The recent death of a raving maniac named Jordan Neely, apparently as the result of a chokehold by the public-spirited citizen restraining him on the New York subway, has caused chokeholds to re-enter the discourse [Shocking video shows NYC subway passenger putting unhinged man in deadly chokehold, NY Post, May 2, 2023].

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Since the unhinged man was black, and the public-spirited citizen (apparently an ex-Marine) was white, this has caused a lot of talk—much more than any of these cases.

Here is a basic look at what chokeholds are.

In his book Unarmed Close Combat: A Manual of Self-Defence, published in Britain in 1972, Dr. Malcolm Harris, a judo expert, Special Constable (part-time volunteer police officer) and medical doctor in Solihull, England, had a section on chokes and strangles for self-defense by the police and general public which included this diagram:

There are two ways you can choke someone, by pressing on their windpipe, cutting off their air, or by pressing on the sides of the neck, which does not cut off the flow of blood, but causes a drop in blood pressure very much like fainting.

Pressing on the windpipe (usually) causes unconsciousness in 1 to 3 minutes. Pressing on the sides of the neck may cause fainting 30 seconds, or it may not work at all.

Below, from Harris’s book, a demonstration of the ”pressure on the windpipe” version, which Harris prefers.

Note: anyone who has ever taken a class like the one below is aware that no one who is being actually choked like this can say ”I can’t breathe.” As soon as you actually can’t breathe,  you can’t talk at all. To the best of my knowledge, neither Eric Garner nor George Floyd died of being choked.

The words ”Naked Stranglehold” (Hadakajime in Japanese) mean that unlike in many Judo techniques, you’re not using the lapels of a Judo outfit to provide leverage. (Which is not to say that lapel strangles are useless, they work fine on leather, denim, or khaki jackets, just not on shirtless men or men wearing t-shirts and tank-tops.)

Harris, who was teaching police officers who were not allowed to carry guns, taught somewhat different techniques than American cops use.

That version of ”naked choke,” also known as a triangle choke, is taught to soldiers and Marines as a way of dealing—fatally—with sentries, et cetera.

These illustrations are from a book called Cold Steel, intended for Marines, and originally published in Leatherneck Magazine in the 1950s.

The wrapping the legs thing prevents him from getting loose, and also keeps him from grabbing your testicles in an attempt to make you release him.

American law enforcement has tended to use the ”pressure on the sides of the neck” version, as taught by Kansas City police officer James Lindell.

This is a picture from a 1980s book for civilians called The Truth About Self Protection, which I’ve quoted here before.

This particular chokehold version is trademarked as the Lateral Vascular Neck Restraint® System (or LVNR®) and taught very carefully, as above, in the hopes of restraining people without actually killing them, as can happen when it’s done wrong.

And is the man who was restraining Neely at the time of his death responsible for doing it wrong?

Let me quote author and self-defense expert Larry Correia on that:

I'm seeing really stupid people saying the subway citizen having been a Marine means that he should be an expert on choke holds, so the excessive force rules for cops should apply.
Listen, dumbfucks. We all know you have never met a vet and all your understanding of basic…

— Larry Correia (@monsterhunter45) May 4, 2023