Paper Cutter
Choke
The side control assassin. Your forearm is the blade—slide it across, drop your elbow, and cut off their air.
Cut Across.
Drop The Elbow.
The Paper Cutter Choke uses your forearm as a blade that slides across the throat. The pressure comes from dropping your elbow to the mat and using your body weight—not from squeezing.
Trap The Arm
From side control, trap their near-side arm first. Thread your arm under their armpit and grab the back of their collar. Four fingers in, deep grip.
Cut Across
Your other arm slides across their throat—this is the “cutting” arm. Grab the far collar with your thumb inside. Your forearm is the blade.
Drop And Turn
Drop your elbow to the mat. Sprawl your legs back. Turn your torso toward their legs. Your body weight drives the forearm into their throat. Tap.
3 Setups.
Same Cut.
The finish is the same—forearm across, elbow down. The setup varies based on your position.
From Side
Control
The standard setup. Control their near arm, thread to the back collar, slide the cutting arm across. Drop elbow, sprawl, turn. Done.
From North
South
Transition from north-south back toward side control while setting grips. As you rotate back, the choke locks in automatically.
Palm to Palm
Finish
No collar? Use a palm-to-palm grip behind their head instead. Same cutting motion with the forearm—body weight finishes it.
The
Cutting
Motion
Your forearm is a blade. The collar is the handle. When your elbow drops to the mat, the blade slides across their throat. Your body weight provides the pressure—not your arm strength.
-
Thread First
Your first arm threads under their armpit to the back collar. This controls them and sets up the choke. Get the grip deep—four fingers inside.
-
Cut Across
The cutting arm slides across their throat. Thumb inside the far collar. Your forearm bone presses directly on the trachea. This is an air choke.
-
Elbow Down, Turn
Drop your elbow to the mat. Sprawl back. Turn toward their legs. The rotation and your weight do the work—don’t squeeze with your arms.
3 Mistakes
That Kill Your Paper Cutter
Not Trapping The Arm
If their near arm is free, they can push your face, frame, and escape. Always control that arm first—thread under it to the collar before going for the choke.
Elbow Stays Up
If your elbow floats in the air, there’s no cutting pressure. The magic happens when your elbow touches the mat—it drives the forearm into their throat.
Squeezing Instead Of Turning
This isn’t an arm squeeze—it’s a body turn. Sprawl your legs, drop your weight, turn toward their legs. The rotation finishes the choke, not your biceps.
4 Setup
Windows
The Paper Cutter is sneaky—they don’t see it coming from side control. Here’s when to strike.
After Guard Pass
You just passed guard. They’re defending mount. Sneak the grips while they’re focused elsewhere.
Crossface Transition
From crossface, instead of grabbing their armpit, grab the collar. You’re halfway there.
They Turn Into You
When they turn to escape, their neck opens up. Use their momentum to slide the cut in.
North-South Return
Coming back from north-south, set the grips as you rotate. The choke locks as you land.
Related Techniques
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