The omoplata is a great move that is often underused or not properly used in BJJ. It’s a submission, a sweep, and a setup for other submissions and sweeps. It is not the easiest move to pull off and there many small details which are important to make it as effective as possible.

Mistakes when doing the omoplata:

-Laying flat on your back when you engage the lock. You aren’t going to submit or sweep anybody with your back stuck to the ground. As soon as you attack with omoplata, you need to sit up and start putting pressure on the joint.

-Never overhook (you can underhook though) around the opponent’s inside leg to prevent them from rolling, always hook around their waist. A lot of inexperienced people try to grab the leg to prevent them from rolling and escaping the omplata. When they do this the opponent just secures your arm, flips and puts YOU in an omoplata.

-Having your opponent’s arm in the wrong place.

– Not pulling your opponent to the side when postering up to put pressure on the shoulder when finishing the omoplata.

The omoplata is especially effective when used in No Gi or MMA where submission options from the guard are relatively limited without the gi, which normally provides handles and choking opportunities.

For a good tutorial on the omoplata, check out Clar Gracie. Here Clark Gracie shows a powerful way to counter the opponent’s omoplata defense. When they start to posture, Clark right away swings his legs inside, trapping his foot under the opponent’s armpit.From here he can sit straight up and set up a powerful shoulder lock and get the tap.

Master the OMOPLATA–the submission that can be your new favorite position.

• You might not look like Clark Gracie, but your omoplatas will be the best-looking part of your game.
• SWEEP them when they’re defending the SUBMISSION and SUBMIT them when they’re defending the SWEEP.

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