Check Out This Armbar Escape

By Ismail Safi, March 31, 2019

The arm bar is one of the oldest and most popular submissions used in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The arm bar is one of few hyperextending submissions in which the arm would break at the elbow joint if the defender refuses to tap.

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The arm bar is very versatile and can be attacked from pretty much anywhere, however, the most popular position to attack it from is the mount. Unfortunately, because the arm bar is so effective, it is very difficult to escape, but no impossible.

In order to be able to escape arm bars, the defender needs to be cognizant of the depth and position of the elbow and shoulder in the arm bar. There are multiple ways of escaping the arm bar, so it’s best to learn as many as possible.

Oddly, when it comes to the arm bar, you want your elbow closed to your opponent’s chest than your opponent’s hips. When the elbow is right over the hips, the hips behave as the fulcrum so it takes very little movement to get the finish.

The most common reaction people have when being attacked with the arm bar is bridging immediately. Unfortunately, this is a waste of time. You want to focus instead on turning away from your opponent and lifting your shoulder as high as possible. This small detail, which we’ve seen Garry Tonon and Gordon Ryan use to escape deep arm bars, works by lifting the elbow so far above the fulcrum that it gives them like an extra 10 seconds to get out.

This biggest problem people have after getting up from is getting trapped in other submissions, especially the triangle choke. When you get up, it is vital to pull both elbows in and keep them in!

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