Glossary /// Alias
Closed guard guillotine
Also known as Guard Guillotine — the canonical term used on this site.
Training background: the most common name for the high-guard version
Descriptive — the guillotine finished from a closed or high guard
Closed guard guillotine is the most common name for the guard version of the guillotine — the strangle finished from underneath with the legs closed around the opponent’s body.
Etymology. The qualifier names the position rather than the grip, which is the useful distinction here: the arm configuration is the same as any other guillotine and the closing force is what changes. From guard it comes from the legs and the hips; from a sprawl it comes from the attacker’s bodyweight driving back and down.
Mechanics. The legs are half the mechanism rather than a way of holding the opponent still. Closed behind the back and lifting, they supply the extension the sprawl provides on top, which is why a guillotine attempted from an open guard with the feet idle becomes a one-armed pull against a much stronger body.
Cross-reference. Full mechanical coverage on Closed guard guillotine.