Renato Canuto’s 3 Most Deadly Arm Bars

Renato Canuto is an arm bar master. If you have ever seen him in competition, you have likely seen him pull off an amazing arm bar submission. Renato has said in interviews in the past that arm bars are one of his favorite submissions, and why shouldn’t they be? Arm bars are some of the most versatile submissions. You can hit an arm bar from almost anywhere. They are one of the first submissions almost everyone learns, and for good reason: they work! Arm bars are some of the most fundamental submissions, and when you focus on mastering the basics, your game improves very quickly.

It is certainly worth exploring some of Renato’s deadly arm bar techniques. Did you know he has got an instructional series specifically on arm bars available exclusively on BJJFanatics.com? That is right. For the first time ever, Renato has shared with the world some of his exclusive techniques. You cannot learn these arm bars anywhere else. Renato is an IBJJF &Kasai World Champion. Go look through any of his videos online and you will find him using the arm bars he teaches in his instructional series “50 Shades of Arm Bar.” I highly recommend checking his instructional series out. It will greatly improve your arm bar technique, trust me!

The fundamental cornerstone of Renato’s game is the threat of submission, he turns every position into a dangerous one, and he’s got one of the best armbars in the world. 

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Let's check out some of the things you will see on Renato’s instructional series. I think you are really going to like this. Here we go!

#1: Flying Arm Bar From Opponents Single Leg by Renato Canuto

If you are like me then you probably think flying arm bars are some of the coolest submissions. Seeing an athlete like Renato pull one of these off in high level competition never ceases to amaze me. I should point out that flying arm bars, and any type of ‘flying’ technique in general, is not something you should be trying if you are a beginner. You can injure your training partner on this one, so please be careful! Renato is considered to be one of the most exciting and accomplished grapplers of his generation and he has hit this arm bar plenty of times! Watch him explain how he does it here. Check out the video below!

If you are a blue belt or above, this arm bar is not as difficult as you might think. In this case, the fly arm bar in does in a standing position when your opponent has a single leg. Notice that Renato wants to keep his shin on the outside of his opponent’s body. He also has a collar grip, or if it is a no gi situation he has his hand around the back of the neck. Renato uses his hand on his opponent’s neck to establish a deep collar grip so he can use his arm and elbow to pressure down on his training partner. Once you have your frame and your grip you have a lot more control over your opponent in order to isolate his arm. Your training partner’s natural counter to this will be to try and pull you back into the single leg. You can use this against your opponent to pull them tight into you to grab the wrist. Now you are in a position to his the flying arm bar. Pull your opponent in and step back with your foot, step over your opponent and pull him into the arm bar.

#2: Closed Guard Double Arm Bar by Renato Canuto

Unlike the flying arm bar, the closed guard double arm bar is a technique you can do even if you are a white belt! This is a really effective arm bar, and very unique as it traps not only one, but both of your opponent’s arms. Check out the video below and then we will break it down!

Starting in bottom closed guard, you are first looking to establish your grips. Make sure your hips are high up on your opponent and not on the ground. Normally your opponent will have something like double gi grips. Start attacking his wrist by grabbing his gi sleeve and pull your opponent into you. The idea here is to get your training partner to move forward so you can switch your legs up to a higher guard position around the shoulders, so do not worry if your opponent’s grips do not break. Now you can squeeze your opponent’s arms together and lock them into a straight position. From here finishing the arm bar is simple. Simply control the wrists while shooting your hips up to apply pressure.

#3: Arm Drag Sit Up Sweep Arm Bar by Renato Canuto

I saved the best one for last. This is a very impressive arm bar, one that you will definitely want to add to your arsenal. Watch the video below and then we will break down the technique. Check it out now!

You can hit this one from closed guard bottom. First thing you want to do here is clear your opponent’s grips. This will allow you to hit the sweep. Renato does this by grabbing one of his opponent’s arms with both of his hands while keeping his hips up high. In most cases, what will happen next it that your opponent will try to countering by pulling their arm back. This is when you can go for the sit up sweep. Push your training partner’s hand towards his back as you post with your other hand. You want to make sure your hips are up really high on your training partner. Renato emphasizes this detail greatly. As you pull your hips come off the ground and you sweep into the mount position. Pull your opponent’s arm under your arm pit and move your hips to your training partner’s head and shoulders to finish the arm bar.

Let’s be honest, Renato is not the biggest guy. But that is okay, because he still can generate a ton of leverage to make his arm bars incredibly powerful and deadly! If you want deadly arm bars too then I suggest you check out more from Renato’s amazing instructional series, “50 Shades Of Arm Bar!”

Learn 50 Ways To Master The Armbar With Submission Machine Renato Canuto. Always Be Fighting To The Finish, And Learn How To Armbar From Any Position

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