Glossary /// Alias
Bottom guillotine
Also known as Guard Guillotine — the canonical term used on this site.
Training background: descriptive — distinguishes it from the sprawl version
Descriptive — names the attacker’s position rather than the guard
Bottom guillotine is the descriptive name for the guard guillotine, distinguishing it from the version taken on top after a sprawl.
Etymology. “Bottom” marks who is underneath. It is the plainest way to separate the two guillotines, because the grip and the strangle are identical and only the attacker’s relationship to the mat differs.
Mechanics. What the label really flags is the cost of failure. A guillotine that fails from on top leaves the attacker on top; one that fails from the bottom leaves a defender inside the legs with the attacker’s arms committed to their head, which is a pass and — against an arm-in grip — a Von Flue.
Cross-reference. Full mechanical coverage on Bottom guillotine.