In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu the Armbar is one of the first submissions that people learn. From white belt through to black belt, it’s fundamentally sound and can come quite naturally for beginners. As a result, it’s no surprise to see the Armbar commonly being used in BJJ competitions, or even in MMA fights.
It also has pretty big consequences for self defense too, as an Armbar can easily break the arm. This means that’s important that you learn to escape Armbars in a safe way as well. Here we shall discuss the best ways to escape the Armbar.
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Can you escape an Armbar?
If you’re a new white belt in BJJ then you may feel like it’s impossible to escape an Armbar. Fear not, it’s actually possible but it can be difficult. There are various ways to escape and some are easier to do than others. It should also be noted that your escapes may differ in the gi compared to nogi.
For instance, in the gi you can grip onto your collar and pants to buy time to escape. Whilst this isn’t doable in nogi, you can slip out of the legs easier due to less friction. In other words, both settings have pros and cons. Like everything in BJJ, the more you practice, the more you’ll learn and become confident. Eventually, your Armbar escapes and defense should become quite solid.
How do you escape the Armbar in BJJ?
Here we shall discuss the best ways to escape the Armbar in BJJ. As mentioned, there are quite a few different ways to escape so there should be something for everyone to learn. Whilst some people often rely on brute strength to defend the Armbar, it should also be noted that most escapes require skill and technique.
The Hitchhiker escape
The Hitchhiker Armbar escape is perhaps the most commonly performed method of escaping the submission. This is done by bending your arm that’s in danger as much as possible. Obviously, the more straight your arm is, the easier it is to break. When you feel it’s relatively safe, you then want to bridge up into your opponent.
To do this, you can use your free hand and push their heel upwards that’s over your head. This will allow you to look and turn into your opponent, which makes bridging much easier. At this point, you’ll then want to perform a type of granby roll over the shoulder that is being attacked. With this done correctly, your elbow should have moved from a vulnerable position into a safe one which completes the escape.
There are a few issues with this though. If timed correctly, you can still get hit with a nasty Armbar. This can be done if the opponent controls your hand which makes controlling the rest of your arm easier. Secondly, mid-roll you can also get caught in an Omoplata or Triangle if you’re too slow. Like all good escapes, this relies on timing and speed.
The stack escape
One of the best escapes for physically bigger opponents is to turn into the opponent and stack them. Imagine you’re in an Armbar on the floor. This isn’t ideal and if possible, you should try to finish the escape on top, with the opponent on the floor, as if they’re hitting the Armbar from a guard position.
To begin, you’ll need to try and turn into the opponent. In the gi, you can grip your collar to free your safe arm. With your free arm, you can then push the heel up or uncross the feet. Then, you can move your head so you’re looking directly at the opponent instead of the floor. If their legs are sloppy then you can do this anyway.
Next, you’ll want to try and sit up which can be hard, but it isn’t impossible. To do this, you can swing your legs in opposite ways like a pendulum to create momentum and then sit up when ready. From here, try to get to your knees and then stand. Getting to this point is hard but if you can do this it will make escaping much easier.
Lastly, a lot of people try to free their arm in one movement, but instead try to do lots of small movements and stack the opponent on their head. If possible, use your leg to kick down on their body. You can use a rear naked choke grip to defend your arm whilst doing this. Hopefully, their friction and grip will start to fade which is when you can free your arm. Just remember, lots of little movements are better than one big one.
The leg trap escape
As the name suggests, this relies on trapping the leg of the opponent. If you manage to do this then you’ll have a much greater chance of survival. To trap the leg, you’ll want to firstly protect your endangered arm. This means grabbing the collar in the gi, as this escape is much harder in nogi.
Then, with your free arm, you’ll then want to get the leg nearest your own legs and place it in between them. This means you’ll have one leg over your head to deal with. With the opponent’s leg now fully entangled with your own legs, you can then address the leg over your head. Technically, you could still get tapped with this in place so be careful.
At this point, you’ll want to try and move your upper body towards your legs and go under their leg. Dependent on your opponent’s reaction, you’ll either end up in bottom half guard or top half guard. Really, it depends on their skill level and speed. Obviously, going from an Armbar to bottom half guard is still a great deal. Just watch out you don’t get caught in a bow and arrow choke during the ecape.
The leg lift escape
This escape is ideal for nogi as it’s usually slippier and easier to do compared to the gi. Whilst you’re trapped in an Armbar, you’ll want to connect your hands together in a Gable grip or an S-grip. With this in place, you’ll then want to use the elbow of your endangered arm to raise the opponent’s leg. This isn’t easier and requires you to get a less perpendicular angle than you’d normally be in.
In other words, you’ll need to make an angle where the tip of your elbow can fit under the leg of the opponent, preferable below the knee (this is easier for those with long arms). Then, you’ll want to lift your arms up which should lift the opponent’s leg up. You’ll now have a split second to bring your head from beneath their leg and put it on top of the same leg.
With this done, your head is now free and you’ll want to press down with it on their thigh to stop them from bringing it back over your head. Remember, you’re still in danger at this point, so you’ll want to shrimp back, trying to place your head on the floor whilst moving it over the leg.
At this point, the danger of the Armbar has passed and you’ll be safe. The issue with this point is you could still end up in mount so remember to try and get some kind of leg entanglement as you escape to set up a guard. If you can’t move the top leg with your elbow, you can always try using your other elbow to lift their other leg up and collect it with your legs to create a variation of the leg trap escape.
Is it easier to escape Armbars if you’re stronger?
Speaking honestly, it’s much easier to escape Armbars if you’re much stronger than the person performing the Armbar. The reason for this is that strength buys you time, which you can use to think of the escapes above and perform them. For instance, if your grip is very weak then you may literally have no time to grab your gi or create a leg entanglement which makes it easier for your opponent to be more offensive.
Similarly, if you’re stronger then you can bend it easier. This makes the Hitchhiker escape far easier as well as bending it back to re-grip with your other hand. In short, strength is useful when trying to escape but ultimately it won’t replace technique.
Speaking of which, when you’re trying to escape an Armbar, be wary about skilled opponents. Often, they may use the original Armbar to transition into other submissions. For instance, they could set up a Triangle, Omoplata, choke, or Bicep Slicer from the initial position. Therefore, the better you get at escapes, you’ll have to then start thinking of how to defend against counters to your defense too.
