Kimura From Guard
Submission
The Kimura from guard is a double-wrist lock (ude-garami) applied from bottom closed guard, attacking the opponent's shoulder joint through forced external rotation. It is available when the opponent posts a hand on the mat or presents an arm that can be isolated, and is effective from closed guard, overhook guard, or as a transition from armbar or kimura control positions.
Quick Reference
Key principles
- · Control the wrist with a figure-four grip (your wrist-gripping hand is same-side as their attacked arm) and keep their elbow pinned tightly to your chest.
- · Break their posture and sit up at an angle toward the trapped arm to generate leverage rather than pulling flat on your back.
- · Keep their arm bent at 90 degrees or tighter—if the arm straightens, the kimura leverage is lost and you should transition to an armbar.
- · Rotate their wrist toward their back (paint-brushing motion behind their spine) using your whole body, not just arm strength.
- · When they defend by grabbing their own belt or pants, shrimp your hips out to create a sharper angle and peel the grip by driving their wrist toward their head first before redirecting behind their back.
Execution
- 1 From closed guard, control their same-side wrist with your opposite hand and break their posture down.
- 2 Sit up laterally, reach over their trapped arm, and secure a figure-four grip by grabbing your own wrist behind their arm.
- 3 Open your guard and plant your foot on the mat (same side as their trapped arm) to hip out at an angle, keeping their elbow pinned to your torso.
- 4 Squeeze your elbows tight, keep their arm bent at 90 degrees, and rotate their wrist in an arc toward their back using torso rotation and hip power.
- 5 Finish by driving their hand behind their spine while pulling their elbow into your centerline.
Common mistakes
- × Staying flat on your back instead of sitting up and angling off, which removes leverage and allows the opponent to stack and posture out.
- × Gripping with arms only and leaving elbows flared wide, letting the opponent straighten their arm and escape the figure-four control.
- × Rushing the finish without first breaking their defensive grip (belt/pants grab), resulting in a stalemate and wasted energy.
Do it from
Positions and situations where the Kimura From Guard shows up.
Closed Guard Bottom
3 less common
Chains & Sequences
Commonly taught paths through the graph that feature this technique.
Kimura to Triangle from Closed Guard
