The Strangle Philosophy

Martial Arts Is Life

Actually, Judo is Life is what I typically say. The original "gentle way" has been in my family for more than 60 years, so it’s my first love, my gateway to jiu jitsu, and the scaffolding under which I’ve built much of my life, worldview and this penny-ante philosophy. I admire its history, try to live its values and find freedom of expression in its practice. 

Judo is Life doesn't mean it's all that matters. It recognizes that while art may imitate life, martial arts practice it—goal setting, failure, pain, disappointment, perseverance and achievement. Like life, you get out what you put in. Nowhere can this be learned more viscerally than in a dojo. We learn humility in the plain, universal language of an ass beating, and if we forget it, we’re taught again. 

All of that applies to life. Indeed, all of that is life. Judo’s founder, Jigoro Kano, wrote of judo as a philosophy of gentleness and giving way. Not to cower or shy away from conflict, but to use its momentum to efficiently defeat it. “Even if you are stronger than your opponent,” he wrote, “it is better to first give way. By doing so you conserve energy while exhausting your opponent.” That simple principle has served me well in business, relationships and life more times than I care to count.

I launched Strangle Co. because I wanted a brand that reflects all these sentiments, and named it Strangle because, personally, I'm drawn to the aggression and intend to hold nothing back. It’s more freedom of expression, another story going up under the scaffolding. We're here to contribute to these killer arts and make our mark representing all who cosign what the Strangle Co. brand embodies.

Patrick Dooley

Chief Submission Officer

Strangle Co.