Kimura Defense
Defense · Closed Guard
Saves the shoulder from a kimura and gets you back to guard or to your knees facing him. The earlier the better: ideally the instant he catches your wrist, before the figure-four closes; once it is fully locked this is your last line. With the hand of the attacked arm grab your own belt, pants or wrist deep at the hip, anchoring the hand in front so he cannot fold the arm behind your back. Keep the elbow glued to your ribs and the arm bent: the kimura levers off a lifted elbow, and a pinned elbow gives no pivot. Turn into him, chest to chest, moving the shoulder against the direction of the lock and closing every gap; when his grip loosens, pull the arm out elbow first. Tap early. If he switches to an armbar, defend the armbar.
How to do it
- As the figure-four comes, grab your own belt or pants with the hand of the attacked arm, fingers deep in the cloth at your hip. The grip anchors your hand in front of your hip so they cannot fold the arm behind your back.
- Keep the elbow glued to your ribs and the arm bent. The kimura turns the shoulder by lifting your elbow off your side; while the elbow is pinned to your body there is no lever.
- Turn into them so your chest faces theirs: bring the attacked shoulder towards them and your hips in close. Turning in moves the shoulder in front of you, the opposite of the direction the lock turns it.
- Take away the space their arms need to turn your shoulder: keep your chest and head tight against their arms and body. With no gap between your elbow and your ribs they cannot lift the elbow and crank the hand towards your back.
- When their grip loosens, pull the arm free along your body, elbow first towards your hip, then recover guard or come up to your knees facing them.
Key details
- A bent arm close to the body is safe: the kimura levers the forearm behind your back with the elbow as the pivot, and a pinned elbow gives no pivot.
- Turn into them, never away: turning away rotates your shoulder in the same direction the kimura turns it.
- Grip early, before the lock is set: the belt grip holds well while the elbow is still on your ribs; once the figure-four is closed and the elbow is lifted, the grip is torn off quickly.
- The earlier the defense the easier the escape: ideally take the grip the instant they catch your wrist; once the lock is fully set, this grip is your last line.
- The belt grip only buys time: as soon as you can, attack their grip instead, peeling the thumb of the hand on your wrist; without their grip there is no kimura.
- Post your free hand on their hip: it stops them cutting the angle and turning their hips under you to finish.
Common mistakes
- Turning away from them, showing them your back. — Turning away rotates the shoulder in the same direction as the lock and puts it deeper into the kimura. — Turn your chest towards them and bring the attacked shoulder in close to their body.
- Letting the elbow leave the ribs while fighting the grip. — Once the elbow is off your side, they can lift it and bring the arm behind your back, and the lock is on. — Keep the elbow tight to your side and the hand anchored on your belt.
- Waiting for the pain before tapping. — The shoulder joint is injured before it hurts much, so pain comes too late as a signal. — Tap when your hand reaches your back.
- Relying only on your own grip. — Your forearms tire, and a good finisher tears the grip off. — Strip their grip at the thumb, catch their wrist and pull your elbow down.
If they defend
- They break your belt grip. → Grab your own wrist or tap if the arm turns.
How to drill it
Partner sets a slow kimura from side control, you grip and turn in, 8 reps each side.
Safety
Tap early: the shoulder tears before it hurts. Partner applies slowly in drills.
What comes next
Where it comes from