The kimura can be a painfully difficult submission to defend and escape from, especially if your opponent knows what he is doing and even more so if it is being applied in the north-south position. Therefore, in the quest of escaping this common kimura-finishing position, the renowned champion Roger Gracie has a couple of tricks up his sleeve to share with us.
Buy Yourself Some Time and Protect Your Arms
Instructor Roger Gracie first emphasizes that you must buy yourself some time and protect your arm to stave off the submission; you can do this either by grabbing your own collar and keeping the elbow tight as much as possible, or by grabbing your own thigh.
He also points out that you need to be careful with your other, „outside“ arm, so that it doesn’t get trapped with your opponent’s leg. You can easily avoid this by keeping your elbow close to your body.
Then, in order to start setting up your escape, you need to use this outside arm to grip your opponent’s pants on the outside of his knee.
Master your escapes! Here’s Roger’s kimura grip counter that he likes to use that also prevents the armlock and brings you back on top.
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Attack Top Position With Systematic Strategy and Technique From 10-Time World Champion and Grappling Legend Roger Gracie’s Master Class On Side Control Dominance.
- Learn the side control techniques that Roger Gracie used in competition, packed with details from one of the world’s most knowledgeable grapplers.
- Roger Gracie is one of the most respected and successful black belt competitors of all time, and dominated elite grapplers with precision technique.
