The Straight Arm Lock is an old school submission that can be attacked either from the guard or a number of top positions. Linking with attacks such as the Americana and the Kimura, it is often a versatile option when the opponent defends a keylock or happens to leave their arm in a straight position. Because of this, it can be attacked from multiple angles and unlike other keylock submissions, it requires less strength to finish.
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How do you armlock?
Finishing the Straight Arm Lock from the top
Finishing the Straight Arm Lock is generally done in two ways. The first way is from a failed Kimura which is usually from the top position. Here, your opponent should have straightened their arm out to defend the Kimura attack. As a result, you can no longer torque their elbow. However, you can adjust your figure four grip and place your one hand under their elbow.
From there your top hand should still remain on their hand. At this point, your top hand should push their arm downwards whilst the arm on their elbow pushes upwards. This puts huge pressure on their elbow joint and if the opponent doesn’t tap, their arm will break. Similarly, this can be done from top half guard, again from an opponent who defends their elbow by straightening the arm.
A key detail whilst attack the Straight Arm Lock from the top is to block the opponent’s shoulder with your head. In doing this, you stop the opponent from being able to move their arm upwards. By basing on the opponent’s shoulder it effectively pins the opponent’s arm to the floor and allows no way of escaping. Because of this, it’s common to see people fail in finishing the Straight Armlock from this position as they allow the shoulder movement, which can allow the opponent’s elbow movement as well.
What is the correct way to do a Straight Armlock from mount?
In short, many of the top attacks can flow from this Kimura or Americana position and usually need the attacker to be on the side of their opponent. Another similar entry is from mount. For example, if the opponent defends the Americana by straightening their arm, you could opt to sit off to side control and straighten the arm with the same method which was previously mentioned.
Finishing the Straight Arm Lock from the guard
Finishing the Straight Arm Lock from the bottom position usually follows a different method. Here, if the opponent straightens their arm against a Kimura it is difficult to adjust to the correct grip. This is because from the bottom position the opponent is less trapped due to gravity. Often opponents can move around more freely in guard compared to being pinned underneath side control for instance.
To attack from the guard, you will often need to have your opponent’s arm isolated. For instance, if they have a collar tie in your closed guard then you pinch your ear towards their wrist. From here you can then place both hands on their elbow and press down. As long as their arm is straightened then it will have the same finish as the Kimura method due to attacking the elbow. A key issue here is to keep their hand trapped with your head as if resting your chin on your elbow. This makes it difficult for the opponent to remove their arm.
Similarly, this method has been used with great success by Gordon Ryan in Butterfly guard. He would clamp his opponent’s arm to his shoulder and then grab at their elbow. Gordon Ryan would then either finish with a Straight Arm Lock or use the position to sweep his opponent to the same side. As the opponent only has bad options, they will either get swept or submitted due to no other choice available.
Another guard attack is by pushing your knee into the opponent’s elbow. This method was famously used by veteran competitor Otavio Souza who often favored the armlock from an open guard position. Here he would bait his opponents into getting a collar grip and then quickly attack the elbow. Souza’s method often involved using his knee on top of his elbows to add further pressure. Because of this, the submission was often quick and painful.
The knee can also be added for pressure from the bottom half guard. For instance, the same setup can be done against your opponent’s near arm. If they grab your near collar you can once again go for the elbows. With your leg, you then act as if kicking for an Omoplata. However, you instead crunch your knee into the opponent’s elbow.
How do I get out of an armlock?
There are numerous ways to escape the straight arm lock. Generally, it depends on your position and differs from the top and bottom positions. For instance, from the top, you may escape by twisting your arm inwards if you have the space to do so. From there, this will take the opponents hands off your elbow and make it easier to relieve pressure. You can then curl your arm inwards to bend it and remove the submission.
From the bottom, yet again you want to bend your arm. This often relies on being able to connect with your other arm at the hands. If you can find a gap to fit your hand, then you can bend your arm inwards, yet again removing the submission. Of course, if your arm is already isolated then you may not have time to defend and may have to tap. Both escapes rely on bending the arm inwards, but have different methods in getting there.
Summary
The Straight Arm Lock is a good move to learn and is fundamentally solid. It offers a diverse range of attacks from the top and bottom positions as well as sweeps. Not only this but by learning the move it will make your opponents more fearful of your guard game. For instance, they may disengage with your guard and be paranoid of their arm placement as a result. With this in mind, it’s an ideal submission to learn and can be hit from almost anywhere.
