What is the Guillotine Choke?
The guillotine wraps the neck from the front — usually after a sprawl on a takedown or when the opponent dives for your legs. It is one of the most searched no-gi submissions because it connects wrestling defense directly to a fight-ending choke.
Setup
- Sprawl heavy on a shot and thread the choking arm deep around the neck.
- Lock a palm-to-palm, gable, or chinstrap grip with the choking forearm under the jaw.
- Fall to guard or butterfly guard to remove the opponent’s base.
Execution
- Close your elbow toward your ribs and expand your chest.
- Pinch the shoulder of the trapped side and extend legs to break posture down.
- Finish with steady pressure — avoid cranking the neck backward.
Finishing
- High-elbow guillotine: lift the elbow and squeeze the forearm into the carotid.
- Arm-in version: control the trapped arm and use a figure-four grip for leverage.
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Safety Note
Guillotines can crank the neck if the wrap is shallow. Seat the forearm under the jaw on the neck line, finish with chest pressure, and release immediately on tap.
Primary Targets
- Neck
- Carotid arteries
Key Concepts
- Chin over the opponent’s head — don’t chase the choke with a shallow wrap.
- Sprawl first, choke second; hips back creates the opening.
- Guard choice matters: butterfly allows elevation; closed guard adds control.
Primary Entries
- Single- and double-leg shot defense with hard sprawl.
- Snap-down from collar ties in the clinch.
- Front headlock after failed turtle escapes.
Defenses & Counters
- Expect chin tucks and posture recovery — re-thread deep before falling to guard.
- Watch for stacks that flatten you in closed guard; keep hips mobile and the elbow pinched.
- If they extract the head, abandon early and return to front headlock control rather than ripping.
Follow-Ups
- D’arce or anaconda when an arm-in wrap slides too deep for a standard finish.
- Peruvian necktie when grips and angle shift in no-gi.
- Sweep to mount if they post hard and the choke opens top space.
- Anaconda or D'arce when the arm-in guillotine slips deep.
- Peruvian necktie variations in no-gi when grips change.
- Sweep to mount if the choke opens space on top.
Training Drills
- Sprawl-to-guillotine reaction rounds on takedown entries.
- High-elbow finish reps from butterfly guard.
- Arm-in guillotine to sweep chain with light resistance.
Related Techniques
Deepen your study with complementary positions and attacks.
Summary
The guillotine turns defensive wrestling into offense. Sprawl deep, capture the neck before they recover posture, and finish with chest expansion rather than a neck crank.