Also known as: Ninja Strangle · Reverse Guillotine · Schultz Choke (adjacent) · No-Arm D’Arce
A no-arm front strangle that runs the choking arm across the front of the neck and locks figure-four behind the head — like a guillotine whose finishing rotation goes the opposite way.
Submission · Strangle (blood choke) · Gi & No-gi · Difficulty 3/5 · Usually learned at Blue belt
Starts from Front Headlock as the attacker (on the head) → ends the match (submission).
The details that make it work
The choking forearm crosses the throat with your hand reaching your OWN opposite bicep; the top hand clamps behind their head.
Finish by rotating your chest toward the choking arm and dropping your elbow — the torque, not a pull, closes the carotids.
Also available from top half guard and even bottom side control when they leave the neck exposed turning in.
Where it goes wrong
Building the lock without the forearm already across the throat — you end up cranking the jaw.
How opponents counter it
Chin down and hand inside the choking wrist early
Drive forward through the attacker before the figure-four locks
Is the Ninja Choke legal in competition?
Legal in all major rulesets at all levels (IBJJF, ADCC, sub-only). Rules change — always confirm against the current official rulebook for your event.
History & naming
Popularized in the 2010s; the naming origin is contested across gyms and no single inventor claim is well documented.