15/05/2017 - Teaching | Side Control | Failed North South Kimura to Armbar

Teaching #663
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 15/05/2017

You've gone for the kimura from north south, but they've latched a death grip on their gi and you can't break it. Rather than blowing all your energy fruitlessly straining against their arms, switch to an armbar instead. Keeping their trapped arm immobilised, adjust your feet so you're able to spin. Swivel to put your heel tight to their neck, while the knee you have by their armpit pops up and stays really tight to their arm. Tuck the foot of that armpit-leg underneath their ribs. Squeeze your knees and drop back for the armbar, keeping in mind that if the opportunity presents itself and you can do it without giving too much space, bring your armpit-leg over to secure a standard armbar leg position.

A post shared by Artemis BJJ (@artemisbjj) on May 16, 2017 at 5:09pm PDT

Alternatively, if you want to just go directly for the armbar from side control, first control their far arm. You want to trap it against your body, wrapping an arm around their triceps. With that grip in place, walk your legs around to their head. Lean forwards into them, in order to help control their mobility. Hop up into a crouch, bringing your feet far enough forward that you can easily cut your knee around the outside of their trapped arm.

Swivel around their trapped arm, cutting your knee tightly next to the arm. Drop back, squeezing your knees, ready to secure the armbar. If you need to, you can adjust into a more orthodox armbar position, such as bringing both legs over for additional leverage.

To do that hop, crouch and swivel takes some confidence. You need to be careful you aren't giving them space, in that gap between the crouch and the swivel. You could try maintaining some control by pressing your head into their stomach, using your weight to slow down their ability to capitalise on any gap you might leave.
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Teaching Notes: This builds off the hopping far side armbar drill, although on reflection, I think next time I will simply teach that far side armbar. I think it works well off the kimura, but as there were a number of beginners in class who weren't familiar with the kimura, it would be less confusing to focus on just the far side armbar. Main thing as usual is not leaving too much space, so I'll emphasise getting your bum on their shoulder and squeezing the knees. Also, I don't think everybody realised you can get the 'Japanese armbar' (still not sure why it's called that) by tucking your foot under their ribs. It isn't as tight as a conventional armbar as they have more rotational opportunity to escape, but it makes up for that with speed.