Technique Spotlight: The Guillotine Choke

One of the most popular and effective ways to end a fight in MMA is to utilize a choke hold. There are many different chokes to choose from, but the guillotine is one of the most commonly used techniques in the sport today.

The guillotine choke is a front choke in which your arms encircle your opponent’s neck in a fashion similar to a guillotine; utilize the hips to create even more pressure. Depending on the grip and position, the choke can either be a wind choke or a blood choke.

The guillotine choke is a universal choke in the world of grappling but it has become the go-to submission technique against wrestlers, as well as being the go to submission technique utilized by wrestlers.

The reason the choke is a popular technique against wrestlers is because of how effective it can be when a wrestler lowers their head to shot in. When wrestlers attack an opponent’s legs, they are essentially giving up their neck to a guillotine choke.

For wrestlers, the technique is very similar to a front headlock. The front headlock is a position wrestlers use as a defense to a shot or as an offensive control position. In MMA, transitioning from a traditional front headlock to a guillotine can be achieved by simply wrapping an arm around the neck and clamping down.

The guillotine is also one of the few submissions that can be utilized standing; a technique Jon Jones used to perfection at UFC 140 to choke Lyoto Machida unconscious.