one of the collar strangles that only exist in the gi. The attacker takes a grip on the opponent’s lapel, then loops that same arm over and around the back of the neck so the collar bites into the side of the neck rather than the throat. When the choke closes, it presses on the carotid arteries on both sides of the neck and stops blood from reaching the brain, which is why a tight one can put someone to sleep in seconds.

Brazilians call it the estrangulamento rodado, or “rolled choke,” a nod to the rolling motion often used to finish it. The technique is most associated with the Carlson Gracie lineage in Rio de Janeiro and was refined by competitors such as Vinícius Cruz during the 1990s, though no single person is credited with inventing it.

What makes the loop choke worth knowing is its reach. It can appear from the guard, from the top, after a stuffed takedown, or out of nowhere when an opponent ducks their head. It even works from standing, which makes it one of the sneakier finishes a gi player can carry.

How the loop choke works

Two things have to be true for a loop choke to work, and the grip is only one of them. The attacker needs a shallow cross-collar grip, taken at about collarbone level rather than deep behind the neck, because a deep grip kills the slack needed to swing the arm around. The second condition trips up most people: the opponent’s head has to be lower than the attacker’s. Without that, there is nothing to loop the collar over.

From there, the free arm threads behind the neck, and the body rotates, usually by rolling toward that second grip, until the collar tightens across the carotids. As the coaching site 2nd Gear BJJ describes it, the finish works less like a squeeze and more like closing a door: the attacker traps the head so it cannot duck back out toward the escape route.

The choke rewards timing over strength, even though it depends on the gi. A common error is flexing the collar onto the windpipe, which produces a painful air choke instead of the faster blood choke the technique is built around.

Loop choke vs. guillotine

Anyone who has watched both will notice the loop choke and the guillotine look almost identical at the moment of the finish: head trapped low, the attacker’s arm wrapped over the neck. The resemblance is real. Coaches at Jiu Jitsu Legacy describe the loop choke as mechanically the same as a high-elbow guillotine, except the gi collar does the work that the arm does in a guillotine.

The split matters for one practical reason. A guillotine finishes by squeezing the arm, while a loop choke finishes through tension on the collar, so it cannot be done without a gi. BJJ Fanatics goes as far as calling it the easier of the two in the gi, since gripping a lapel holds better than locking a hand around a sweaty neck. For a no-gi grappler, the guillotine is the equivalent tool.

Feature	Loop choke	Guillotine
Finishing tool	Opponent’s gi collar	The attacker’s arms
Gi or no-gi	Gi only	Both
Choke type	Blood choke (carotids)	Usually blood, sometimes air
Where it shows up	Gi BJJ, rarely in MMA	BJJ, MMA, wrestling scrambles
Look at the finish	Head low, collar looped behind neck	Head low, arm cinched under the chin

Where you see the loop choke

Part of the loop choke’s reputation comes from how many doorways lead into it. In gi competition, it turns up when a guard player baits an opponent into pushing forward, or when a passer drops their head to start a pressure pass. It also appears off a sprawl, when someone shoots a sloppy takedown and lands in a front headlock. There is even a standing version, popularized by Alexandre Vieira, who built much of his game around it.

One place it almost never appears is the cage. Because mixed martial arts is fought without a gi, there is no collar to loop, so MMA fighters reach for the guillotine instead. That absence is the quickest reminder of what defines the technique: without a collar, there is no loop choke.

Common misconceptions about the loop choke

A few myths follow this choke around. The first is that it is a white-belt move that stops working against good opponents. The competition record says otherwise. Nicholas Meregali, one of the most decorated gi competitors of his generation, leads Digitsu’s loop choke database with six recorded finishes, and Alexandre Vieira won a widely shared Submission of the Year award in 2017 with one.

The second myth is that it is an air choke. It is not. A correctly placed loop choke is a strangle, compressing the carotid arteries rather than the windpipe, which is what makes it both faster and, oddly, less painful than a throat crank.

The last one is that it takes a strong grip and a hard pull. The opposite is closer to the truth. The finish depends on trapping the head and removing the escape route, not on muscle, which is why lighter grapplers land it on bigger training partners.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the loop choke a blood choke or an air choke?

It is a blood choke, also called a strangle. Done correctly, it compresses the carotid arteries on the sides of the neck, not the windpipe, and can cause unconsciousness within seconds.

Can you do a loop choke in no-gi?

No. The choke relies on gripping and looping the opponent’s collar, and no-gi has no collar to grip. The closest no-gi equivalent is the high-elbow guillotine.

Is the loop choke legal in BJJ competition?

Yes. It is a standard collar choke and is legal at every belt level under IBJJF rules, including for white belts, unlike many leg locks.

Why is it called the loop choke?

The name describes the motion: the attacker loops their gripping arm over and around the opponent’s neck. In Portuguese, it is the estrangulamento rodado, or “rolled choke.”

Who is known for the loop choke?

Nicholas Meregali and Alexandre Vieira are among its most prominent modern users. Vieira also helped popularize the standing version of the technique.

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Sources

1. Evolve MMA. “How To Use The Loop Choke In BJJ.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://evolve-mma.com/blog/how-to-use-the-loop-choke-in-bjj/
2. Digitsu. “Loop Choke Breakdown (BJJ).” Accessed June 2026.
   https://digitsu.com/t/loop-choke
3. BJJ Fanatics. “Stop Avoiding the Loop Choke!” Accessed June 2026.
   https://bjjfanatics.com/blogs/news/stop-avoiding-the-loop-choke
4. Jiu Jitsu Legacy. “The Ultimate Guillotine Choke Playbook for Gi and No-Gi.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://jiujitsulegacy.com/bjj-lifestyle/guillotine-choke-gi-and-no-gi/
5. 2nd Gear BJJ. “How the Loop Choke Actually Works.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://www.2ndgearbjj.com/how-the-loop-choke-works/
6. BJJ World. “The Standing Loop Choke, Alexandre Vieira Style.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://bjj-world.com/standing-loop-choke-bjj/
7. Arashiro Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. “A Deep Dive into the Subtle Art of Constriction.” Accessed June 2026.
   https://arashirobjj.com/a-deep-dive-into-the-subtle-art-of-constriction/

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