Guillotine Defense

What it is

Guillotine defense is how you survive and escape the guillotine: hand fight to take the pressure off the throat, keep your posture with your hips in and your weight on them, then reach your arm over the shoulder of their choking arm and move toward that side, the side your head is on. From their closed guard the same move becomes a pass to the choking-arm side.

When to use it

• When they wrap your neck as you shoot a takedown or after a snap down.
• In their closed guard, when they sit up and lock the guillotine.
• As early as you can feel the arm around the neck, before the grip is locked.

How to do it

1. Hand fight: tuck your chin and pull the choking arm down off your throat with both hands.
2. Fix your posture: bring your hips in close and keep your weight on them instead of pulling back.
3. Reach your arm over the shoulder of their choking arm, on the side your head is on.
4. Move toward the choking-arm side: from standing, walk around to that side; from their guard, pass to that side.
5. Drop your shoulder into their jaw and settle your weight, then turn your head toward their elbow and free it.

Key details

• Chin down and hands on the arm first. Without that, the rest is too late.
• Hips in, not back. Pulling away straightens your neck and tightens the choke.
• Go to the choking-arm side, the side your head is on. Going the other way turns your neck into the choke.
• Tap early if the choke is already locked and tight.

Common mistakes

• Mistake: pulling your head straight back out. The blade slides under the chin and the choke tightens.
• Mistake: passing to the side away from the choking arm. You turn into the squeeze.
• Mistake: letting them close the guard with your hips back. They lean back and finish.

What they will try

• They close the guard and lean back before you can move to the side.
• They circle with you as you move, to keep you square in front of them.

Gi and no-gi

The defense is the same in gi and no-gi. In no-gi the arm slides deeper on a sweaty neck, so start the hand fight earlier.