Also known as: Von Flue · Shoulder Choke · Guillotine Counter Choke
The punishment for holding a guillotine too long: when they keep the grip after you pass to the trapped side, your shoulder drives through their own arm into their neck and strangles them with their stubbornness.
Submission · Strangle (blood choke) · Gi & No-gi · Difficulty 2/5 · Usually learned at Blue belt
Starts from Side Control as the top player → ends the match (submission).
The details that make it work
Only exists while they hold the guillotine — pass to the SAME side as your trapped head.
Drive your shoulder through their jawline, hands clasped behind their far shoulder.
Walk your legs toward their head to increase the angle; the tap or the release comes in seconds.
Where it goes wrong
Chasing it after they release the neck — without their arm in the way, it is just shoulder pressure.
How opponents counter it
Let go of the guillotine — the entire choke evaporates
Is the Von Flue Choke legal in competition?
Legal in all major rulesets at all levels (IBJJF, ADCC, sub-only). Rules change — always confirm against the current official rulebook for your event.
History & naming
Named for Jason Von Flue, who finished it on the TUF series in 2006.