Guillotine Defense
Defense · Closed Guard
Clears a guillotine before it locks and leaves you on top in his guard, ready to pass. The moment is when his arm is around your neck but the grip is not set. Grab the choking arm at wrist and forearm with both hands and hang your weight on it to take the forearm off your windpipe; tuck your chin and turn it toward his choking arm. Walk your body in short steps to the side of the arm over your neck, where your head and body line up and the forearm cannot cut in, and drive your shoulder into his jaw with your chest down on him, pushing his head away from his own arm until the grip opens. Hands go on the arm, never on his face. The window closes once his elbow is high and deep past your shoulder; a locked guillotine chokes fast, so tap early.
How to do it
- Grab the choking arm with both hands at the wrist and forearm and pull it down, hanging your weight on it. This takes the forearm off your windpipe and buys you time to breathe.
- Tuck your chin and turn it towards their choking arm. The chin blocks the forearm from sliding deeper under your throat.
- Walk your body to the side of the arm over your neck, in short steps while you keep pulling the arm down. On that side your neck lines up with your body and the choke loses the angle it needs.
- Drive your shoulder into their jaw and your chest down onto them. The shoulder pushes their head back and away from their arm, so their elbow can no longer stay high and deep.
- When the grip opens, pull your head out towards the side you walked to and pass, keeping your chest on theirs.
Key details
- Hands on the arm, not on the face: the choke is made by the forearm, and pushing the face does not move it.
- Go to the side of the arm over the neck: there your head and body are in one line and the forearm cannot cut in.
- Shoulder pressure opens the grip: with your shoulder on their jaw their head is pushed away from their own arm and the arm lengthens.
- Defend before their elbow gets high and deep past your shoulder: after that the window closes.
- Against a high-elbow guillotine pulling the wrist helps little: reach your hand to your own hip, bring it over the top and control their elbow, put your shoulder down and walk around to beat the knee.
- If you are late and they have the inside position, do not drive up into it: go back and work the roll-out.
Common mistakes
- Pulling the head straight back out of the choke. — Pulling back drags your throat into the forearm and tightens the choke. — Pull the arm down with both hands and walk to the side of the arm over the neck.
- Walking to the wrong side, away from the arm over the neck. — Moving away bends the neck away from your body and the choke gets tighter with every step. — Go to the side of the arm over your neck.
- Jumping into their guard to relieve the pressure. — They close the guard, push your hips away with their legs and finish the choke. — Stay outside their legs and pass to the side of the choking arm.
If they defend
- They pull guard with the choke. → Keep the shoulder pressure and walk around.
- They switch to an arm-in guillotine. → Keep the arm deep and turn into them.
How to drill it
Partner sets a loose guillotine, you pull the arm and walk around, 8 reps each side.
Safety
A locked guillotine chokes fast: tap early. Partner keeps the grip loose in drills.
Where it comes from