3 Kimura Techniques For BJJ By Robson "Mau Mau" Lima
The beautiful thing about the kimura is just how versatile it is. When you think of one of the most advantageous positions you could find yourself in, having your opponent’s arm wrapped up in a kimura lock is certainly one of them.
There are an endless amount of ways you can use the kimura to control or submit your opponent, which explains why it is so widely studied. Do a Google search for “kimura” and you will see the plethora of tutorials out there from a whole range of combat sport enthusiasts. It is a testament to the kimura’s greatness that we see it taught in so many different martial arts. No matter how far grappling evolves, one thing will forever be certain: the kimura is here to stay.
The kimura is one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful arm control "systems" in Jiu Jitsu. In fact it would be awesome if bad ass Neil Melanson did a whole DVD series on the kimura itself... oh wait.
The kimura lock has been around for a long time, with its origins dating back many years in both catch wrestling as the double wrist lock and the ude garami in Judo. In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu the name for the technique was dubbed “kimura” after the famous Masahiko Kimura who defeated Helio Gracie with the lock on October 23rd, 1951. Nowadays the kimura is one of the submissions you are first taught in BJJ, understandably so. And of course, there have been countless instructional series committed solely to mastering the kimura.
Today we are going to look at 3 kimura techniques from a professional grappler named Robson Lima. Robson, more commonly known by his nickname Mau Mau is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and student under Master Julio Cesar Pereira who is associated with the infamous GFTeam. Born in Rio de Janeiro Brazil, residing in Boston, Massachusetts, Mau Mau began training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the age of 12. Mau Mau’s uprising has already won him several titles in Brazil and in the United States. He has won the World Champion (Worlds), Pan Ams, South American among many others. Mau Mau ended the 2014 year Ranked #1 in the World at Medium and Open Weight through the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation.
Let’s check out some of the techniques you can find on Mau Mau’s excellent instructional series “The Kimura System.” This series is packed with tons of high level advice on mastering the kimura straight from the mind of a world champion. Are you ready? Then let’s begin!
#1: Using Kimura To Counter The Double Leg
This is a great technique for when you are faced with a wrestler who had great take downs. Typically an experienced wrestler will change their level and shoot for a double leg. To counter this, Robson Lima takes a big step backward with his far leg and secures his training partner’s wrist at his hips, as well as placing a hand on his back. Once here he passes his arm under and secures the kimura lock. From here you have several options. You can sit back and roll your partner to finish the kimura submission. If your opponent bases, preventing you from finishing the kimura you can pass his arm over and take his back. Or if that does not work you can reposition and go for an arm bar.
#2: Counter Kimura With Kimura
This is a great kimura defense you can use when you find your arm locked up. Mau mau prefers to use the kimura to counter the kimura from half guard top. With the kimura grip locked on his arm, Mau Mau drives his weight forward and clears his leg in order to sit next to his training partner. Notice that by shifting his weight he keeps his arm inside, preventing his opponent from getting his arm behind his back. He grabs his opponent’s wrist and circles his arm inside to open the lock and secure his own grip, finishing it by driving the arm forward. This is a great defense, especially against a very good half guard player.
#3: Crazy Kimura Finish From Mount
This kimura from the mount position is not that common, which makes it a great submission to surprise your opponent with. The position that Mau Mau shows you is one of his first options when attacking from the mount. He starts off in top mount position. His body comes over to one side of his training partner’s upper body and he locks of the kimura. He does not want to let the kimura go once he has it. To finish this submission, he places his head on the mat and passes his leg over, trapping the head. With his other leg, Mau Mau steps up on the mat and postures up. He touches his heel to his knee to trap the arm. Now he can roll through, closing things up with a triangle submission.
As you can tell, the kimura is incredibly versatile, and Mau Mau understands how to use it in some very interesting ways. Whether you are using the kimura to prevent a take down, control your opponent, or finish your opponent, there are just so many high level ways to master this truly useful technique. If you liked these three kimura techniques from Mau Mau then be sure to give them a try the next time you are on the mats. And if you want more highly effective tips and techniques for the kimura then check out Mau Mau’s instructional series, “The Kimura System” available exclusively on BJJFanatics.com!
Neil Melanson is The Man Who Does Everything In Jiu Jitsu A Bit Different – Yet All The Big Stars Worship Him: He Has The Weirdest – Yet Most Effective Grappling Game You’ve Ever Seen. Maybe it is from his integration of Catch Wrestling or his years of coaching some of the best MMA and No Gi Grapplers in the world. The current Blackzillians MMA Coach Neil Melanson’s Kimura Game Is More Efficient and So Much More Advanced Than Any Other Kimura Out There. His DVD / On Demand Series called the Filthy Kimura will completely change how you attack the kimura from every where.
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