Standing Side Headlock & Guillotine Defenses
Side Headlock Release
A side headlock can place you in a compromised, precarious position. This headlock can jolt your neck and place you in a vulnerable position. This attack is common and often demonstrated on the playground. Your attacker can drop his weight to the ground to exert great force on your neck while forcing you down with the attacker. Alternatively, the attacker can torque your neck causing serious harm. Another common assault involves punching someone in the face repeatedly with the attacker’s opposite arm or drive your head into a wall. The attacker can also secure your head stab you or shoot you.
Front Guillotine Releases
The front headlock or “guillotine” hold can wrench your neck or choke you. In this type of headlock or choke, an opponent facing you has taken one his arms and wrapped it around your neck from the outside. In other words, if an opponent is placing you in this hold with his right arm underneath your neck, he has come from your right side (his left side) and wrapped it around your neck pulling you down toward him to secure your neck by clasping his right arm with his left arm. In addition, your attacker can fall to the ground in a pincer-like motion with his weight pulling up on your neck to exert great force to choke you or severely damage your neck.