Chokes. The ultimate declaration of power in combat sports and the only category of truly deadly moves that we practice day in and day out. Today, our focus is going to be on taking chokes a step further using the Gi, turning them into more than just submission moves.
The Chokes and More Miko Hytonen BJJ DVD is a great blueprint on how to diversify your chokes, making them the centerpiece that makes your entire BJJ game click, rather than just a way to get a tap. The instructional covers Gi chokes creatively and originally that will leave you wanting more.
Key Takeaways
- A three-part Gi BJJ DVD containing nearly 2 hours of Gi strangles and chokes.
- Features traditional high-percentage moves as well as unusual but effective alternatives.
- Includes rolling chokes, catch wrestling finishes, and heavy use of collars and lapels.
- BJJ World Expert Rating: 7.5 out of 10.
GET IT NOW: MIKO HYTONEN CHOKES DVD
The Most Powerful Weapon In BJJ
What is the best submission in BJJ? You’ll get as many different answers to this question as there are submissions, but at the end of the day, there is only one category of finishes that universally works against anyone – chokes.
Whether you call them chokes, strangles, or you give them some obscure Japanese term, the end result is going to be the same – people tap. The alternative is going to sleep, and given that no person can be immune to this, no matter how big, strong, or experienced they are, the usual resolution of a successful choke comes as a tap.
At the end of the day, you can spin under for leg locks or try and play by prison rules and hunt for sneaky wrist locks all you want, but when push comes to shove, you’ll likely resort to choking someone out. Chojkes are like the closed guard – you might think they’re boring sometimes, but you always come back to use them every time you roll or compete.
In that regard, a truly unique aspect of BJJ (and Judo, to some extent), is the fact that you can multiply the effectiveness of many choking options in your arsenal using the Gi. Whether it is your own or the opponent’s, once you sink in a deep Gi choke it is all over. The Chokes and More Miko Hytonen BJJ DVD focuses on this particular aspect of strangling people in grappling.
Submission Specialis Miko Hytonen
Miko Hytonen is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Santeri Lilius and is one of the more entertaining figures in the BJJ World. A self-proclaimed tattoo addict, as much as he is addicted to grappling, Miko has always been the guy who goes for the finish in every roll and match.
Submission specialists are not rare in modern Jiu-Jitsu, but those who are very effective in their efforts, such as Miko are not that easy to come by. Hytonen is not just efficient in finishing people with chokes, he is also very creative, modifying techniques and exploring new ways of strangling people on a daily basis.
Currently, he is a full-time BJJ instructor at Beach Front BJJ working alongside Eoghan O’Flanagan and Ashley Williams. With a lifetime of grappling behind him (started wrestling at age 4) Miko attributes BJJ to pulling him out of a slump of depression and laziness and giving his life a purpose.
In a never-ending quest to give back to the community, he now shares his tradecraft in the Miko Hytonen BJJ DVD Chokes and More Instructional, trying to impact other people’s lives.
Chokes and More: Full Miko Hytonen BJJ DVD Review
The Chokes and More Miko Hytonen DVD is a three-part instructional, featuring Gi chokes from a bunch of different positions. Miko is a known choke specialist who spends almost two hours going over his favorite ways to strangle folks with their clothes, some of which are very creative and powerful:
Part 1 – High Percentage Gi Chokes
Straight off the bat, MIko goes into the essence of a choke John Danaher called the most powerful choke in BJJ – the bow and arrow. The first few chapters of the Chokes and More Miko Hytonen BJJ DVD explain how you can set the choke up from both sides of the back, finishing quickly and painfully.
Another staple of Gi chokes also makes an appearance here, with Hytonen deconstructing the Ezekiel choke from both back and front, and explaining its relation to the loop choke, another highly utilized choke among Gi grapplers. He concludes the opening act of his instructional with several brutal Krsa Gatame chokes, topping it all off with a selection of armbars.
Part 2 – A Set of Unusual Submissions
Going further, this Miko Hytonen BJJ DVD goes deep into the territory of grappling strangles, exploring some options you might not think of immediately (or at all). For example, the opening choke is an old-school catch wrestling torture move that I came by completely randomly years ago – the pillow choke. I strongly suggest you watch this chapter carefully.
Staying mostly inside control throughout this volume, Miko covers baseball bat choke grip variations and modifications, throwing in surprise subs such as biceps slicers and shoulder reaps along the way. The lapel Darce, a.k.a. Brabo choke marks the end of the second volume.
Part 3 – Creative Miko Hytonen Signature Strangles
Last but not least, Hytonen demonstrates some of his more creative choking methods that are a huge part of his game. This final part of the Miko Hytonen BJJ DVD goes over crowd pleasers such as the rolling loop choke, helicopter choke, and a series of turtle-breaking strangles, all revolving around the effective use of the Gi.
My personal favorite out of this volume, and a close second to the pillow choke when considering the entire Miko Hytonen BJJ DVD instructional is the chapter covering knee on belly. In it, Hytonen offers a brutal arm pull triangle finish that will get you hooked the moment you get your first tap.
How Chokes Make BJJ Easy
Seeing how chokes are the most effective grappling move available in combat sports and self-defense, spending time exploring how you can use them to improve your overall BJJ game is a very smart strategy for progress.
Namely, a choke is only going to work if you can figure out how to place a noose around the opponent’s neck, and more importantly, how to tighten it effectively. In the case of the Chokes and More Miko Hytonen BJJ DVD, the noose involved the Gi, but the same principle remains for No-Gi chokes. At the end of the day, you need to be able to hang your opponent using mechanics rather than simply squeezy and rely on muscle power.
This brings us to the inescapable fact that not all BJJ chokes are going to work 100%. That, however, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go for them. The threat of a choke is a guaranteed way for you to pull off other key aspects of grappling such as takedowns, passing, sweeps, and positional retention.
Let’s use the mount for example. Threatening with a cross-collar choke, Ezekiel or guillotine is going to give your opponent an immediate threat to handle. While you may not be able to finish them off, you’ll never have to worry about them trying to bridge or slide out of your mount, giving you powerful positional dominance at all times.
FULL MIKO HYTONEN GI CHOKES DVD AVAILABLE HERE!!!
Tighten The Noose!
I don’t doubt that you’re already very good in at least one choke that you rely upon heavily while rolling and competing. Exploring the contents of the Chokes and More Miko Hytonen BJJ DVD is only going to add fuel to your choking fire, expanding your options and turning you into a real threat for grapplers of all levels.
Simply put, the more versatile you become with chokes, the more dangerous you will be, which will bring out the worst in your opponents. If people fear you for a whole category of submissions, rather than just one move, it is going to be virtually impossible for them to stop you. Sounds attractive, doesn’t it?
Everything about BJJ Chokes – Systematization, Anatomy, Efficiency
