Strangling is compression of the neck that may lead to
unconsciousness or
death by causing an increasingly
hypoxic state in the brain. Fatal strangling typically occurs in cases of violence, accidents, and as the auxiliary lethal mechanism in
hangings in the event the neck does not break. Strangling does not have to be fatal; limited or interrupted strangling is practised in
erotic asphyxia, in the
choking game, and is an important technique in many
combat sports and
self-defence systems.