History Main / ChokeHolds

* This is a standard (if illegal) move.

* ''MetalGear Solid''. Snake can sneak up on guards, grab them by the neck, and throttle them unconscious. When they wake up, they're perfectly fine. Handled ''slightly'' realistically in that Snake can kill a guard by throttling him until his neck breaks. In [=MGS3=], if guards are hungry and weak, Snake can instantly knock them out with an UnnecessaryCombatRoll.

* In ''TheDarkKnight'', Bruce Wayne does this to Harvey Dent.

* Ray Langston does it to a suspect on ''Series/{{CSI}}'' "Blood Moon", all the while going on about what's it's doing to the guy.

* In {{Genshiken}} Hato applies one on Kuchiki to prevent Kuchiki... eeer... ''molesting'' Madarame. Unfortunately for Hato, the shamelessly perverted Kuchiki suddenly discovers he has a fetish for it.

The air choke is when someone is choked unconscious by cutting off his air supply. The air to the lungs is suspended. In fiction the person chokes and flails in silence, and after maybe thirty seconds he is rendered unconscious. In reality, cutting off someone's air supply would take several minutes and he'd be at full strength the whole time. Do not choke someone this way.

* GuyRitchie's Film/SherlockHolmes features both chokes at the same time. A thug sneaking up on Holmes is put in a blood choke by Watson. To prevent the {{Mook}} from screaming, Holmes immediately pinches off his nose and mouth. They chat for a bit and, once the thug has passed out, move on. At the end of the film, a big mook has to be slowly air choked because he's just [[TheBigGuy too darn big]] for anything else.

* Two chokes appear in ''NeverSayNeverAgain''. James uses a sleeper hold on a {{Mook}} guard during UnwinnableTrainingSimulation opening and an assassin uses a sleeper hold on one of the attendants at Shrublands.
* In ThePrincessBride, The Man in Black knocks out Fezzik with a blood choke. It takes several minutes and they have a rather cordial conversation all the while.
* In {{Sneakers}} Dick Gordon knocks out Bishop with a sleeper hold. In contrast to the repeated TapOnTheHead he's been given up to this point, it's an act of mercy.
* ''CountYorga'': The titled character loves doing these when he can and its always fatal.

InstantSedation is very common. Compare TapOnTheHead where unconsciousness is rendered with a blow, TheParalyzer ([[StarTrek Vulcan nerve pinch]] included). Also, the VorpalPillow, where a choke hold causes instant death.

* BurnNotice's Michael Westen is adept at the blood choke. His victims rarely cry out, but they rarely have time.
* LawAndOrder features a victim of a fatal blood choke. A military man upset at a [[AssholeVictim Jerk Pacifist]] mocking his dead son employs a sleeper hold blood choke. It leaves telltale bruises over the victim's carotid arteries.

* In an episode of {{NCIS}}, a sleeper hold accidentally kills someone.
* Ray Langston does it to a suspect on ''{{CSI}}'' 'Blood Moon', all the while going on about what's it's doing to the guy.
* The patient of the week in one episode of {{House}} stymies the team until it turns out that he's a masochist whose sex-play includes being repeatedly choked by his Mistress. Among other things, this has caused damage to the arteries in his neck.

[[AC: Web comics]]
* In ''ElGoonishShive'', sensei Greg teaches a blood choke to Grace, in order to [[spoiler:sedate Dex who is wreathed in flames]].

* A form of the "sleeper hold" variant comes up in ''Yoda: DarkRendezvous''. WeakButSkilled Padawan Scout has a particular move where she can grab someone's throat, cut off the blood flow, and render them unconscious in seconds without permanently damaging them. She uses it in Padawan tournaments to great effect.

* Ray Langston does it to a suspect on ''{{CSI}}'', all the while going on about what's it's doing to the guy.

* Ray Langston does it to a suspect on {{CSI}}, all the while going on about what's it's doing to the guy.

* ''DeusExHumanRevolution'' - one of the non-lethal takedowns.

* Subverted by {{Angel}}. Someone tries to air choke the titular character only to learn, to his dismay, that that doesn't work on vampires.

* DeusExHumanRevolution - one of the non-lethal takedowns.

* Blood chokes are part and parcel of martial arts and MMA. If an MMA fighter taps out half a second after an arm goes 'round his neck, it's because he's about to pass out.

InstantSedation is very common. Compare TapOnTheHead where unconsciousness is rendered with a blow. Also, the VorpalPillow, where a choke hold causes instant death.

The blood choke is when someone is choked unconscious by cutting off his blood. The supply of blood to the brain is suspended. In fiction the person goes cross-eyed and immediately succumbs to unconsciousness. In reality the, process takes a few seconds and the victim understands what's happening and can protest, in the brief window available. Do choke someone this way, '''if you know what you're doing'''. If you don't, you can kill someone. Sometimes a blood choke causes the collapse of the arteries carrying blood to the brain and, inevitably, death. This is why cops no longer employ "The Sleeper Hold". It kills.

Compare TapOnTheHead where unconsciousness is rendered with a blow. Also, the VorpalPillow, where a choke hold causes instant death.