Choke-out

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Choke-out" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

A choke-out is a hand-to-hand combat tactic involving the use of a chokehold to cause syncope, or temporary loss of consciousness, at which point the choke is released. Common chokeholds in grappling used to accomplish a choke-out include the rear naked choke, arm triangle, triangle choke, and the guillotine.

The mechanism can be explained as resulting from directly constraining blood flow to the brain through constriction of the carotid arteries. An additional mechanism involves compression of the baroreceptors of the carotid arteries, confusing the body into thinking blood pressure has risen. Due to the baroreflex, this inhibits sympathetic vasomotor and cardiac stimulation and increases parasympathetic stimulation of the heart causing vasodilation and a lowered heart rate.^[1] This causes a dramatic decrease in blood flow especially to regions above the heart (e.g. the brain) due the need of a high pressure to flow against gravity which in turn results in less blood flow to the brain (brain ischemia), which then causes loss of consciousness.^[1] These explanations, however, do not exclude each other but are 2 components explaining less blood flow to the brain: 1) constriction of carotid arteries leading blood towards the brain directly causing less blood flow to the brain 2) lower systemic blood pressure (thereby also decreasing blood flow to the brain through the vertebral arteries - these being the only alternative blood supply to the brain^[2]).

Choke-outs should not be confused with erotic asphyxiation or the fainting game, wherein a person loses consciousness intentionally in order to experience a particular sensation. A choke-out should also not be confused with medical conditions that cause fainting without the application of a chokehold.