From the bottom perspective, the Hindulotine position represents an offensive attacking opportunity where you have secured a guillotine grip on your opponent while using your body position to create rotational pressure on their neck. This bottom perspective typically occurs when you’ve pulled guard or been taken down while maintaining head control, allowing you to establish the choke from your back with your legs either in closed guard, butterfly guard, or configured to control your opponent’s hips.
The bottom Hindulotine differs from standard guard-based guillotines in the angle and mechanics of the finish. Rather than simply pulling your opponent’s head down toward your chest, you create a perpendicular or angular hip position that generates torque on the neck. Your legs play a crucial role in preventing your opponent from posturing up or circling to relieve pressure, while your grip creates the direct choking force.
From bottom Hindulotine, your primary goal is to finish the submission through precise angle adjustments and grip optimization. However, this position also offers excellent control that can be maintained while you adjust your attack or transition to other submissions. The key challenge from bottom is preventing your opponent from using their weight and pressure to flatten you out while maintaining the tight grip necessary for the choke.
Success from bottom Hindulotine requires understanding the interplay between your grip, your hip angle, and your leg configuration. Beginners often make the mistake of trying to muscle the submission using arm strength alone, while advanced practitioners understand that small adjustments in body position can dramatically increase pressure. The bottom perspective also requires awareness of your opponent’s passing attempts, as giving up the position while loosening your grip eliminates your attacking opportunity entirely.
Position Definition
- Your guillotine grip is secured around opponent’s neck with your arm wrapped under their chin, hands locked together using gable grip or arm-in configuration, creating direct pressure on the carotid arteries and trachea while your forearm or wrist blade is positioned high under the chin for maximum choking efficiency
- Your hips are positioned at an angle to your opponent’s body rather than directly underneath them, creating the leverage angle necessary for rotational pressure on the neck, with your lower back and hips actively engaged to generate torque rather than relying solely on arm strength
- Your legs are configured to control opponent’s posture and prevent escape, either with closed guard controlling their hips, butterfly hooks allowing angle adjustments, or strategic foot placement preventing them from achieving the posture necessary to relieve neck pressure
- Opponent’s head is trapped and controlled with their posture broken forward, unable to achieve vertical alignment or extract their head from your grip, typically with their spine curved and head lower than their hips due to the combined grip and body pressure
- Your body remains connected to opponent without creating space that would allow them to establish defensive frames or achieve the angle necessary to relieve the choking pressure on their neck
Prerequisites
- Opponent’s head must be available for guillotine grip establishment, typically during takedown attempts, guard pulls, or scrambles where their head passes below your chest line
- Your ability to secure the guillotine grip before opponent establishes defensive posture or gets their chin tucked and arms framed
- Sufficient hip mobility and core strength to create and maintain the angled position necessary for rotational pressure rather than straight pulling mechanics
- Leg positioning that controls opponent’s hips and prevents them from achieving the circular movement or posture that would relieve neck pressure
- Grip endurance to maintain maximum pressure on the neck while making body position adjustments and responding to defensive movements
Key Defensive Principles
- Grip must be established high on the neck under the chin before opponent can achieve defensive posture
- Hip angle creates the mechanical advantage - position hips perpendicular to opponent’s spine for rotational pressure
- Legs control opponent’s ability to circle out or posture up - use closed guard, butterfly hooks, or strategic foot placement
- Core rotation generates finishing pressure more effectively than arm strength alone
- Make incremental grip adjustments without loosening pressure when opponent defends
- Opponent’s defensive movements create transition opportunities to sweep, take the back, or switch submissions
- Prevent opponent’s near-side shoulder from creating a defensive frame between their body and yours
Available Escapes
Guillotine Choke → Won by Submission
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 35%
- Intermediate: 55%
- Advanced: 75%
Transition to Darce Choke → D’arce Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 30%
- Intermediate: 50%
- Advanced: 70%
Transition to Anaconda Choke → Anaconda Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 25%
- Intermediate: 45%
- Advanced: 65%
Sweep to Mount → Mount
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 30%
- Intermediate: 50%
- Advanced: 65%
Back Take from Bottom → Back Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 35%
- Intermediate: 55%
- Advanced: 70%
Arm Triangle Transition → Side Control
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 25%
- Intermediate: 40%
- Advanced: 60%
High Elbow Guillotine Variation → Won by Submission
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 30%
