What to do when someone goes unconscious from a choke
Posted by Bret Gold on
Chuck Liddell chokes out Steve-O
I recently posted a video of Steve-O asking Chuck Liddell to choke him out.
First I'd like to mention how great it is to see Steve-O so healthy. Dude's doing great and it shows! He's still a crazy motherfucker, but you can tell he's in a much better place now.
What to do when they're unconscious
Now the nitty gritty - There was some discussion about what to do with someone when they've been rendered unconscious - aside from going through their pockets - how to aide their recovery to ensure the experience is as pleasant for them as it was for you.
If you haven't been choked out yourself or seen someone choked out in class - give it some time. It's bound to happen. The best thing to do is not panic. Even if you don't follow the steps outlined in this post there's still a 99.999999999% chance nothing bad will happen.
Chuck does a pretty wonderful job at this in this video. He stays calm - like a true Strangle Artist Veteran, gets the ragdolled and 'slept' Steve-O on his side, that's most important.
Most optimally you want them on their left side and in what's called the Left Lateral Recumbent Position - left arm straight, under their head; right arm across their chest and right leg bent to keep them from tipping over.
Like this:
Hand on the ass not necessary.
Most likely someone in a brazilian jiu jitsu setting will not be unconscious for very long - but there is a chance that they will be out for up to 10-15 seconds. Getting them in this position will ensure that if they vomit they won't aspirate it (breathe it in).
If you want to mess with them
If you really want to mess with them, after getting them into the recovery position place a pillow and a blanket under their head and turn all the lights out in the room/gym and keep really quiet. They'll wake up completely disoriented and confused. For added effect - someone spoon them from behind and stroke their cheek.
This ensures that when they wake up it will feel like they were just sleeping all warm and cozy in bed and their alarm went off for school. Thus adding to the confusion and likelihood that they'll wonder why, before they're completely aware and all the lights are turned back on, all their training partners are in their bedroom.
Getting choked out happens in the world we have created for ourselves. It's so common that most of us are aware of what to do in the case that it does - and we can all laugh at it whether we're the choker, chokee or just an observer.
Get out there and choke each other! Be safe - have fun!