Can you choke someone in judo?
B · Beginner · Scoring and winning · 4 of 7Checked 14 October 2026
Yes.
Judo allows strangles, called shime-waza, and joint locks, called kansetsu-waza, but locks only on the elbow. An
athlete who taps twice or says "maitta" has given up, and the opponent scores ippon by submission. Both are ground
techniques: applying them standing is penalised.
How it works
- Giving up: tapping twice or more with a hand or a foot, or saying "maitta", which means "I give up".
- Passing out: an athlete who loses consciousness loses by ippon.
- Elbow only: a lock on any other joint, such as the knee, ankle or shoulder, is hansoku-make.
- Not standing: a strangle or armlock applied from standing is stopped at once. It is a shido where the opponent could escape and the risk is lower, and hansoku-make where the risk of injury is higher.
- How a strangle may be made: not with the belt, the bottom of the jacket or the fingers alone. That is a shido.
- The legs: over-stretching the opponent's leg while holding, strangling or locking is a shido. Squeezing the head with the legs without an arm inside is stopped and penalised with a shido.
- The neck and spine: anything that endangers them is hansoku-make.
- An athlete who gives up to a strangle before passing out may carry on in the competition.
Tricky cases
Are leg locks allowed?
No. A joint lock on anything but the elbow is a direct hansoku-make.
Does one tap count as giving up?
The rule says "tapping twice or more". The referee and the supervisors judge what they see.
An athlete passed out in a strangle without tapping. What is the result?
Ippon to the opponent. In cadet events the athlete who lost consciousness may not continue in the competition.
Why the rule exists
The tap is the safety valve that lets techniques this strong be used at full effort. Limiting locks to the elbow, and keeping them to the ground, removes the versions most likely to injure before a tap can come.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| IJF rules | As above | J 14; J 18.1.2; J 18.2.2 |
| Cadet events (under 18) | An athlete who loses consciousness in a strangle is out of the competition | J 20 |
From the rule book
International Judo Federation Sport and Organisation Rules, Refereeing Rules, Articles 11, 14, 18.1.2, 18.2.2 and 20. Version of 24 July 2026. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: IJF Sport and Organisation Rules (PDF).