Issue 087
April 2012
Get the tap every time with FO’s ultimate guide to the guillotine
Pete Irving
Professional fighter
Pete Irving is a professional welterweight fighter and Fighters Only’s resident fight expert.
As MMA athletes have become increasingly knowledgeable, well-conditioned and skilled in wrestling, the humble guillotine has spawned numerous variations. With the right grips and pressures you can negate the classic counter attacks, and even use them to your advantage to achieve the finish. First, we’ll show you the typical set-ups and counters to help prepare you for potential escapes before giving your our ‘inescapable’ approaches.
OLD FASHIONED GUILLOTINE AND HIGH-CROTCH COUNTER
1 Pete (left) has wrapped Rick’s neck and is controlling his head underneath his armpit.
2 Pete hips in, crushing Rick’s trachea with his forearm.
3 Because Pete’s hips are close, Rick is able to execute a simple high-crotch lift, relieving the pressure on his neck. From here Rick can throw Pete to the mat. Throwing the legs to the side will prevent Pete from closing his guard, thus preventing the application of the choke.
OLD-FASHIONED GUILLOTINE FROM CLOSED GUARD AND ARM-TRAP COUNTER
1 Pete has Rick’s head trapped under his armpit and his legs closed around Rick’s waist.
2 Pete squeezes his grip and stretches Rick out by pressing his hips away.
3 Rick counters Pete’s pressure with a stack. He tripods up by posting on his head and standing up in a wide base. By reaching around the back of Pete’s head, Rick’s shoulder presses on Pete’s neck. The more Pete tries to stretch Rick out, the heavier the pressure on his own neck.
4 Rick hand fights, loosening Pete’s grip on his neck and pinning the wrist to mat.
5 Rick posts his far knee back down on the mat and postures up, passing Pete’s hand beneath his back and grasping it with the far hand.
6 Rick has a free hand to punch with or pressure the guard open, whilst Pete is defenseless on one side and left with a twisted posture.
SNAP DOWN TO X-GUILLOTINE
1 Pete snaps down on the back of Rick’s head, not the neck, which is easier to resist. Pete is controlling the head in the center this time, the crown of Rick’s head in his sternum.
2 Pete grabs a chinstrap, pushing the pad of his thumb up under Rick’s chin.
3 Pete crosses his far hand over the other, squeezing his elbows in and placing his head on Rick’s back. Pete can use his hips to apply the crush, but Rick is unable to secure a leg tackle because he is limited by his head position.
4 A detailed look at the grip.
CLOSED GUARD GUILLOTINE WITH HIGH-ELBOW FINISH
The high-elbow finish appeared a few years ago, popularized by submission grappling virtuoso Marcelo Garcia. The high elbow prevents the top man from reaching around the neck and negates the stack.
1 Pete initiates his attack on Rick’s neck by sitting up from the closed guard. His legs are not locked, but his legs are still squeezing together.
2 Pete grabs his wrist and punches his elbow up over Rick’s shoulder.
3 When Rick attempts to stack the pressure on his neck increases as he drives his shoulder against Pete’s.
4 A detailed look at the hand position.
