Eli Knight’s Kimura Attacks, Part One

 

Eli Knight recently came out with a new DVD series for BJJ Fanatics titled Jiu Jitsu Based Self-Defense Solutions.  Knight comes by his focus on self-defense in Jiu Jitsu honestly.  He was the victim of bullying in school, and his mother suffered in an abusive relationship of her own.

Nowadays, Knight is no longer an easy target for bullies.  He holds a black belt and helps victims learn to defend themselves.

In the video below, Knight takes us through a number of options for kimura attacks.  

 

He starts off with the basic kimura from closed guard, taking advantage when his training partner puts a hand on the mat.  Knight begins his attack by grabbing his opponent’s wrist with his right hand. He places his left wrist against his own forehead so that, as he sits up, his arm is in position to go over his opponent’s arm and can easily lace between his opponent’s arm and his own body.

Knight wants to get his arm just above his teammate’s elbow as he pulls into the triceps tendon.

Knight doesn’t believe it is necessary, at this point, to connect his hands in a figure four grip—though he will if it is available.  What is necessary at this point is to pull with his left arm against the triceps tendon while pushing his opponent’s wrist away.

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Knight then brings himself back down to the mat and connects his arms in the figure four grip at this point.  He emphasizes keeping his opponent’s elbow close to his chest. He hips out to the side, catching his teammate’s leg if it is available to help him hip out, and then Knight closes his guard.  He completes the kimura by guiding his training partner’s pinkie finger toward his ear, getting the tap long before they come near each other.

After going through the basics of the kimura, Knight devotes the rest of this video to showing how he uses the kimura in different rolling scenarios.

One time that Knight likes to employ the kimura is as an opponent is in the process of passing his guard.  Knight sees his opportunity as his partner has passed one of his legs. Usually, at this point, the passer will have an arm exposed and vulnerable to attack.  As he passes, he may even place a hand on the ground to stabilize and support himself.

Just as Knight capitalized on that hand on the mat in closed guard, he can capitalize on it here.  This time, though, Knight is using the kimura as a position rather than a submission. He establishes his figure four lock on his opponent while allowing him to complete his guard pass.  

Knight ends up with a firm kimura hold on his opponent’s arm.  The arm is caught between Knight and his opponent, immobilizing his opponent.  Knight bridges up in the direction of his left shoulder and rolls his opponent over, all the while maintaining his figure four lock.  Knight then pulls himself close to his teammate, slides one knee against his back while the other knee goes against his opponent’s chest.  

At this point, Knight brings the locked arm up and around his teammate’s body to complete the kimura.

An alternative attack is available if his opponent senses the trap and pulls his weight back to prevent Knight from bridging and rolling him.  In this case, Knight uses a pendulum motion to swing his legs back and away from his opponent. This motion spins Knight around to a position where he can take his training partner’s back.  

Knight has several options at this point.  He can release the figure four grip and go for more traditional attacks from the back or he can continue his hunt for the kimura submission.

To get the kimura, Knight allows his partner to begin escaping.  When his partner has his shoulders and hips on the mat, Knight sits up—all the while maintaining his kimura lock—and then transitions to a belly-down position.  He then moves into a North-South position and around to a side control position on the other side of his teammate.

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From side control, Knight finishes the kimura by keeping his hip dropped down to the mat while he steps over his teammate’s head with one foot.  Knight uses the foot by his opponent’s head to push himself back, giving him the space he needs to edge his teammate’s arm back until he gets the tap.

Achieving a kimura submission from side control is sometimes difficult because an opponent can pull their arm in against their belly.  However, Knight has a solution for that, as well.  

In this case, he uses the “genie” variation of the kimura.  For this version of the kimura, Knight lets go of the figure four lock, bringing his left hand up to his own shoulder.  Then, he releases his partner’s wrist and brings his right arm under his partner’s arm to grab his own elbow.

Knight completes this submission by again stepping his leg over his opponent’s head to push himself back.  Meanwhile, he torques his opponent’s arm, lifting near his teammate’s shoulder while pushing downwards on the wrist.

Give these kimura attacks a try or check back at the BJJ Fanatics blog site for “Eli Knight’s Kimura Attacks, Part Two,” where we will continue exploring more of Knight’s kimura options.

Whether you are a Black-Belt, White-Belt, or No Belt Jiu-Jitsu Based Solutions By Eli Knight will give you the tools required to survive a real life altercation where your attacker is trying to inflict serious harm to you. Will you accept less than the best in training, when your life depends on it? If the answer is a resounding NO, than Jiu-Jitsu Based Solutions By Eli Knight is for YOU!

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