Armbar
Jūji-gatame
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About This Technique
Armbar
The armbar is a classic submission technique used in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) that targets the opponent's elbow joint. It can be executed from various positions, making it a versatile and widely applied submission.
Japanese Name
- Jūji-gatame
Common Positions
- Closed Guard
- Mount
Step-by-Step Instructions
From Closed Guard
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Establish Guard: Begin in closed guard with your legs wrapped around your opponent's waist. Control one of your opponent's arms, ideally grabbing their wrist with one hand and under their elbow with the other.
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Break Their Posture: Pull your opponent towards you and open your guard slightly, bringing your knees towards your chest to break their posture.
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Create an Angle: Use your grip on your opponent's arm, along with a foot on their hip, to pivot your body. Swing your opposite leg across their body, ensuring your calf is pressing against their upper back.
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Frame and Control: Cross your feet while pinching your knees together to limit your opponent's movement. Your opponent's arm should be extended, with their thumb pointing upwards.
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Finish the Submission: Lift your hips off the mat while squeezing your knees together. This applies pressure on their elbow joint, forcing them to tap out.
From Mount
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Secure the Mount: Start by maintaining a stable mount position over your opponent.
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Isolate the Arm: Use your hand to control one of their wrists while your opposite hand slides under their arm, wrapping it.
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Move to High Mount: Shift your base slightly forward so that your knees are under their armpits.
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Rotate and Plant: Keeping control of their arm, swing your leg over their head, planting your foot on the mat next to their head.
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Secure the Arm: Pinch your knees around their arm and lean back slightly with your hips close to theirs. Control their wrist with both hands, ensuring their thumb is facing upwards.
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Execute the Submission: Push your hips upwards without leaning back completely to hyperextend their elbow and complete the armbar.
Tips
- Always maintain control over the opponent's arm during transitions.
- Ensure your opponent's thumb is pointing upwards when finishing the armbar to apply maximum leverage on the elbow.
- Focus on staying tight and applying pressure with your legs to avoid escapes.
How to Execute
Armbar from Closed Guard Position
Step 1: Establishing the Closed Guard Position Start by establishing a closed guard position. This means you are on your back with your opponent in between your legs, and your legs are wrapped around their waist with your ankles crossed.
Step 2: Secure the Arm Choose an arm of your opponent to attack. Once you've selected an arm, secure it by gripping your opponent's wrist with your same-side hand. For instance, if you're attacking their right arm, use your right hand to grip their wrist.
Step 3: Create an Angle Open your guard (uncross your ankles) and put your opposite-side foot on your opponent's hip. Using this foot, push off to rotate your hips perpendicular to your opponent's body while pulling their arm across your body.
Step 4: Control the Opponent's Posture With your free hand (the one that's not holding the wrist), reach up and over your opponent's shoulder. Then, clamp your arm down to trap your opponent's arm in place and to prevent them from posturing up and escaping.
Step 5: Bring the Leg Over Swing your free leg (the one that's not on the hip) up and over your opponent's head. Make sure your heel is close to your opponent's head and your knee is tight to their shoulder.
Step 6: Extend Hips for the Submission To complete the armbar, squeeze your knees together and lift your hips while pulling your opponent's hand towards your chest. Be sure to control the thumb direction. The thumb should be pointing up, and the pressure should be on the elbow joint, which forces the submission.
Remember: Practice these steps under the supervision of a trained professional to avoid injury. Always respect your training partners and apply submissions gradually, giving them ample time to tap out.