Also known as: Bread Cutter · Breadcutter Choke · Kata Ha Jime (adjacent)
A sneaky gi strangle from side control: one hand behind the collar palm-up, the other folds the far lapel across the throat and slices down like a paper cutter’s arm.
Submission · Strangle (blood choke) · Gi only · Difficulty 3/5 · Usually learned at Blue belt
Starts from Side Control as the top player → ends the match (submission).
The details that make it work
First grip: thumb-in behind the neck, knuckles to the mat, set up quietly from a step-over or north-south fake.
Second hand feeds the far lapel or grips deep and folds the forearm ACROSS the throat.
Drop your elbow to the mat on the far side — the lever closes with body weight, not arm strength.
Where it goes wrong
Sitting upright and pulling; the choke is a downward slice with the elbow leading.
How opponents counter it
Hand-check inside the slicing forearm
Bridge and turn into the gap before the elbow drops
Is the Paper Cutter 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.