The Arm Saddle is a position used in BJJ that was popularised by John Danaher student, Robert Degle. Robert Degle started using this position in competition and also began teaching the move, showing its entries and finishing mechanics. In brief, the Arm Saddle is attacked from the guard position, often this includes butterfly, open and half guard and relies on hugging the arm of the opponent.
From here, you can then kick your far leg over the opponent’s head and start isolating the arm which often leads to kimura and armbar submissions. Below we will go into further detail about the entries and finishes from the Arm Saddle position.
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Entries into the Arm Saddle
Primarily, the Arm Saddle is entered by getting a two-on-one grip on the arm of the opponent. For instance, often you’re taught to do this from Z-Guard by using a Kimura trap. However, the Arm Saddle is similar to this entry in that it involves using both your arms against only one arm of the opponent. For instance, instead of going for a regular kimura grip, you should hug the arm of the opponent. Visually, this looks like a shoulder crunch but you are not trying to sweep the opponent with the crunch.
Instead, think of it as a controlled, clinching position to hold the arm of the opponent, rather than to start sweeping them. So, in Z-Guard, if their far arm is open to attack, instead of grabbing the kimura, instead you underhook the arm and connect it with your other arm over the shoulder. This can be done with a butterfly or gable grip. It is important to stay tight to the arm to avoid the opponent slipping out and escaping, especially in no gi.
Once you have learned this entry from the Z-Guard, you can start using it from elsewhere and is commonly attacked from butterfly guard too. Much like the sumi gaeshi sweep, you are using similar mechanics to get to the Arm Saddle by holding the arm, but remember this isn’t about sweeping. Instead, it’s about control and then submitting the opponent.
Similarly, you can do this from an open guard position. For instance, if the opponent is facing you then you just need to be able to grab the arm and then use your legs to improve the position. Next, we will focus on the leg positions which are equally as important.
Using the legs with the Arm Saddle
If the start of the entry involves clinching the arm, the second part involves using your legs. With this said, the position can be broken down into an upper-body attack and then using your lower body to reinforce your control over the opponent. After you’ve got the arm tied up, you then want to kick your leg over the head of the opponent.
Due to the nature of the shoulder control, their posture should be broken down to allow this entry. If the opponent is postured upwards, then this will be significantly harder. For example, if your inside leg is under them in Z-Guard, it would be your outside leg that swings around, over their head.
From here, you can opt for two leg positions. The first is to place it onto the hip of the opponent and the second is to thread it underneath the body of the opponent. This depends on how you want to finish the Arm Saddle and what your priority is when thinking about submissions. We shall cover this in the next section.
Finishing the Arm Saddle
To finish the Arm Saddle, there are two main options. It is possible to attack triangles, take the back and go for baratoplata type submissions, but we shall focus on the main two instead which is probably a better introduction to finishing the move. The first submission is the kimura. Here, you would change your grip which is easily done. Instead of keeping the original, underhook grip of the Arm Saddle, you are instead switching it to a kimura grip.
This isn’t difficult and requires a slight adjustment of your hands. Because the opponent’s arm is isolated, this should not be a problem. Once here, you can use your foot to kick on the hip of the opponent to pry free their arm and then attack the kimura. At this point, you’re basically in the same position as attacking a Kimura with the foot on the hip. The main benefit of the Arm Saddle is that some may find it easier to get to the final position with the initial setup. If the opponent rolls forwards to escape, you can roll with them into an armbar.
The next available submission is the armbar. Starting from the position of the Arm Saddle with the leg over the opponent’s head, you can instead choose to thread your own leg under the body of the opponent. Instead of putting it on the hip like the kimura, the aim is to start attacking an armlock. With this done, you shouldn’t change your grip to a kimura either, instead you can keep the original Arm Saddle grip and bring pressure on the elbow. As the opponent’s arm is straight, they will either tap or roll, once again ending in a top armbar position.
Final Thoughts on the Arm Saddle
Sometimes hunting kimura’s from the bottom is not easy and the initial setup can be problematic, especially agianst big opponents. Not only this, but finishing the kimura can also be difficult depending on the opponent. Because of this, the Arm Saddle is a viable substitute for creating similar entries to the kimura and also it can be used to develop controlled finishes.
With this said, it is a fundamentally strong position and is suited for those who enjoy kimuras and also use the shoulder crunch to sweep opponent’s. If you already enjoy these two, then it makes sense to start developing a game around the Arm Saddle which can transform your attacks, particularly when going against bigger, stronger opponents.
