D'ARCE CHOKE

The D'Arce choke is the front-headlock blood choke variant in which the attacker threads one arm under the opponent's near armpit and across the opponent's neck, gripping the attacker's own bicep in a figure-four configuration. The technique is the mirror-image of the anaconda choke — the two techniques use opposite-side configurations and are typically trained as a connected attack chain in modern no-gi pedagogy.

The mechanics begin from a front-headlock or sprawled position with the opponent's head trapped beneath the attacker's body and the opponent's near arm extending across the attacker's torso. The attacker threads the inside arm under the opponent's near armpit (entering from the same side as the opponent's near arm), continues the arm across the opponent's neck, and grips the attacker's own opposite bicep with the choking hand. The figure-four configuration produces the structural compression on both carotids. The finish comes from squeezing the elbows together while sitting back or rolling to compress the choke. Unlike the anaconda (which finishes from a rolled-side position), the D'Arce can finish from a more upright posture.

The D'Arce choke has been used extensively at every level. Notable practitioners include Marcelo Garcia, Garry Tonon, and various modern no-gi specialists who have integrated the front-headlock attack chain into their broader competitive game. Defensively the D'Arce is escaped by recognizing the entry early and pulling the near arm back before the threading completes, by hand-fighting the figure-four grip before consolidation, or by tucking the chin to deny carotid access during the squeeze.