Guillotine (Elbow Up)
BY BURTON RICHARDSON
This is a relatively recent advance in the art of the guillotine. As with the basic guillotine, the choking arm wraps deep around the neck in order to cut off the blood supply to the brain, resulting in nappy time for the opponent. (It is actually quite humane, as you don’t have to cause physical damage.)
Your left hand still grips your right hand to add extra pressure, but in this version you also lean toward the choking arm and put your support forearm at the opponent’s trapezius. Your opponent wants to counter by driving his shoulder into your chest. Raising your elbow and keeping the forearm in front of his shoulder stops him from applying his counter and helps you finish the choke. Look for this to become a staple of MMA in the near future.