Guillotine Choke
Submission · Open Guard
A blood choke on both carotids: your forearm is wrapped around his neck from above, and your hips and legs do the squeezing. It comes from seated guard, at the moment he bends forward to pass and his head comes down. Your arm goes around the back of his neck, with the forearm under his chin deep enough that the wrist passes his jaw. Clasp your hands, close the guard if you can, and pin his head in your armpit with your chest on the back of his head. Go to an angle toward the choking side, crunch the elbow to your hip, then arch and lift the hips. Keep the elbow high and tight; low, it only compresses the windpipe. The timing decides it: catch the head before he postures back up. Squeeze gradually.
How to do it
- When they bend forward to pass and the head comes down, wrap the neck from above: your arm goes around the back of the neck and the forearm under the chin, deep enough that the wrist passes the jaw.
- Clasp your hands and close your guard around them if you can, so the legs hold their body while the arms work on the neck.
- Put your chest on the back of their head, pinning the head in your armpit so it cannot slide out.
- Go to an angle toward the choking side and crunch the choking elbow toward your hip, keeping the elbow tight.
- Arch and lift the hips to finish: the legs stretch their body away while the forearm pulls up into the neck, so the body does the work, not the arms.
Key details
- Timing: catch the head as it comes down, before they can posture back up.
- Finish with the body, not the arms: the hips and legs are many times stronger than the arms and do not tire as fast.
- Close the guard around them if you can: it stops them from passing while your arms are busy.
- Every time their head goes down to pass, the guillotine is there, so keep an arm ready by their neck.
- Finish at an angle toward the choking side, crunching the elbow to your hip: the angle tightens the forearm across the neck.
- Get your clasped hands high on your chest and close the shoulder down toward your ear: curling the forearm up like a biceps curl is the weakest finish and easy to hand-fight.
- If you cannot close the guard, throw your leg over the far hip: it stops him rolling or flipping out, and if he rolls you follow.
Common mistakes
- Open legs during the finish. — With open legs their body is free, so they pass while your arms are busy. — Close the guard around them first; the legs hold them while the arms choke.
- The arm is too shallow. — A shallow arm squeezes the jaw, which hurts but does not close the neck. — Reach deep until the wrist passes the jaw.
- Pulling with the arms only. — The arms alone tire long before the neck gives up. — Use the legs and hips to stretch their body away from the choking arm.
- Falling flat on your back with the head far from his. — Arching back opens space and his head slips straight out. — Fall onto your side, keep your head close to his and everything pulled forward, then close the guard and crunch.
If they defend
- They walk to the side of the arm. → Follow with the hips and keep the guard; the angle only gets better.
- They hide the chin. → The head is still low: switch to the arm-in guillotine.
How to drill it
Open guard: the partner shoots, you catch the neck and close the guard, 10 reps; finish only on the last 3.
Safety
Squeeze gradually and stop at the tap.