Guillotine Control Top is a dominant submission-control position where the top practitioner has secured a guillotine choke grip while maintaining superior positioning. This position represents a critical junction between positional control and submission finishing, offering the top player multiple high-percentage pathways to victory. The position is characterized by the choking arm wrapped around the opponent’s neck with hands clasped together, while the top player uses their body weight and positioning to prevent escape and tighten the submission. Unlike the guillotine from guard (where the bottom player attempts the choke), this top variation provides superior leverage and control, making it one of the highest-percentage submissions in modern BJJ.
The strategic value of Guillotine Control Top lies in its versatility—the top player can finish the submission from multiple positions (standing, closed guard top, half guard top, or even while passing), adjust grip configurations for different finishing mechanics, or use the threat of the choke to advance position. The position creates a powerful dilemma for the opponent: defending the choke often opens pathways to mount, back control, or other dominant positions, while ignoring positional defense to focus solely on hand fighting leaves them vulnerable to the finish. This makes Guillotine Control Top not just a submission position, but a complete control system that forces opponents into progressively worse situations regardless of their defensive choices.
Position Definition
- Choking arm wrapped around opponent’s neck with forearm or bicep crossing the front of the throat, head trapped between arm and body
- Hands clasped together in a secure grip configuration (palm-to-palm, gable grip, or arm-in variation) creating a closed loop around the neck
- Top player’s body weight distributed to prevent opponent from standing or creating space, typically with hips heavy and head positioning controlling direction
- Top player maintains superior position (standing over, in closed guard top, half guard top, or side control) with ability to adjust angle and pressure
- Opponent’s posture broken forward with head lower than hips, limiting their ability to relieve pressure on the neck or create defensive frames
Prerequisites
- Successful guillotine grip established from guard pull, sprawl, turtle attack, or scramble situation
- Control of opponent’s head with ability to break their posture forward
- Top player has established or is establishing superior positioning (not locked in opponent’s closed guard)
- Hands secured together in chosen grip configuration with proper forearm or bicep placement across throat
- Opponent’s defensive frames either not established or being actively controlled
Key Offensive Principles
- Keep opponent’s head lower than their hips at all times to maintain choke pressure and prevent escape
- Use hip pressure and body weight to close space and prevent opponent from creating defensive distance
- Maintain tight connection between choking arm and your torso—any gap reduces choking pressure significantly
- Control opponent’s ability to turn into you or away from you using head position, shoulder pressure, and leg positioning
- Adjust grip and angle continuously based on opponent’s defensive movements rather than maintaining static position
- Use the threat of the choke to facilitate position advancement when direct finish is not immediately available
- Keep your own posture strong and base wide to prevent opponent from sweeping or reversing while you work the submission
Available Attacks
Guillotine Choke → Won by Submission
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 45%
- Intermediate: 60%
- Advanced: 75%
High Elbow Guillotine → Won by Submission
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 35%
- Intermediate: 55%
- Advanced: 70%
Arm in Guillotine → Won by Submission
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 40%
- Intermediate: 58%
- Advanced: 72%
Front Headlock to Anaconda → Anaconda Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 30%
- Intermediate: 50%
- Advanced: 65%
Front Headlock to Darce → D’arce Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 28%
- Intermediate: 48%
- Advanced: 63%
Transition to Mount → Mount
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 50%
- Intermediate: 65%
- Advanced: 78%
Transition to North-South → North-South
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 55%
- Intermediate: 68%
- Advanced: 80%
Guard Pass → Side Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 45%
- Intermediate: 62%
- Advanced: 75%
Decision Making from This Position
If opponent’s posture is broken forward and chin is exposed:
- Execute Guillotine Choke → Won by Submission (Probability: 75%)
- Execute High Elbow Guillotine → Won by Submission (Probability: 70%)
If opponent tucks chin and defends neck but neglects position:
- Execute Transition to Mount → Mount (Probability: 78%)
- Execute Transition to North-South → North-South (Probability: 72%)
If opponent turns into you to defend:
- Execute Front Headlock to Anaconda → Anaconda Control (Probability: 65%)
- Execute Front Headlock to Darce → D’arce Control (Probability: 63%)
If opponent has arm trapped inside the guillotine:
- Execute Arm in Guillotine → Won by Submission (Probability: 72%)
- Execute Transition to Mount → Mount (Probability: 68%)
If opponent creates distance with legs but not hand fighting:
- Execute Guard Pass → Side Control (Probability: 75%)
- Execute High Elbow Guillotine → Won by Submission (Probability: 65%)
Optimal Submission Paths
Direct finish from standing entry
Sprawl → Guillotine Setup → Guillotine Control Top → Guillotine Choke → Won by Submission
High-percentage arm-in variation
Guard Pull → Guillotine Setup → Guillotine Control Top → Arm in Guillotine → Won by Submission
Anaconda transition path
Guillotine Control Top → Front Headlock to Anaconda → Anaconda Control → Anaconda Choke → Won by Submission
Position advancement to mount finish
Guillotine Control Top → Transition to Mount → Mount → Armbar from Mount → Won by Submission
Darce conversion from defense
Guillotine Control Top → Front Headlock to Darce → D'arce Control → Darce Choke → Won by Submission
Success Rates and Statistics
| Skill Level | Retention Rate | Advancement Probability | Submission Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 55% | 45% | 40% |
| Intermediate | 68% | 62% | 60% |
| Advanced | 78% | 75% | 75% |
Average Time in Position: 30-90 seconds
Expert Analysis
John Danaher
