The following drills and concepts can be done in an hour session of a typical MMA Class. It is based on the video "The Easiest Counter to the Guillotine Choke (for Gi, No Gi, and MMA)" by Stephan Kesting.
1. Basic Concepts
Understanding the Guillotine: The guillotine choke is a submission that applies pressure on the neck, targeting the carotid arteries or the windpipe.
Positioning: Proper positioning is crucial, with the opponent's head under the armpit and the forearm under the neck.
Strong vs. Weak Side: The side of the body relative to the attacking arm determines the strength of the choke. If the attacker's right arm is used, the right side is the strong side, and the left is the weak side.
Body Alignment: To maximize the choke's effectiveness, the attacker must ensure that the opponent's head and body are on the same side as the attacking arm.
2. Step by Step Drills
Defensive Drill: Practice escaping the guillotine by identifying the attacking arm and moving to the weak side. Start on all fours, close your eyes, have a partner apply the guillotine, and then scramble to the opposite side of the attacking arm.
Offensive Drill: When applying the guillotine, pull guard, ensuring that the opponent's head and body are on the strong side of the choke. Use a shin across or leg over position instead of a full guard to apply pressure with minimal effort.
3. Anything Else
Grip Variations: There are various grips for the guillotine, and the effectiveness of the choke can depend on the specific grip used.
Ball and Socket Grip: This is the most basic grip for guillotine chokes, used for both the arm-in and regular guillotine[1].
High Elbow Guillotine: This variation involves keeping the strangle arm as high as possible and pulling the elbow close to the body to block escape opportunities[2].
Arm-In Guillotine: Popularized by Renzo Gracie, this variation is common in MMA but has a higher failure rate if not executed correctly[4].
Marcelotine: Named after Marcelo Garcia, this is a tight "high elbow" style of guillotine choke applied from the closed guard[4].
10 Finger Guillotine: This variation uses both sets of fingers to apply pressure and is demonstrated by Denny Prokopos of 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu[4].
One-Arm Guillotine: Explained by Kenny Florian, this variation allows for a choke with only one arm, useful when the other arm is occupied[4].
Pretzel Grip Guillotine: A different grip for the high elbow guillotine, which some find easier to secure[4].
Reverse Grip: Instead of the supporting hand's palm on the back of the choking hand, the reverse grip involves rotating the wrist[5].
Hingertine**: Popularized by Josh Hinger, this uses a chinstrap grip and is performed as a tracheal choke[8].
Advanced Techniques: The video mentions advanced guillotine variations like the elbow-over guillotine, which may require different escape strategies.
Further Learning: The video references an article by Rob Biernacki on advanced guillotine chokes, which includes techniques like chinstrap control and high elbow guillotine.
TL;DR: The video emphasizes the importance of understanding the strong and weak sides of the guillotine choke and how to use this knowledge both offensively and defensively. Practicing these drills can help practitioners become more adept at applying and escaping the guillotine choke in various grappling scenarios.
That’s it for today.