I am pretty sure that the guillotine and the RNC are the hardest chokes to get in jiu jitsu.

Why?

Well even if someone has never trained a day in their life, they know that someone else putting their arm around their neck is a bad thing.

As someone who trains, you can probably still apply a guillotine or RNC to someone who does not train by using some basic knowledge of each choke.

That works at a lower level but what about against a higher level opponent?

It becomes even harder to apply these chokes once someone starts to become aware of what you are trying to do.

I know one of my struggles with the guillotine is not the actual choke but getting my arm in place to choke.

My training partners all know that arm around the neck = no good for them.

So what then? Do I just not use the guillotine or RNC?

Of course not. When done properly these two chokes are incredibly powerful.

What you need to do is find ways to get the arm in place to finish the choke.

Some people choose to use pure force and muscle their way in. Others choose to use distractions to create their openings.

In the video below Placido Santos shows how he uses what he calls layers of movement to create openings for guillotines.

My Take

I’m not a fan of using muscle. I prefer to use distractions and movement to create openings which is why I really like how Placido shows how he chains movements to create openings.

A lot of time one movement is not enough.

As Placido pointed out, higher-skilled opponents can track one movement and make adjustments.

By linking multiple movements you are keeping your opponent on their toes and making it harder for them to defend.

I really find this concept helpful when going for the head and arm guillotine.

Once you get the grip in place, you can easily transition to the Darce or anaconda choke.

You can also use these transitions to help open up the neck for the initial head and arm guillotine.

The next time you train, I would encourage you to find ways to chain your movements together to create the openings you need to finish your submission.