The guillotine control top position represents a fascinating study in biomechanical leverage and the interplay between submission and position. The fundamental principle that makes this position so effective is the creation of a fulcrum using your own body against the opponent’s neck—their head becomes trapped between your choking arm and your torso, creating a lever system where small adjustments in angle produce dramatic increases in pressure. What separates elite guillotine players from intermediate practitioners is understanding that the grip itself is only half the equation; the other half is hip positioning and weight distribution. When you secure the guillotine from a sprawl or front headlock, your hips must immediately drive forward and down, preventing the opponent from establishing their guard while simultaneously increasing the choking pressure. The common error of pulling straight back on the choke actually reduces effectiveness because it allows the opponent to use their legs to close guard and neutralize your positional advantage. Instead, think of the finish as a circular motion—pulling your hands toward your chest while simultaneously driving your hip into the opponent’s trapped shoulder, creating a spiral of pressure that simultaneously chokes and controls. The decision tree from this position should be systematic: attempt the standard guillotine first, if the opponent defends by tucking their chin and pulling their head back, immediately adjust to the high elbow variation which attacks from a different angle. If both are defended, the opponent has necessarily compromised their positional defense, allowing you to advance to mount or take the back. This is the essence of systematic jiu-jitsu—every defensive choice the opponent makes opens a different offensive pathway, creating an inescapable web of consequences.
Gordon Ryan
Guillotine control top is one of my highest-percentage positions in both gi and no-gi competition, but it requires aggressive, forward-thinking execution to maximize its effectiveness. The biggest mistake I see competitors make is treating the guillotine like a static submission attempt—they secure the grip and then just pull, hoping the opponent will tap. In reality, the guillotine is a dynamic position that you need to actively improve throughout the sequence. When I hit a guillotine from a scramble or sprawl, my immediate focus is preventing the guard closure while maintaining maximum pressure on the neck. I do this by sprawling my legs back hard, keeping my hips heavy on the opponent’s shoulder, and constantly stepping to angle off rather than staying directly in front. This stepping pattern is crucial because it prevents the opponent from using their legs to create frames or sweep, while simultaneously increasing the choke’s effectiveness by creating that spiral pressure that Danaher talks about. In terms of competition strategy, I view the guillotine as a position that forces my opponent into a terrible dilemma: if they focus on defending their neck with hand fighting and chin tucking, I have a free pass to mount or the back. If they focus on preventing me from advancing position, they’re allowing me to work my finishing mechanics without interference. I’ve finished countless black belts with the arm-in guillotine variation specifically because they were so focused on preventing the mount that they forgot to defend the choke properly. The key is maintaining offensive pressure from multiple angles simultaneously—threaten the choke, threaten the position advancement, threaten the transition to anaconda or darce. When your opponent has to defend three things at once, something will break, and that’s when you capitalize. Time management is also crucial; in competition, I’m willing to work the guillotine for 45-60 seconds if I’m improving my position or grip continuously, but if I feel my opponent has found a stable defensive position, I immediately transition to my next attack rather than wasting energy on a stalled attempt.
Eddie Bravo
The guillotine from top position is absolutely devastating when you combine the classic approach with some unconventional entries and finishing mechanics from the 10th Planet system. What makes this position so powerful is that it’s one of the few submissions where being on top actually gives you better leverage than being on bottom—the exact opposite of most BJJ submissions. In our system, we emphasize the marching guillotine concept, where you’re constantly moving and adjusting your feet in a walking pattern while maintaining the choke. This serves two purposes: first, it prevents the opponent from getting comfortable or finding an escape route because you’re constantly changing the angle and pressure direction. Second, it helps you prevent the guard closure which is absolutely critical—once they get their guard closed, you’ve lost about 60% of your submission effectiveness and 100% of your positional advantage. The way I teach it, when you secure that guillotine grip from a sprawl or front headlock, you immediately want to think about your hip positioning relative to their trapped shoulder. Most people pull straight back, but we emphasize driving the hip into their shoulder while pulling their head toward your opposite hip—this creates a figure-four effect with their own shoulder acting as part of the choking mechanism. One innovation we’ve developed is transitioning seamlessly between the guillotine and the anaconda or darce when the opponent starts to defend. Instead of treating them as separate techniques, view them as different expressions of the same control position—if they turn into you to defend the guillotine, you’re already 80% of the way to a darce choke. If they try to pull their head back and away, the anaconda often opens up perfectly. This fluidity between related techniques is what separates the 10th Planet approach from more traditional systems—we don’t believe in forcing a single technique until it works, we believe in following the path of least resistance through related attacks. Also, don’t sleep on using the guillotine threat to set up your passing game. Some of my best guard passes happen when my opponent is so focused on defending the guillotine that they completely forget about their legs, and I can just walk right into side control or mount while maintaining the choke grip for additional control. The mental pressure of a tight guillotine around your neck cannot be overstated—it makes people make mistakes and take risks they wouldn’t normally take.