competed in 6 tournaments this year as a blue belt (3 NAGA, 2 local Smoothcomp events, 1 IBJJF open). went 14-5 overall. out of my 14 wins, 8 were submissions and 5 of those were guillotines. one arm-in, four marcelotines.
im starting to wonder if this is a problem. like am i becoming too one-dimensional? or is having a go-to submission that you can hit from multiple positions actually the move?
the guillotine just presents itself so often. guy shoots a sloppy double — guillotine. guy tries to pass from half guard — guillotine. front headlock scramble — guillotine. its everywhere and once i lock my hands im pretty confident in the finish.
but my coach keeps telling me i need to develop my back attacks and my triangle game. he says at purple belt and above the guillotine will get harder to hit because people know how to posture and defend it better.
curious what other competitors in DFW are hitting most. are you a specialist or do you have a wider arsenal?
also shoutout to the local Smoothcomp tournament scene in DFW. those events are so well run and way less stressful than IBJJF for newer competitors. if youre thinking about competing, start there.
guillotines are legit and dont let anyone tell you otherwise. Marcelo Garcia built an entire GOAT career on guillotines and arm drags. having a signature move is a strength not a weakness