Marcelo, Nick, and Kanan talk about Guillotine Chokes (arm-in vs arm-out), and risk versus reward when it comes to going for a finish with them: If you can surprise your opponent and snatch their neck with your forearm cutting up against their throat in a Guillotine, be prepared to follow them if they try to escape by way of sacrificing top position with a bail-out maneuver. Come up on top with your arm still encircled around their head and establish a mount before they can place their back flat on the mat. Conversely, if you dive onto a Guillotine from above and then fall below, choose which guard you play carefully; you can compose Closed-Guard but make sure your elbow gets raised high onto the opponent's shoulder before throttling for the tap. If you still need to place it there, keep an Open-Guard variation so you can adjust your hips in concert with your upper body. Develop a sensitivity for measuring out the pros and cons of going for a finish when you have either the arm in or arm out of the guillotine's enclosure. Avoid losing the submission and also gassing out your arms, especially when facing a larger/stronger opponent. If you know you don't have it locked well enough to force your opponent to surrender, at the very least use the hold to find an advancement; e.g., a pass, sweep, back-take, or perhaps a transition into a Triangle.