What is "chokehold"

n. 1 (context martial arts wrestling English) A grappling hold around the neck that cuts off the flow of air to the brain 2 (context by extension English) A strong and powerful grasp on something

1. n. complete power over a person or situation; "corporations have a strangelhold on the media"; "the president applied a chokehold to labor disputes that inconvenienced the public" [syn: stranglehold, throttlehold]

2. a restraining hold; someone loops the arm around the neck of another person in a tight grip, usually from behind; "he grabbed the woman in a chokehold, demanded her cash and jewelry, and then fled" [syn: choke hold]

A chokehold, choke, stranglehold or, in Judo, shime-waza (; ) is a general term for a grappling hold that critically reduces or prevents either air ( choking) or blood ( strangling) from passing through the neck of an opponent. The restriction may be of one or both and depends on the hold used and the reaction of the victim. The lack of blood or air often leads to unconsciousness or even death if the hold is maintained. Chokeholds are used in martial arts, combat sports, self-defense, law enforcement and in military hand to hand combat applications. They are considered superior to brute-force manual strangling, which generally requires a large disparity in physical strength to be effective. Rather than using the fingers or arms to attempt to crush the neck, chokeholds effectively use leverage such as figure-four holds or collar holds that use the clothes to assist in the constriction.

The terminology used varies; in most martial arts, the term "chokehold" or "choke" is used for all types of grappling holds that strangle. This can be misleading as most holds aim to strangle not choke with the exception of "air chokes" (choking means "to have severe difficulty in breathing because of a constricted or obstructed throat or a lack of air"). In Judo terminology, "blood chokes" are referred to as "strangleholds" or "strangles" while "air chokes" are called "chokeholds" or "chokes". In forensics the terms "strangle" and "stranglehold" designate any type of neck compression, while in law-enforcement they are referred to as "neck holds".

Chokehold were a Canadian vegan straight edge hardcore/ punk band formed in 1990 in Hamilton. Their first release More Than Ever was in 1991. This was quickly followed in 1992 by a split EP with Crisis of Faith and the Life Goes On EP that same year. Their rise in popularity paralleled that of other vegan straight edge bands such as Earth Crisis and hardline bands like Vegan Reich and Raid. While bands that adhered to Hardline were totally opposed to abortion, Chokehold was vehemently pro-choice.

In 1993 Chokehold released the Prison of Hope LP through American label Conquer the World Records (CTW). They released their next record, 1994's Instilled EP, on Philadelphia's Bloodlink Records. This EP featured some of their most political material to date, notably the anti-religious song "Anchor" and the anti-homophobia song "Mindset", and their kind of manifesto "Burning Bridges", that proclaim the Animal, Earth and Human Liberation.

They followed this in the next year with their second LP, Content With Dying. This album contained "Not a Solution," a militantly pro-choice hardcore song.

They signed in 1996 to Germany's Mad Mob Records and recorded four new songs to be released as a split CD with Feeding the Fire, but after a European tour in 1996 the band decided to break up. They played their last show in March at the New Bedford Fest in Massachusetts. These four songs were released as a self-titled EP on Jawk Records the following year. Members went on to play in such bands as The Swarm, Brutal Knights, Left for Dead, Haymaker, Our War and Seventy-Eight Days.