Here Josh Griffiths Head Instructor at Clockwork Jiu Jitsu finishes his match with a Kimura

kimura, nogi, Side Control »

Knee on belly is a good pressure position from which to launch attacks. To set up an attack, you’ll want to use get opponent into a vulnerable position by making them uncomfortable. First you’ll look for the armbar. If it’s not there then you’ll hit the kimura. (Start to the left of your opponent, your right knee in on their belly.)

Knee on Belly Position Basics:
Gi – Left hand grips the back of their lapel deep. Right hand grips their far pants leg at the knee.
No Gi – Left hand grips the back of their neck. Right hand pushes down on their far hip.

The Set-Up:
Knee moves to the top of the sternum.
Gi – Left hand pulls. Right hand pulls. Think bow and arrow.
No Gi – Left hand pulls. Right hand pushes down on their far hip.

The Attacks:
1. Armbar – If your opponent moves their far elbow away from their body reach in and grab the back of their tricep and pull it tighly towards your chest. Try to touch their elbow on your sternum and your elbow to your own hip.

1a. Kimura – If your opponent DOES NOT move their elbow away from their body, then pin down their wrist against their body (you want your thumb pointing towards their hips)

2. Spin to North South. Put your free hand on their back and pull up to get them up onto their side. When they are on their side, pinch your knees together hard to keep them on their side. *If they are grabbing your pants leg. kick your knee-riding ankle over their wrist before you spin to staple their wrist and break the grip.

3. Finishing the armbar – keep the tricep grib. Grab their wrist with your other hand. Step close to their armpit and rock back to finish. Keeping your hips as close to their armpit as you can.

3a. – Finishing the Kimura – When they are on their side, lean down and get the Kimura grib, make sure to bend your motorcycle grip on your own wrist forward. Pop-pop-Right to break any protective grip they have. Finish by rotating, keeping all angles close to 90 degrees.

**If you are short and are having trouble breaking the grip step up ont your foot (the leg behind their back). This will help you elevate. Then torque your hips and rotate your torso forcefully up and out toward the direction their body is facing. Once you break the grip rotate back the other way for the finish.

Arm Bar, kimura, knee on belly »

This is a great match between Fernando “Margarida” Pontes and Flavio Almedia. Most Jiu Jitsu tape watchers consider this to be one of the best BJJ matches ever. Notice how aggressively Margarida attacks for submissions as Almedia tries to pass. There are also a number of great transitions where Margarida goes from Kimura to Armbar to Oma Plata. Almedia also does a great job of countering Margarida’s second Kimura attempt with an Armbar of his own. The match finishes with a Baseball Bat Choke from Knee on the Belly. 

Arm Bar, Gi, kimura, knee on belly, Submission, videos »

Attacking in combination is a key principle in pretty much all sports. If one attack doesn’t work you should be able (ideally) to transition into another one more well suited to your changing situation. Like a fine wine and the right cheese, the kimura and hip sweep work exceptionally well together.

Start with your opponent in closed guard you have same side (the right side) collar sleeve grip.

1. – bring your opponent towards you by pulling your elbows down towards the mat as you rock back and pull them forward with your legs.

2- your opponen should naturally try to pop back up and re-establish their base. as they do, post on your right arm and reach across their body to your right with your left arm.

3 – Lean forward and reach across your opponents body with your left arm, grabbing your opponents gi behind his tricep.

5. – Now with your right arm, raise your post by changing from elbow to hand on the mat.

6. – Hit the sweep.
Kick your right leg straight, so your opponent can easily roll over it. Bridge with your left leg. (Move your left foot as close to your butt as possible and bridge your hips up, while twisting your left shoulder towards your opponent.

[KIMORA- If your opponent doesn't want to get swept, they may sit up, moving their center of gravity up and further away from you. That's when you go for the kimora on the near arm.]

*6. – Get a motor cycle grip on the trapped arm, the Kimora grip.
Grab their trapped arm’s wrist with your posting (right arm). Lean back, pulling them down and towards you. Remember to keep your thumbs and fingers on the same side of whatever part of their arm you are holding.

7. – Throw your right leg up, across their back.
This does two great things: 1 – It gives you alot of leverage because by doing this you will also be pivoting up onto your left hip, the hip closest to them; 2 – It will stop them from rolling away from you and out of your threat. (I like to call this a “hip flop”, because you are flopping over onto your left hip.)

8. – Finish the Kimora by rotating their wrist up and forward. The key to finishing this (and many other joint locks) is to try to keep their elbow angle at 90 degrees. Image you are moving their thumb up along their back to touch their ear.

9. – Not working because they’re leaning into you? try to hit the sweep again.

Guard, kimura, sweep »