The Guillotine Choke
The guillotine is the punishment for a lazy takedown and the great equalizer in a scramble — a front-headlock choke you can hit from your feet, your guard, or the mat. Here is how the finish actually works, and the Rickson-lineage secret to staying calm and escaping when someone latches one on you.
By the numbers: The guillotine ranked among the top ten submissions across 3,209 elite finishes in our data study. See the full breakdown in the most common submissions in jiu-jitsu.
What is the guillotine choke?
The guillotine is a front choke applied when an opponent's head is down in front of you. You wrap an arm around the neck, place the blade of your forearm under the chin and across the throat, connect your hands (or trap the near arm for the “arm-in” version), and finish by closing space and lifting. Placed on the neck it is a blood choke; slipped up to the windpipe it becomes a weaker air choke. Marcelo Garcia's high-elbow variation — the “Marcelotine” — turned it into a world-title-winning weapon.
The details that make it finish
- Blade under the chin, on the neck — not across the jaw or face.
- Close the space between your chest and their head; a loose guillotine is a failed guillotine.
- Pick your version: high-elbow (drive the choking elbow up and rotate your torso) or arm-in (trap the near arm so their own shoulder becomes the second wall).
- Finish by expanding — lift the forearm and open your chest, rather than just curling your arms.
Common mistakes
- Choking the chin or face instead of the neck.
- Leaving space so the opponent can posture and pop their head out.
- Pulling with the arms only instead of using your whole torso.
How to defend and escape the guillotine
The guillotine feels frightening, but it is one of the most escapable chokes if you stay calm and take the pressure off your neck early — get a hand in to relieve it, follow the choking arm, and turn the corner to the safe side. Henry Akins' defense breakdowns below show exactly how to relax inside the choke and get out.
▶ “The Guillotine Defense SECRET” — Henry Akins' Hidden Jiu-Jitsu (Rickson Gracie black belt).
▶ “Relaxing Inside the Arm-In Guillotine While Your Opponent Tires” — Henry Akins' Hidden Jiu-Jitsu.
Frequently asked questions
What is a guillotine choke?
A front-headlock choke: an arm wraps the neck with the forearm under the chin, and the finish comes from closing space and lifting. It can be a blood choke (on the neck) or a weaker air choke (on the windpipe).
How do you finish a guillotine?
Blade of the forearm under the chin and on the neck, close the space between you and their head, and expand — lift the forearm and open the chest rather than pulling with the arms.
How do you defend a guillotine choke?
Stay calm and relieve the neck pressure immediately — get a hand inside, follow the choking arm, and turn the corner to the safe side. Panic and a stiff posture are what finish you.
See it on The BJJ Project
Our primary video source for the encyclopedia is The BJJ Project — the channel of Rickson-lineage black belt Chris “Bones” Burns, a friend of the show. Here is the guillotine from closed guard, and how to defend the front choke:
▶ “How to Do a Guillotine from Closed Guard Correctly” — Chris “Bones” Burns · The BJJ Project.
▶ “Defending a Front Choke from Closed Guard” — The BJJ Project.
Learn from the source: the Rickson lineage
These details come from the Rickson-Gracie school of “invisible jiu-jitsu.” Go even deeper with Chris “Bones” Burns' The BJJ Project and Henry Akins' Hidden Jiu-Jitsu, and hear the philosophy on our podcast with Rickson-lineage black belts Scott Burr and James Driskill.
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