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The Best Kimura from Side Control
The most frustrating kimura to attack is probably the kimura from side control because when compared to its attacks from other positions, it is simply more difficult to finish. The difficulty in finishing the kimura from side control is not because the bottom player has some crazy defense they can use to free their arm, but rather in getting the best position to enhance our ability to full rotate and put pressure on the shoulder.
Learn The Secrets Of A Sakuraba Obsessed Judo Black Belt, Catch Wrestler, and BJJ Practitioner Who Has Won Over 50 Grappling Matches By Kimura
This problem doesn’t mean that the kimura from side control is a bad position and should be avoided, all it means is that we have to start searching for different ways of improving it. The first improvement for the kimura I learned at white belt which helped me extensively was a simple grip change to monkey grips instead of standard C-grips.
The grip allowed me to hold on to the kimura much better but did not really help in improving my ability to rotate the defender’s shoulder. It wasn’t till years later when I discovered the concept of the power line by John Danaher where my side control kimura really began to improve. The power line is a concept that when applied correctly, provides the attacker with a great angle to apply finishing power to the shoulder.
Watch the video below by John Danaher and Bernardo Faria in which John provides an in-depth discuss and explanation of the power line and how it helps improve this basic submission tremendously.
In the kimura specifically, the power line shift transitions the kimura from a pushing submission to a pulling submission. This may be difficult to understand, but consider the Americana. Much of the pressure you apply when attacking an Americana is actually pulling rather than pushing away. The problem with pushing is that you are extending your arms away, making them weaker the further the defender’s arm gets.
As you transition to a pulling kimura, it starts to resemble what may be considered a reverse kimura. When you apply pressure here, your arms are getting closer to you providing you two things, the first being increased power to apply pressure, but even more importantly, it gives you better control over the defender’s torso.
We have all dealt with an opponent before who we just can’t seem to tap. But with Harry Grech’s techniques you can get even the most flexible person to tap.
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