Locked-in Choi bar

 Technique

The choi bar sounds like an exotic submission that you've never seen before, but at its heart it is just an armbar. However what makes it special is how you get into it. The choi bar is a bit of a trick move and can be setup from closed guard, half guard, butterfly guard, etc. It is especially effective when people are trying to pressure into you guard and gain a crossface. 

Your forearm is used as a frame against their neck to make space and then your leg can go over or under their neck. From there it is easy to hook you leg over their arm and in-between their legs. After you have that just pry their arm out. If they are stubborn, grab their near leg and roll them over to their back. From there you can finish the armbar more easily 

Let's look at a few different people explain it. 

Craig is known for his kneeshield half guard and this is one of his best attacks from there. This is especially good for people that like leg locks as you can create a fork/dilemma and force them to defend their leg or their arm. If they pressure in he can hit the choi bar. If they back away he can underhook the leg and look for an entanglement. 

Lachlan is often times attacking it from an open guard these days. At ADCC he tried it a few times from inverted guard, but he also goes after it from K-guard as well. 

In the video above you can see Robert Degle going after it from butterfly guard. It is a strong option when they defend the hook sweep, they pressure in, or you just want to mix things up. 

Example

In these first 2 examples you can see it done by Choi Won Choi the inventor, or at least the person who popularized the choi bar. As you can see he hits it fairly quickly and often times his opponents didn't even see it coming.

Eoghan O' Flanagan suprised everyone with his performance against Xande Riberio at ADCC 2022. His best attack was the choi bar which he caught as Xande was pressuring forward. Although he didn't get the submission, the threat of the choi bar opened up other opportunities and kept Xande honest. 

Mica Galvao hit a smooth choi bar on Renato as Renato tries to quickly pass. The choi bar is a tricky technique that can be his from a variety of positions. If your opponents make a mistake you can catch them with this as shown by Mica. 

Strengths

The choi bar can be hit from numerous positions and can even be used in situations where you are about to have your guard passed. It is also a great way to stop a crossface. As I said earlier it is also very useful for those that like leglocks. Generally people will play a low, pressuring passing game to shut down leglocks and the choi bar is the perfect counter to those types of tactics.

It can also be used to get into other submissions such as side triangles(yoko sakaku jime), kimuras, tarikaplatas and more.  Even when it fails it usually keeps you in good position for a follow up attack. 

Weaknesses

The biggest weakness is the initial bite. If you don't attach yourself to them properly at the beginning they will easily pull their arm out. Also you need to know how to properly apply an armbar finish, otherwise your beautiful setup will go to waste. There are a lot of different guards you can get the choi bar from, it isn't quite as useful from the top. 

Why you should add it to your game

The choi bar is a move that can be used from a variety of positions and can switch the momentum of the match. It is perfect when going against opponents that like to pressure in and crossface you. It also works well with leg locks and makes your opponent choose between getting their leg or arm entangled. It also seems much harder to defend than the normal armbar from guard in most situations. On top of that it doesn't require tons of flexibility, speed, or strength. You do need a bit of leg dexterity to do so it might be difficult for some beginners or perhaps ultra-heavy weights. For the average person the choi bar will be a great addition to your game that can make you guard more threatening. And if you are someone that loves armbar this is a "must learn" variation.