Kimura
Submission · Side Control
A shoulder lock: the bent arm is turned behind his back, rotating the shoulder inward. From side control with the crossface, when he leaves his far hand at his hip or pushes you, catch that wrist with your head-side hand, thumb wrapped around, thread your other arm under his elbow from the hip side and grab your own wrist. Keep your chest heavy or step your near knee over his head so his shoulders stay pinned. His elbow stays close to his body as the pivot: lift it slightly and turn his hand toward his head like a key, never pulling the arm away. Work on the diagonal from his near shoulder to his far hip; square to his chest the shoulder stays loose. Grabbing the belt opens the armbar, bending the arm tight the bicep slicer, hiding the hand at the hip the Mir lock.
How to do it
- From side control, pin their far wrist to the mat or catch it the moment they push you. Grip around the wrist, just above the hand, with your head-side hand, thumb wrapped around, so the hand cannot slip out when you start turning it.
- Step your near knee over their head, or keep your chest heavy on theirs. Either way their shoulders stay pinned to the mat and they cannot turn in to you while you build the grip.
- Thread your other arm under their elbow, from the hip side, and grab your own wrist: the figure-four. Their upper arm now lies across your forearm, and their elbow stays close to their body as the pivot.
- Turn your body onto the diagonal from their near shoulder to their far hip instead of staying square to their chest. On that line the shoulder has no slack, so the rotation goes straight into the joint.
- Lift the elbow slightly off the mat and rotate their hand toward their head, like turning a key. The forearm turns around the elbow, the shoulder rotates inward, and they tap; never pull the arm away from their body.
Key details
- Their elbow stays close to their body as the pivot. If the elbow drifts away from the ribs, the shoulder simply follows the arm and nothing locks.
- Rotate like turning a key, never pull. The lock is a rotation of the shoulder; pulling straightens the arm and gives them room to escape.
- Keep your chest heavy on them while you set the grip. Your hands are busy, so your weight is the only thing stopping them from turning in and hiding the arm.
- Stepping a leg over the head or stapling the wrist with your knee adds control. Both pin the upper body, so the shoulder cannot turn with the rotation.
- If they grab their belt to block the rotation, the kimura grip turns into the armbar. Keep the figure-four and use their grip as the reason to switch, rather than fighting their strength.
- Take the slack out before you rotate: drag his hand and elbow up toward his shoulder line, slide your hands toward the ends of the levers (your grip near his hand, your elbow out by his elbow), then lean on the diagonal and lift your elbow toward the ceiling rather than pushing his hand.
- Once the figure-four is closed, switch to a thumbless grip on your own wrist and pinch your elbows together. Wide elbows make the lock weak; tight elbows let the whole body turn into the shoulder.
Common mistakes
- Losing the chest pressure while you work the grip. — Without your weight on them they turn in toward you, bring the elbow to their ribs and escape the position. — Keep your chest on theirs while you set the figure-four, and only rise onto the diagonal once the grip is locked.
- Gripping the hand instead of the wrist. — The hand folds and slips out of your grip as soon as you rotate. — Grip around the wrist, just above the hand, with the thumb wrapped, where it cannot slip.
- Rotating straight up, lifting the hand off the mat toward the ceiling. — The shoulder has room to roll with the arm, so nothing locks. — Rotate the hand toward their head, along the mat, lifting the elbow only slightly.
If they defend
- They grab their belt. → The arm is stuck but the elbow is free: switch to the armbar.
- They straighten the arm. → A straight arm near the head is an armbar or a straight armlock.
How to drill it
Kimura from side control, 10 each side; then the partner defends with the belt grip and you switch to the armbar.
Safety
Rotate slowly; release on the tap.
What comes next
Where it comes from