In Judo practice there are three basic ways of choking or strangling an opponent, as well as some combinations of the three:

1.     Compression of the carotid arteries on one or both sides of the neck restricting the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain.

2.     Compression of the windpipe (trachea) stopping or reducing the flow of air to the lungs.

3.     Compression of the chest and lungs preventing the opponent from inhaling (often used during pinning techniques).

These methods are sometimes distinguished by different terms and may be referred to as choking, strangling, wringing, or neck locks. However they are grouped together as a class of grappling techniques called shime waza. Shime means constriction and waza means technique so this group of techniques are all those involving constriction. The english term "choking" in Judo technically refers to the constriction or blockage of the windpipe which prevents breathing, and "strangulation" technically means compression of the arteries to prevent blood from reaching the brain. However, in this article and in most Judo classes the term choking techniques is synonymous with all of the kinds of shimewaza.