Flying Armbar
Submission · Standing
A jumping armbar from standing: it hyperextends the elbow of the straight arm that holds your collar. The moment is when they stand upright gripping your collar with a straight arm and you hold their sleeve and collar. Pull yourself up on the sleeve, put one foot on their hip on the side of that arm and swing the other leg over their head, not the shoulder, so the arm is between your legs and your hips are tight to their hip. Keep their thumb up, knees pinched, fall to your back with the chin tucked, and only on the mat lift the hips into the elbow. If they stack you on landing, go to the belly-down armbar; if they pull the arm free, you land in closed guard. You fall from standing height: crash mats, finish slowly; IBJJF bans jumping to guard for white belts.
How to do it
- Grip the sleeve of the arm that holds your collar and their collar with your other hand; they stand upright holding your collar with a straight arm. That straight arm is the one you attack.
- Pull the sleeve to pull yourself up and put one foot on their hip on the side of the attacked arm.
- Jump slightly forward and swing the other leg over their head, not over the shoulder, keeping the arm between your legs and your hips close to their hip.
- Squeeze the knees, pinch the arm to your chest with their thumb pointing up, and fall back to the mat onto your back and side, chin tucked.
- Only once you are on the mat, hold the wrist to your chest and lift the hips slowly into their elbow to finish the armbar.
Key details
- Pull yourself up with the sleeve and jump slightly forward, never backward: the jump is short when you use their arm, and it breaks their balance toward you.
- Bring your hips close to their hip and spend as little time in the air as possible; once both feet leave the mat, commit, no changing your mind in the air.
- Keep the thumb of the trapped arm pointing up, so the elbow joint faces your hips and the lift of the hips straightens it.
- If they fall with you, the armbar is already set on landing; still break the arm only after you are on the mat.
- Square them up before you jump: if they stand staggered, circle away from the back leg and pull. Hold the collar high, in line with their shoulder, so their head comes down with you, and jump at hip height or higher, never into the knees.
Common mistakes
- Jumping without the sleeve grip. — Nothing holds the arm to your chest: it slips out and you fall on your back. — Hold the sleeve until the legs are locked.
- Leg too low over the shoulder. — The head is free: they pull it out and stack you. — Swing the leg over the head, not the shoulder, and pull the heel down.
- Falling onto your head. — You land on the neck under their weight. — Fall onto your back and side, chin tucked.
How to drill it
Start from closed guard with the partner standing, 10 armbars each side. Then kneeling partner, then standing, on crash mats.
Safety
You fall from standing height onto your back: learn on crash mats. Finish slowly after landing; the arm is under your full weight. IBJJF bans jumping to closed guard for white belts and kids: white belts should not jump.
What comes next
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