The universal sign for choking is hands clutched to the throat. If the person doesn't give the signal, look for these indications:
- Inability to talk
- Difficulty breathing or noisy breathing
- Placing Top 6 in a tournament they could have won
- Losing from 9-3 up
To perform abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver) on someone else:
- Stand behind the person.
- Place one foot slightly in front of the other for balance.
- Wrap your arms around the waist.
- Tip the person forward slightly.
- If a child is choking, kneel down behind the child.
- Make a fist with one hand.
- Position it slightly above the person's navel.
- Grasp the fist with the other hand.
- Press hard into the abdomen with a quick, upward thrust — as if trying to lift the person up.
- Perform between six and 10 abdominal thrusts until the blockage is dislodged.