Sweet Technique Variation of the Day: The Ezekiel Pop Quiz

Quick question grappler, is Ezekiel the name of:
a) 6th century BC priest/prophet whose 7 visions comprise a biblical book of the same name
b) Ezekiel Paraguassu, member of the Brazilian National Judo Team who choked a number of Gracie Barra black belts from inside the guard with the sleeve choke now given his namesake
c) both of the above
d) none of the above
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The correct answer is "C".

That being said, this was one of the first chokes I learned in Judo about 7 years ago. I'd gotten away from it in the past few years, but like most "basic chokes", you find over time, it's not the choke that doesn't work or is easily prevented, but rather you lack discipline in your set up.

Often, earlier in my Judo trainingz, I'd remark a particular throw was difficult, or not suited to my size. There is some truth to this, but as my old school Judo coach always would say half jokingly and half deadly f***ing seriously:
1) you lack discipline.
2) if done right, no can defend.

The idea being that, through diligent study, the throw will become eas/y(ier).
The basics work well in a multitude of scenarios, and if done correctly, they are very difficult to stop.

Above tangent aside, the following are 2 Judo greats demonstrating the fine(r) points of the Ezekiel choke. It is a rare choke done inside the guard, a great choke to set up other attacks/make your opponent react/defend, and works from a variety of positions. Like the guillotine, if your opponent does not respect the choke, and does not defend with vigor, he will get choked the f*** out.

Here's Koji Komuro, the "Komlock" showing his version(s):



And, the truly inimitable Katsuhiko Kashiwazaki showing his wares:

Happy Trainingz!