Now slow down! This is for a book im trying to write, and i cant find any information anywhere on this specifically. I thought id try asking here
This is specifically manual with the hand or hands, not with the arms, strangulation (so blood, not air. everything i can find talks about air chokes).
Can it be done with one hand or wouldn’t that apply enough pressure? If i place a hand over the front of my own neck it seems like it should be possible because i can feel my pulse on both sides, so squeezing would have that effect, right?
And what exactly happens when the blood flow is cut off like that? What would the recipient feel?
Someone properly strangled simply passes out. It occurs when you compress the carotid artery enough to occlude blood flow. People will pass out when only one side is occluded. In Judo we perform a range of strangles (shimi-wasa), but typically they involve either using the collar of the judogi, or your arm (naked strangle), as a brace - to enable enough force to be applied. (There are also ones using the legs.) Trying to strangle someone with a hand grip is not likely to work if they are uncooperative - which we assume they will be.
It isn’t trivial, and learning exactly the right spot to apply pressure, and how to apply enough pressure for long enough takes practice. It is easy to apply pressure in the wrong spot and get no result. Done right a strangle can have an opponent unconscious before they realise the technique is being applied - although that is unusual. One does feel a light-headed wooziness when a strangle is being applied effectively - a sign to tap out right away.
I do notice that there is confusion about the terminology of chokes versus strangles in a lot of judo descriptions. Technically actual chokes (ie attacking the air supply) are not legal in judo - although this is sometimes hard to referee. Proper strangles are quite legal. But somehow some sources call Judo strangles ‘chokes’ - which they emphatically are not.
It’s possible to do it with two thumbs - one on each artery (on either side of trachea). You have to press pretty firmly, but it’s possible to do so without restricting the flow of air in the trachea. With a compliant subject, you could even do it with one hand: thumb on one side, index finger on the other. It’s not so much a pinching/clamping action. Instead, it’s about applying pressure, pushing the arteries against the underlying flesh.
Francis Vaughan mentions “light-headed wooziness,” which I think doesn’t quite cover it. “Altered consciousness” seems more accurate. I used to do something similar when I was a kid: I would stand next to a desk or countertop and (with straight arms) put my weight on my palms, letting my shoulders relax and slump up firmly against my chin. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this actually was constricting my carotid arteries and altering my consciousness. It’s more complicated than just dizziness; there’s a sense of detachment, disconnection. When blood flow is restored, there’s a weird sense of disbelief as you come back to normal, thinking “wow, is this my life? I’m really here?”
:dubious: Sorry, hard to describe if you haven’t experienced anything similar.
Thats all helpful, thankyou! I wish i could think of more to say because i feel kinda bad about replying to paragraphs or information with just a sentence.
No need to be sorry, this is alot more than i had before.
How on earth did i stumble upon this haven of information. Youre all glorious.
If you don’t tap out right away, if you think they don’t quite have the hold good enough, and you may still fight your way out, you go from feeling light-headed to waking up with everyone looking at you.
The aftermath is not particularly unpleasant, more embarrassing than anything else, though it’s probably smart to rest up a bit.
