The Kimura grip is one of the most powerful controls, submissions and arguably positions that is used in both BJJ and MMA. The Kimura is consistently one of the most common ways to dominate a grappling match and has a long and illustrious history. In catch wrestling, it is known as the double wrist lock due to its British background. However, it also featured heavily in traditional judo, Japanese jiu-jitsu and of course BJJ.
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History & Origins Of The Kimura
Who invented the Kimura?
The Kimura lock first gained attention from legendary judoka, Masahiko Kimura. Kimura was known for his high-level Judo and wrestling which lead to an eventual super fight against Helio Gracie. During this fight Kimura managed to apply the lock and break the shoulder of Helio resulting in victory. Since this epic match, the lock was named after him in BJJ and is commonly known as the Kimura even to this day.
Before this the kimura was heavily featured in British catch wrestling where it was known as the double wrist lock. Billy Robinson taught this move to the likes of Josh Barnett and later Sakuraba who featured it heavily in his style.
In more modern times, it is associated with MMA fighter Kazushi Sakuraba who used this successfully on multiple opponents. In fact, he Kimura’d both Royler and Renzo Gracie during the Pride MMA days. The Kimura lock on Renzo resulted in his elbow breaking and the match being declared a victory as a result.
Not only this, but Sakuraba would be one of the first fighters to use the kimura grip as more of a position than a submission. He knew that even if he had what looked to be a worse position than his opponent. If he had a fully secured kimura grip he could always find his way back to the top.
Whilst there is no proof of the kimura being used, due to the martial art being over 2000 years old. Pankration most likely used the kimura from various positions. So it is unclear where the kimura first came from, but humans have been grappling in this way for centuries.
How do you use the Kimura lock in real life?
The Kimura can be used in real life the same way it is used in BJJ. This means from top, pinning positions or whilst on your back. However, many police forces are taught the Kimura and hammer-lock techniques. This relies on achieving the Kimura from the standing position to control the opponent. Although this is possible and does happen, it is far easier to use the Kimura whilst on the floor. The mechanics of a standing opponent often mean that it’s difficult to access their arm.
What is the difference between a Kimura and Americana?
Both submissions have similarities and fall under the ‘keylock’ family. However, there are also a few key differences. The Americana works by placing your hand on the wrist and your arm under the elbow. The Kimura has the same wrist control but with your arm under the shoulder.
This means two things: Firstly, the Americana is often an elbow lock whilst the Kimura is mostly a shoulder lock.
Secondly, the Kimura can be used from various positions. As the Americana holds the elbow, it requires the arm to be pinned. Because of this, it is mostly used from side control and mount. However, the Kimura is far more versatile as it attacks the shoulder. This means it can be used from practically any position. From the top and bottom or even with your back taken, the Kimura can be used far more than the Americana.
Mechanics of the Kimura
The Kimura is started when the practitioner grabs the wrist of their opponent with the same side arm. The other arm is then wrapped around the back of the opponent’s shoulder and connected with your own wrist. This creates a 2 vs 1 scenario, where the attacker has a numbers advantage.
When the grip is secured; you are able to create an angle against the opponent, almost as if you are looking in their ear (same side as the attacked arm). Once a good angle is obtained, it will be a lot easier to finish the submission by bringing the opponent’s trapped arm towards the back of their own head.
Can the Kimura lock break an arm?
This in turn creates great pressure on the opponent’s shoulder and can result in dislocation. Because of this, it is wise to tap early to the Kimura, as otherwise it can completely destroy the shoulder and result in a substantial injury. Because of this, the Kimura can quite easily break the arm.
To make the Kimura more efficient there are some intricacies to add. One example is twisting your wrists down whilst applying the finish. This creates a tighter hold on the opponent’s arm and makes it harder to escape. Similarly, it is best to stay tight to the opponent’s body whilst finishing the hold and being heavy on their shoulder. This creates more tension and uses less energy, as the technique creates more leverage to enhance the submission.
Entries & Positions
Side Control
The Kimura is versatile and can be applied from both top and bottom positions. For instance, in top side control if the Kimura grip is obtained then you can step over the head of the opponent to finish. This means the opponent cannot escape or lift their head to alleviate pressure. Once here, the same finish as mentioned above can be applied. This requires bending the arm and shoulder behind the opponents back.
Half Guard
From the bottom, there is the Kimura trap from half guard. This involves baiting the opponent into putting their far arm forward. From here, you can get the 2 vs 1 grip and isolate the arm. Again, the finish of the Kimura is the same from the top. Simply create an angle and pull the wrist towards the head to generate the finish.
Note that the kimura can also be finished from the top of half guard if the opponent has the grip. Lastly, the kimura can also be reversed from top if the opponents grip is too shallow on the shoulder. The top player can simply connect their hands together and rip the bottom players shoulder upwards.
Closed Guard & Mount
Closed guard is perhaps the safest method to attempt a kimura as you really don’t risk much even if you completely lose your grip and fail.
If you aren’t able to finish the submission in closed guad for whatever reason you can sweep to the side of the trapped shoulder as there is no base.
The kimura is rarely seen from mount, but can be finished from there. Remember that mount is just an inverted closed guard. You will need to make space between your opponents shoulder and the mat to finish. But it is still an exceptionally strong grip from this position.
Rolling Kimura
The rolling Kimura is also a key feature in modern BJJ.
Against a seated opponent from standing, it is possible to grab the Kimura grip and then perform a fowards roll. After the roll is complete, the next step involves doing an inverted roll to get to the opponents back or top side control, depending on their reaction.
It is most commonly used when standing in DLR guard since you already have a leg entanglement needed to maintain control. The position is not often used in points competitions, since you are essentially sweeping yourself to go for a submission which may not be successful.
When The Opponent Has Your Back
Thee Kimura grip is seen as extremely powerful as it’s own position and can also be used to sweep opponents and counter back takes. A classic example of the Kimura used as a position was by Sakuraba. Here he would bait the grip from bottom turtle or by giving his back and then use it to reverse the position.
The key detail is to always make sure the opponents elbow is trapped inside your own arm, otherwise this is not a true kimura grip and your opponent will be in the dominant position.
How do you get out of a Kimura?
Escaping the Kimura is not easy and means you’re in trouble. However, there are a few methods of escape. One method is to drop your weight onto your shoulder and collapse your body. This brings your torso closer to your shoulder which makes it harder to isolate the arm. If the opponent can’t isolate the arm, then the Kimura is made far harder.
From here, you then want to connect your other hand to the hand that is in danger. By connecting both hands, you should be able free your arm by pulling it away from the lock. The issue with the Kimura is that it’s a 2 vs 1 situation. However, by adding your own arm, it becomes 2 vs 2 in terms of limbs. This means finishing the Kimura becomes less likely. The kimura is easier to defend when wearing a gi, as there is always material to grip. If you’re just wearing a rashguard then it is significantly more difficult to hold on.
Summary
The Kimura is undoubtedly one of the best grips in all of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It can be used from almost any position and can be used for both sweeps and submissions. Not only this but the grip can also be used to get to the back of the opponent, or even set up alternative submissions such as armbars. Compared to the armbar, the Kimura is arguably a safer submission to attack too. This is because the opponent cannot escape into a potentially advantageous position if it fails.
It has been used for centuries by many and is fundamentally important in all areas of grappling.
