Standard Club Mills vs Choker Mills: What's the Difference?

If you've spent any time watching people train with steel clubs, you've probably noticed that not everyone performs mills the same way.

Some athletes perform what we would consider a standard two-handed mill. Others use a variation that has become commonly known as a choker mill.

Neither is necessarily right or wrong, but they do create a different feel and slightly different training stimulus.

In this video, we wanted to break down the differences and explain what separates the two styles.

What Is a Standard Club Mill?

A standard two-handed mill follows a path that will feel familiar to anyone who has spent time swinging a mace.

As the club comes around in front of the body, it casts over the opposite shoulder and travels behind the head before returning to the front position.

The movement is smooth, open, and allows the shoulders and arms to move freely through the pattern.

For many people, it feels natural and allows them to maintain a comfortable position throughout the movement.

This is the style of mill that most people picture when they think of traditional two-handed club training.

What Is a Choker Mill?

A choker mill changes the path of the club as it travels behind the head.

Instead of casting over the opposite shoulder, both hands stay together in a way that resembles a one-arm mill pattern.

As a result, the arms become more compressed on one side of the body during the transition behind the head.

This is where the nickname "choker mill" comes from.

The positioning often brings one arm closer to the face and neck as the club travels through the movement.

Many athletes enjoy this style because it creates a different feel and changes how the load is distributed throughout the arms and shoulders.

How the Two Styles Feel Different

The biggest difference isn't necessarily what the movement looks like from the outside.

It's what the movement feels like.

With a standard mill, the shoulders stay relatively open throughout the pattern. The club moves around the body in a way that feels fluid and unrestricted.

With a choker mill, the body position becomes more compact. The arms are brought closer together and the load is shifted into slightly different positions as the club travels behind the head.

Neither style is inherently superior.

They're simply different ways of performing a similar movement.

There's a Place for Both

In our own training, we probably spend more time performing standard mills than choker mills.

Part of that is simply familiarity. Standard mills have been a staple in our club training for years, and they naturally fit the way we like to move and train.

That said, we still mix in choker mills from time to time.

The different arm position and loading pattern create a unique feel that can add some variety to your training. Depending on your goals, experience level, mobility, or simply what feels good for your body, choker mills can be a useful variation to have available.

We don't really look at this as a right-versus-wrong discussion.

Instead, we look at it the same way we look at many other club and mace movements: different tools for different situations.

The more movement options you understand, the more ways you have to challenge yourself, explore new patterns, and keep training interesting over the long term.

For most people, it's worth spending some time with both styles and seeing what each one brings to the table.

Experiment and Find What Works

One of the things we enjoy most about club training is that there are countless ways to explore movement.

The same tool can be used in multiple ways, and small changes in technique can create completely different experiences.

Standard mills and choker mills are a great example of that. Each variation creates a different feel, different positioning, and slightly different demands on the body.

Rather than choosing one and ignoring the other, we think there's value in understanding both and using each when it makes sense for your training.

Watch the video above to see both styles side-by-side and learn the key differences between standard club mills and choker mills.