Last updated: June 18, 2026
Quick Definition
The Marcelotine is a high-elbow guillotine choke popularized by Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion Marcelo Garcia. The attacker keeps the choking elbow lifted high above the opponent’s shoulder line, driving the blade of the forearm into the neck at a sharp, blood-restricting angle.
What is the Marcelotine?
Within the broader guillotine family, the Marcelotine is the high-elbow branch, a front strangle attacked from the opponent’s head and neck. It takes its name from Marcelo Garcia, a five-time IBJJF world champion and four-time ADCC champion who built much of his no-gi game around it. Garcia did not invent the high-elbow finish, but his success in the 2000s made it a standard part of the modern grappling vocabulary, and the nickname stuck.
What sets it apart is the position of the choking elbow. In a standard guillotine, the elbow tends to drop down by the side of the opponent’s shoulder. In the Marcelotine, the elbow stays lifted high, above the shoulder line, which steepens the angle of the forearm against the neck and tightens the seal. The opponent’s arm is usually left outside the choke rather than trapped inside it.
Because it relies on angle and body position rather than raw squeezing power, the choke works for smaller grapplers against larger ones, in the gi or no-gi, and from a wide range of positions: closed guard, butterfly guard, scrambles, and standing exchanges where an opponent ducks into a takedown.
How the high elbow changes the choke
Picture the choking arm wrapped around the front of the neck. With the elbow held high, the wrist and the bony blade of the forearm press into the throat and the side of the neck, while the second hand connects to finish the lock. Garcia’s arms form a rough V shape, with the supporting elbow sitting over the opponent’s trapezius rather than sliding down their back.
The high position does two things. It puts the hard part of the forearm directly on the carotid arteries, which makes it a blood choke rather than a slower air choke. It also closes the gap that lets an opponent tuck their chin down and defend.
The finish runs against intuition. Instead of bridging the hips forward, Garcia often pulls his knees and hips back while lifting the elbow, shortening the space around the neck. A fan watching commentary does not need to drill this to recognize it: look for the elbow pointing at the ceiling and the attacker curling inward rather than arching away.
Marcelotine vs the standard and arm-in guillotine
Most people search this term because they have heard three guillotine names and cannot tell them apart. The difference comes down to where the elbow sits and whether the opponent’s arm is trapped.
| Variation | Elbow position | Opponent’s arm | Defining trait |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard guillotine | Drops by the shoulder | Outside the choke | Power comes from driving the hips forward |
| Marcelotine (high-elbow) | Lifted high above the shoulder | Usually outside | Sharp angle and tight seal; hard to escape once locked |
| Arm-in guillotine | Lower, around the shoulder | Trapped inside | More control if it fails; chains into the D’Arce and anaconda |
A simple way to remember it: the arm-in traps the near arm and gives up some finishing pressure for control, while the Marcelotine leaves the arm out and gives up control for a faster, tighter finish. The standard guillotine sits closest to what most beginners learn first.
The Marcelotine and the Von Flue choke
The high elbow does more than add pressure. It also shuts down a specific counter known as the Von Flue choke.
When a grappler holds a standard or arm-in guillotine and lets their opponent pass into side control, the top player can drive a shoulder down into the exposed neck and finish with the Von Flue, a shoulder-pressure strangle named after UFC fighter Jason Von Flue. Coaches often shout at students to release a failing guillotine for exactly this reason.
The Marcelotine sidesteps that trap. With the elbow lifted high, there is no room for the opponent to wedge a shoulder against the neck, so the Von Flue has nothing to press on. According to Evolve MMA and BJJ World, this is one reason the high-elbow style spread: it lets the attacker keep hold of the choke through scrambles that would punish a lower-elbow grip.
Common misconceptions
A few ideas about the Marcelotine get repeated often and are worth clearing up.
Plenty of people treat it as a synonym for the arm-in guillotine. They are different chokes. The arm-in traps the opponent’s arm against their neck, while the Marcelotine usually leaves that arm free and leans on the raised elbow for its bite.
Did Marcelo Garcia invent the guillotine, or the high-elbow finish? Neither. High-elbow finishes show up in footage that predates his career. What he added was proof that the variation could be trusted against the best grapplers in the world.
There is also a belief that the choke demands serious strength. In practice, it rewards the opposite. The mechanics are built to let a lighter grappler finish a stronger one, which is a large part of why the technique became tied to Garcia, who routinely tapped much bigger opponents in the open divisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it called the Marcelotine?
The name blends “Marcelo” with “guillotine.” The grappling community coined it as a tribute to Marcelo Garcia after he made the high-elbow version his signature finish.
Is the Marcelotine the same as the arm-in guillotine?
No. The arm-in guillotine traps the opponent’s arm inside the choke, while the Marcelotine keeps the elbow high and usually leaves the arm out.
Is it a blood choke or an air choke?
Done correctly, it is a blood choke. The forearm compresses the carotid arteries on the sides of the neck rather than crushing the windpipe.
What belt level usually learns it?
Many gyms introduce it around purple belt, once a student already understands the basic guillotine, though the timing varies by school.
Does it work in the gi and no-gi?
Yes. The grip details shift slightly, but the high-elbow mechanic carries over to both.
Sources
- BJJ Heroes. “Marcelo Garcia.” Accessed June 2026.
https://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/marcelo-garcia-fighter-profile - Wikipedia. “Marcelo Garcia (grappler).” Accessed June 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcelo_Garcia_(grappler) - ONE Championship. “Marcelo Garcia.” Accessed June 2026.
https://www.onefc.com/athletes/marcelo-garcia/ - FloGrappling. “Marcelo Garcia.” Accessed June 2026.
https://www.flograppling.com/people/5950193-marcelo-garcia/article - MMA Sucka. “Guillotine Choke: The Complete Guide.” Accessed June 2026.
https://mmasucka.com/guides/guillotine-choke-the-complete-guide/ - BJJ Fanatics. “Arm in Guillotine vs High Elbow Guillotine (Marcelotine).” Accessed June 2026.
https://bjjfanatics.com/blogs/news/arm-in-guillotine-vs-high-elbow-guillotine-marcelotine - Evolve MMA. “What Is The Von Flue Choke?” Accessed June 2026.
https://evolve-mma.com/blog/what-is-the-von-flue-choke/ - BJJ World. “Von Flue Choke.” Accessed June 2026.
https://bjj-world.com/von-flue-choke/
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