Also known as: Front Headlock Position · Sprawl Position · Guillotine Position
The attacker controls the opponent’s head and usually one arm while the opponent is bent forward — typically after a sprawl or a snap-down. This single node feeds the most confused family in grappling: the guillotine, D’Arce, anaconda, ninja choke, and Peruvian necktie all start here, along with go-behinds to the back.
Gi & No-gi · Category: Front Headlock
What can you do from Front Headlock?
Attacker (on the head) (positional score +4/10)
Submissions
Guillotine Choke — The front headlock’s signature finish: wrap the neck from in front, connect your hands, and elevate the wrist into the throat while your chest closes the space. Arm-in and high-elbow variations change the grip, not the idea.
D’Arce Choke — An arm-in front strangle where your choking arm threads UNDER their near arm and across the neck, locking figure-four on your own bicep. Their own shoulder becomes half of the choke.
Anaconda Choke — The D’Arce’s mirror image: the choking arm threads under the NECK first and exits under the far armpit, then you roll them over the trapped shoulder ("gator roll") to finish.
Ninja Choke — A no-arm front strangle that runs the choking arm across the front of the neck and locks figure-four behind the head — like a guillotine whose finishing rotation goes the opposite way.
Peruvian Necktie — A guillotine-grip front headlock finished by sitting beside your opponent and throwing your legs over their head and back — your bodyweight hangs the choke on their neck.
Pad Thai — An emerging hybrid strangle: a D’Arce grip threaded from the front headlock, finished Peruvian-necktie style by throwing a leg over the head and using bodyweight instead of the traditional chest pressure.
Pad Lock — An emerging name for a front-headlock hybrid strangle closely related to (and by some accounts identical to) the Pad Thai — a D’Arce-grip choke finished with a leg thrown over the opponent’s head and back.
Loop Choke — A gi strangle that turns your opponent’s forward pressure against them: a collar grip becomes a noose as you guide their head down and under your arm.
Back Takes
Front Headlock Go-Behind — The positional cash-out of the front headlock: shuck the head aside and circle behind your opponent before they can square up with you.
Defender (head down) (positional score -4/10)
Escapes
Front Headlock Escape — Survive the most dangerous choking position in grappling: protect the neck, strip the chin strap, and circle back up to neutral.