Kimura From Side Control: Isolate and Attack!
The kimura from side control is a high percentage classic submission. When hunting for the finish, it should always be on the BJJ radar. Often times I’ll bypass other options in favor of it’s unmatched properties of control. It lends itself perfectly to situations in the gi, as well as no gi, and it can lead down a rabbit hole of other creative submission chaining opportunities.
Why kimura from side control? Starting out in BJJ, as we always discuss, can be mind bending. One of the most common positions I see students get comfortable with first is side control. The principles of side control seem to be one of the easier concepts to grasp. Simply put, I believe it’s easier to stay in side control than the other dominant positions, which gives you time to think, react, and execute. And the kimura is the perfect place to start your quest for the finish from side control!
The kimura shows up everywhere from side control. Your partners movements in either direction will present an opportunity to snag an arm and put the technique to work. If we can get an arm all by itself, we can put our partner in trouble. I once heard Pedro Sauer refer to this process as putting the arm on an island, which is a great way to think about dismantling your partners defenses and isolating the limb.
In this video Travis Stevens shows his version of the kimura from side control. Enjoy!
Notice how Travis uses his head, chest, chin, and fist to isolate the arm. Once he has the arm trapped, he travels to north south position and again uses his hips and chest to coax his partner into position, and ultimately demonstrates the finish.
The kimura is accessible, and versatile, especially for beginners. If you can get used to finding the lock, and proper positioning of the hands, you’ll start to put it to work in your game. Keep your eyes peeled when your riding in that dominant top side control position and see if you can start giving the kimura the attention it deserves!
For more from Travis Stevens, check out "Fundamentals and Concepts" and fill those holes in your game. Check it out here at BJJ Fanatics!
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