- Intermediate: 50%
- Advanced: 70%
Butterfly Sweep with Guillotine → Mount
Success Rates:
- Beginner: 35%
- Intermediate: 50%
- Advanced: 65%
Decision Making from This Position
If opponent maintains strong posture and prevents you from breaking them down:
- Execute Closed Guard Recovery → Closed Guard (Probability: 50%)
- Execute Butterfly Hook Setup → Butterfly Guard (Probability: 45%)
If opponent drives forward with pressure trying to flatten you out:
- Execute Butterfly Sweep with Guillotine → Mount (Probability: 55%)
- Execute Angle Adjustment for Finish → Won by Submission (Probability: 50%)
If opponent turns away to escape the choking pressure:
- Execute Back Take from Bottom → Back Control (Probability: 70%)
- Execute Transition to Anaconda → Anaconda Control (Probability: 55%)
If opponent creates defensive frame with near-side arm:
- Execute Transition to Darce Choke → D’arce Control (Probability: 60%)
- Execute Arm Triangle Transition → Side Control (Probability: 45%)
Escape and Survival Paths
Guard pull to submission
Standing Position → Pull guard → Closed Guard → Hindulotine Bottom → Guillotine Choke → Won by Submission
Failed takedown counter from bottom
Standing Position → Opponent Shoots Takedown → Pull guard with Guillotine → Hindulotine Bottom → Guillotine Choke → Won by Submission
Butterfly guard attack
Butterfly Guard → Guillotine Setup → Hindulotine Bottom → Guillotine Choke → Won by Submission
Scramble to submission
Scramble Position → Guillotine Grip → Hindulotine Bottom → Guillotine Choke → Won by Submission
Success Rates and Statistics
| Skill Level | Retention Rate | Advancement Probability | Submission Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 45% | 35% | 30% |
| Intermediate | 65% | 55% | 50% |
| Advanced | 80% | 75% | 70% |
Average Time in Position: 20-45 seconds
Expert Analysis
John Danaher
The bottom Hindulotine position demonstrates a fundamental principle of submission grappling: the integration of position and submission into a unified attacking system. When you establish this position from your guard, you create a mechanical advantage that transcends simple arm strength. The key is understanding that your legs, hips, and core are doing the majority of the work by creating the proper angle and preventing escape, while your arms simply maintain the grip. Most practitioners fail from bottom because they try to muscle the submission using their arms, which are far weaker than the opponent’s neck muscles and their ability to posture. Instead, focus on using your closed guard or butterfly hooks to control their hips completely, preventing any circular movement. Then, rather than pulling their head toward your chest, think about rotating your hips perpendicular to their spine. This creates a lever system where your entire body weight and core strength are amplified through the grip point at their neck. The submission becomes inevitable when the mechanical advantage is established correctly, requiring minimal ongoing effort to maintain.
Gordon Ryan
From bottom, the Hindulotine is one of my highest percentage attacks because it punishes opponents who try to pass aggressively without respecting the guillotine threat. In competition, I’m constantly threatening this from guard because it creates an immediate decision point for my opponent - they either have to abandon their pass attempt to defend the choke, or they have to commit to the pass while under submission pressure. Most competitors in the modern game are so focused on passing that they’ll walk right into the guillotine grip if you time it correctly. The key from bottom is patience combined with technical precision. I see a lot of grapplers try to force the finish as soon as they get the grip, but the reality is you need to make your adjustments first - get your grip high, angle your hips correctly, lock down their movement with your legs - and then the finish becomes easy. When I have this position locked in, I’m not thinking about arm strength at all. My legs are doing all the work controlling their hips, my core is doing the rotation work, and my arms are just holding the position. If they defend correctly, I’m ready to transition to back attacks or sweeps, so this position is really about creating a game tree where all of their defensive options lead to bad outcomes for them.
Eddie Bravo
The bottom Hindulotine fits perfectly into the 10th Planet philosophy of attacking from your back and making guard a genuinely dangerous place for the opponent. What I love about this position is that it completely changes the dynamic of bottom guard play - instead of just trying to sweep or maintain guard, you have an active submission threat that makes your opponent hesitant and defensive. In no-gi especially, where you can’t rely on collar grips for control, the guillotine variations like the Hindulotine become crucial weapons. When I’m teaching this, I emphasize the importance of catching the grip at the right moment - usually when they’re trying to open your guard or pass. That’s when their head is in the danger zone and their posture is compromised. Once you have the grip, don’t rush the finish. Use your butterfly hooks or closed guard to control their hips completely, and play with your hip angle until you feel that sweet spot where the pressure just amplifies naturally. The creativity comes in how you transition when they defend - maybe you switch to a darce if they create space, or you take the back if they turn away, or you sweep them if they drive forward. This isn’t just a submission, it’s a control position that opens up multiple attacking pathways, which is exactly how modern no-gi should be played.