Armbar from Back
Chain finish · Back Control
An elbow lock: the straight arm is bent backward over your hips. From back control, when he fights your choking arm two-on-one and pulls it down, his own defence extends his arm away from his chest. Let him hold, trap his wrist with your hand, keep one hook in, shift your hips out to the side and swing your other leg over his face. Fall back, pinch your knees on the arm, hold the wrist to your chest with the thumb up and lift your hips into the elbow. The hook must stay until your leg is over his face, or he turns away before the armbar is set. If he hides the elbow at his neck, switch to the triangle from the back. Extend slowly.
How to do it
- When they two-on-one your choking arm and pull it down, let them hold it and trap their wrist with your hand. Their defense gives you the arm.
- Keep one hook in, shift your hips out to the side and swing your other leg over their face.
- Fall back and pinch your knees on the arm, holding the wrist to your chest.
- Extend the arm and lift your hips into the elbow. With the knees pinched, the elbow stays on your hips and bends backward.
Key details
- Their defense gives you the arm. Pulling your arm down extends their arm away from their chest.
- Keep one hook until your leg is over their face. The hook stops them turning away before the armbar is set.
- Pinch the knees on the arm. Pinched knees keep the elbow in line for the extension.
- Take the arm off his body with a kimura grip on the wrist, your bottom foot on his hip as a kickstand; push him toward it with your elbow, then take the foot away so he drops and your leg comes over his head without a big swing.
- If his hands are locked, do not fight to pull them apart: step your foot over onto his wrist or biceps and break the grip with the leg, then extend.
Common mistakes
- Losing the back first. — They escape both the arm and the position. — Keep one hook until the leg is over.
- Not trapping the wrist. — With the wrist free they pull the arm back to their chest. — Grip the wrist before you move your leg.
- Knees open. — Open knees let the elbow slip out as you extend. — Pinch the knees on the arm before you extend.
- Bridging hard to finish before the slack is out. — A loose arm absorbs the bridge, and in training it is the hip snap that injures. — Extend the arm, turn it so the thumb points away, pinch the knees on the shoulder, and only then lift the hips a little.
If they defend
- They stack you. → Their head comes to your legs: triangle from the back.
- They turn toward you. → Finish from the belly-down position.
How to drill it
RNC defense to armbar, 6 each side; then the partner mixes defenses.
Safety
Extend slowly.
What comes next
Where it comes from