Von Flue Choke
The Von Flue choke — the shoulder-pressure counter to any guillotine held while being passed into side control. Their own arm closes the choke.
Adapted from InGrappling, Von Flue Choke. System Games did not invent this curriculum.
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The Von Flue choke is a counter to a held guillotine. It becomes available when the opponent keeps a guillotine grip on the head while being passed or pinned into side control. The choking arm wrapped around the top player’s head is the mechanism: once the top player clears to the side and drops their shoulder, that arm’s own shoulder and deltoid are driven into the opponent’s neck, and the held grip becomes one side of a bilateral choke.
From top side control or top front headlock position, when the bottom player keeps the guillotine on through the pass, the top player establishes a grip behind or around the opponent’s head, lowers their shoulder onto the opponent’s exposed neck, and drives through with bodyweight. The top player’s shoulder closes one carotid; the opponent’s own choking-arm shoulder and deltoid — pinned against their neck by their held grip — close the other. The geometry is the kata-gatame arm triangle’s, assembled out of the opponent’s refusal to let go.
The Von Flue rewards calm under a guillotine. Any guillotine the opponent keeps holding while the pass completes feeds the counter. The arm-in version feeds it most readily — the trapped-arm geometry is snug and the wrapped shoulder is already seated against the neck — and the counter exists against every held variant. Understanding this changes the top player’s relationship to the guillotine: a grip held too long becomes an opportunity.
Elevated RiskVon Flue Choke is an elevated risk technique. The Von Flue is a bilateral vascular choke: the top player's dropped shoulder compresses one carotid while the opponent's own choking-arm shoulder and deltoid — held against their neck by their guillotine grip — compress the other. A heavy bodyweight component drives both surfaces, so pressure builds faster than arm strength alone would produce. Serious injury can occur Onset is fast. With the shoulder dropped and bodyweight settled, complete bilateral compression can produce unconsciousness within seconds — often before the trapped player registers that their own held grip has become the choke..
If you are new to this technique: read this section before anything else. Understanding the danger is part of understanding the technique.
The person applying the technique is responsible for releasing immediately.
Communicate before drilling. Know your partner's experience level with this position.