You are in your local pub/club/bar when.............

......someone grabs you from behind. Their right forearm is around your throat.

What do you do next???

(Further posts under this topic will have a number. This is Q#1)

Your most immediate concern here is your airway, so turning your windpipe into the crook of the attackers arm and pulling downwards with your right hand is a must. From here the old favourites can be applied. Rear headbutt, rear elbow strike, shin scrape, testical grab and rip (ouch).Once a weekener has been applied, one might consider turning inside the headlock and escaping out behind the attacker. HOWEVER moderation might well be the key. In my experience this is not the usual form of initial attack in a bar situation so it might just be a friend of yours messing about - breaking his nose with a rear head butt might be.....unfortunate. Forget throws you'll break your neck and frankly if anyone who knows what they're doing gets a augmented rear naked on you - you're in deep trouble - AIRWAY is vital you've got a matter of seconds.

I agree. You can turn your head, expand the muscles in your neck and grab the arm and pull down. This will allow time to learn if the attack is genuine from the resistence you get to your actions. Most often than not a genuine attack will be reinforced when the attacker grabs 'his' own wrist.

Remember that not only friends have a habit of using this "greeting". I have also seen it used by boucers to remove people from bars. Quite an effective technique if you are a 7ft brick shithouse!!

I would like peoples opinions on the following possibilities if the attack is genuine:
1) the forearm is reinforced with another hand and you being pulled backwards.
2) the forearem pulls away slightly to reveal an edged weapon, the edge pressed against your throat.


Budo.

If the attacker is only using one arm and doesn't have you in a true rear-naked choke then you can sweep him or body slam him using various techs. First, grab the crook of the elbow to help release pressure on your neck while turning your head towards the crook in his elbow. Step behind him with your left, lift his legs and dump him. 9 times out of 10 he'll loosen his grip and you can throw him. An easier escape would be follow the same steps mentioned above, but still holding his right arm you'll be in a headlock position. Step behind him your arm controlling the crook of his arm from behind the arm. Your chin should be tucked in, and as you step back use your left to push him in his back (forward). You can push him away from you or trap the arm if you don't want to reliquish control, and finish with an Americana armlock.

Whatever tech you attempt, try and step behind him to steal his balance. Protect your face by turning towards his elbow and tucking your chin in immediately, so that he'll hit the top of your head if he punches you. The two escapes I mentioned are very simple and even if he's big you can slam him head over heals. There are even simpler maneuvers, but someone'll probably mention them later anyway. Peace....

Judderman- re your two points.
(1)If the forearm of the choking arm is reinforced with the other hand / figure four headlock is being applied along with a pulling motion backwards. I say fine if thats what he wants, go with it! However dont just totter backwards with him, charge backwards in the direction of his pull and run him into a wall/bar/table/pillar - whatever.
(2) edged weapon to the throat. Hmm nasty!
Well its a bit of a lose or lose badly situation. Cutting someones throat is not as easy as in the movies and often requires a thorough sawing to accomplish. That being said as this is a public place, the knife might simply be guarentee compliance rather than to commit murder under the gaze of 50 odd people. You may choose to grab the blade, take the cut hand and work from there, you may choose to do as you are instructed up to a point and see if a more advantageous situation develops. With a knife in this situation all bets are off really.

I'd tell my wife to stop pissing about!

You go to the toilet, as you finish you are pinned to the wall by a persona non grata, by both lapels....

It appears you are going to get...

a) head butted for inadvertently looking at this person.

b) kneed in the groin for inadvertently not looking at this person.

What do you do next???

turn to the side and drop into a modified horse stance while hammerfisting to the groin. This will cause his top portion to come foward so you meet his head with an open palm. As he then tips backward you hit the groin or the stomach or the solar plexus, which makes him bend forward again. If he's stupid and still hasn't let go, this is the point where I'd strike at his throat.