Escape The Arm Bar With Kurt Osiander

Arm Bar Escape By Kurt Osiander

Anyone who has spent even a little time training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu knows that getting arm barred is one of the most common submissions. It is highly effective, it is easy to do, and in a real life street fight scenario it can be a shattered bone. So it goes without saying that you will spend a lot of time learning how to defend and escape the arm bar in BJJ. Of course, the best defense for the arm bar is not to allow yourself to get stuck in a position where one is possible. I am sure we have all been frustrated by this statement, because as BJJ practitioners we know it is true, but it is much easier said than done. With that said let us have a look at Bay Area BJJ OG Kurt Osiander’s favorite arm bar escapes and defenses. Check out the video below!

Kurt's approach to Jiu Jitsu is simple, powerful and makes sense. If you are looking for those "golden nuggets" to make your jiu jitsu click, click the learn more button.

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Kurt Osiander has a great way of pointing out to his students that they f**ked up a long time ago if they have gotten into a submission position such as the arm bar. Fortunately he is also the right guy to teach you how to unf**k yourself. Granted, he is right. It is not an ideal position to find yourself in. And there is a limited time before your arm is freed and your opponent taps you. So let us go over what Kurt recommends to help us out of this terrible situation.

First things first is to avoid your opponent from extending your arm at all cost. Once he is got that arm extended you may be past the point of return. To strength his ability to stop the arm from extending, Kurt grabs his own gi lapel and holds on as the struggle unfolds. Again, the window of success for your to defend the arm extension in a live roll or competition is very small. So do not waste any time securing your arm.

Keeping your elbows tight is a crucial detail here as it is in many BJJ positions. This can be easily over looked in a desperate scramble to free yourself. By tightening your elbows you engage your lats and other muscles to help your biceps to brace against the arm bar. The idea is to use your whole arm to help defend.

The next part comes down to timing. It is likely your opponent is going to come up with his other hand to try to pry you off so he can sit back and extend your arm. This is when you have to grip his sleeve. Once you have got a hold of that sleeve it is time to explode into a powerful bridge and get out from under your opponent. Notice an important little detail Kurt Osiander mentions about the bridge. Get your feet as close to your butt as possible! This is a small detail, but gives you a lot of extra bridging power!

Notice how Osiander is able to escape back up to his knees, getting on top of his opening and using his head to apply pressure and stack his opponent. He always maintains a connection to his opponent, and now even though he still has to get his arm back his is in a much better position to do so. Once you are able to get your arm out, stay connected to your opponents hips, drive to turn and free yourself, ending up in a good side control.

What makes the arm bar so difficult to escape from is the fact that time is of the essence. You are at an incredible disadvantage from keeping your arm from extending, as your opponent will have a great amount of leverage to force the arm free. So remember to do everything you can to strengthen your power to defend with both your arms, and when the moment comes, get a grip on your opponent’s sleeve, scoot those feet in close to your butt and EXPLODE into a powerful bridge! Obviously if you are stuck under a bigger guy you may need to hit the bridge more than once. But get him unstable, and get his weight shifting around and he is going to lose his position eventually. Remember this the next time you are on the mats, and scrambling to keep your arm intact!

Kurt Osiander has been training Jiu Jitsu longer than some modern Black Belt World Champions have been born. He's famous for his quote: "Shut Up And Train" and is considered the first BJJ Renegade. He's got decades of experience training, teaching and competing and a black belt under Ralph Gracie.His game is simple, fundamentals based and just works. Kurt draws from decades of experience, attention to detail, and straight forward personality as he lays it all out there in real, understandable terms. This isn't a bunch of Berimbolos intended to impress, this is real, effective Renegade jiu-jitsu! Get his DVD / On Demand Series called: Fundamentals of Jiu Jitsu Renegade. You'll learn the fine details of the basic, yet tried and true sweeps, passes, submissions and escapes.

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