Okuri-eri-jime (sliding collar choke) is applied from behind uke. One of tori's hands goes across the neck and grips deep in the opposite lapel. The other hand pulls the second lapel down. The two sides of the jacket close like a snare. It is one of the most common chokes in judo competition for a simple reason: it still works when uke guards the neck with his hands.
The grip does the work
You are behind uke. Your right hand goes across the front of his neck, from his right shoulder toward his left side. It grips his left lapel as high as possible, four fingers inside and thumb outside. The deeper the grip, the less strength you need later.
Your left hand goes under his left armpit and takes his right lapel, lower down. This is the hand that tightens. It pulls that lapel down while your right hand pulls back. The lapel cuts into one side of the neck while your right forearm presses the other.
Beginners always use the wrong hand. They pull horizontally with the neck hand, get tired and get nothing. The bottom hand does half the work.
From the back with hooks in
This is the most comfortable version. You sit behind uke with your legs around his waist and your feet hooked inside his thighs. Your chest is glued to his back. Your head is against his, on the side of your bottom hand.
Uke guards his lapels. Use your left hand to open his left lapel and feed it to your right hand, which grips deep. Only then does your left hand go for the other lapel. To finish, lean back slightly and toward the side of the collar hand.
You often reach this position when uke rolls onto his stomach to escape a pin. From tate-shiho-gatame, that turn hands you his back. BJJ players will recognize the work from back control.
From the turtle
In judo, uke turtles all the time while waiting for the referee's "matte". You are at his side or behind him.
Slide your right hand under his chin to grip the left lapel, and take the right lapel under his armpit with your left hand. From there you have three options depending on his reaction:
- he stays compact: walk around his head with your weight on his back, and the lapel tightens with every step (the version known in English as the clock choke);
- he pushes backward: roll to your side and take him with you, finishing on your back with him on top of you;
- he turns toward your arm: switch to another attack, such as sankaku-jime.
Against the turtle, the walking version is the safest choice in competition. It does not expose you to a reversal.
Defending as uke
Tucking your chin is not enough, because the lapel slides under it. Attack the hand at the neck. Grab the wrist with both hands and pull down to stop it going deep. Then slide your shoulders toward the mat on the side of the choking hand so you get your back down and can turn to face him.
If you only guard the lapel with one hand, you leave the neck open for hadaka-jime, which needs no jacket.
Safety
Like every blood choke, okuri-eri-jime can put someone out quickly. Train it with a coach present. Uke taps twice and tori lets go immediately. Chokes are banned in the youngest age groups. The age at which they become legal is set by each national federation.
For the full set of chokes, armlocks and pins, the ne-waza and katame-waza page covers the ground. The gokyo page explains how the Kodokan organizes the throws.
A competitor's tip: as soon as your opponent drops to the turtle, get a hand into the lapel before you think about anything else. Even if you never finish, the threat forces him to defend his neck. His hips loosen, and that is when turnovers start to work.