Guillotine from Guard
- BJJ
- Guard Attacks
- fundamental
- Closed guard
- 3 steps
When the head drops in, wrap under the chin, close the guard and extend to strangle. Also known as the Front guillotine or the Mae hadaka jime. Here is the exact breakdown from the DARCE app: 3 steps, the details that make it work, and the mistakes to avoid.
When to use it
Use the guillotine when the opponent’s head drops in front of you: on a takedown attempt, a sweep defence or as they lean in to pass. Wrap the chin before they can lift the head. It pairs with the hip bump, because sitting up brings your arm over the neck.
Step by step
- 01
Their head drops in
As they posture down or shoot, their head comes inside your guard.
- 02
Wrap the chin
Thread one arm under their chin around the neck and grip it with the other hand, blade of the wrist on the throat.
- 03
Close guard & extend
Lock your guard high on their back, arch your hips away and lift the choking arm up to finish.
Key details
- Get the arm deep so the wrist, not the forearm, is on the throat.
- Close the guard high and push the hips away to stretch them out.
- Lift the choking elbow upward as you arch.
Common mistakes
- A shallow wrap that chokes nothing.
- Pulling with the arms without arching the hips.
- Letting them pull their head out to the side.
Common counters
Opponents step to the side to relieve the neck, turn the chin into your chest, or pass to the side as you close your guard. A shallow wrap chokes nothing. Get the wrist deep under the chin and close your guard high.
How to drill it
Your partner leans into your closed guard with the head low: wrap the chin, close the guard and arch to finish, ten reps. Then do three rounds of one minute where they defend by stepping to the side.
Related techniques
- OmoplataBJJA leg-powered shoulder lock: swing a leg over the arm and shoulder and sit up to crank it.
- Triangle ChokeBJJTrap the head and one arm and strangle with your legs in a figure-four around the neck.
- Armbar from GuardBJJIsolate an arm, swing a leg over the head and extend the hips to attack the elbow.
- Scissor SweepBJJLoad a shin across the body and scissor the legs to sweep the opponent and come up on top.
- Hip Bump SweepBJJSit up, reach over the shoulder and bump your hips to roll the opponent over into mount.
- Cross-Collar ChokeBJJFeed both hands deep into the collars and flare the elbows to strangle from guard.
Train it with the AI coach