[Sherdog_Mutt]

The Roger Gracie thread and the latest mundials results got me really thinking hard about this move. The cross-collar choke is probably one of the first submissions that many of us learned. As we progressed in BJJ, we all learned how to defend it. Most of us who have been doing BJJ for years have developed a good cross-collar choke defense (otherwise we would never have progressed, let alone learned how to pass the guard).

In fact I would venture to say that unless your last name is Gracie, no other high level BJJ competitor nails it with any regularity. What do you guys think? Is there some kind of Gracie family secret to nailing this choke? Is it the fact that they've been practicing the choke since they were toddlers?

I know what some of you guys may say... that the choke is simply a function of good technique. Yet I can think of no other top level BJJ blackbelts (not named Gracie) whom have consistently gotten this submission to work for them in competition.