What Is The First Arm Bar You Should Learn?

 

The Arm bar is one of the most iconic submissions in all of combat sports. On top of that the varieties of the arm bar are endless. Some are performed the bottom, others while on top, and some take place while flying through the air. So if you are just starting a good question to ask is where to start! Alec Baulding suggests a staple Jiu-Jitsu technique in the far side arm bar, check out his demonstration here from his stellar YouTube channel! Alec offers a TON of free footage on his channel that is perfect for beginners to sink their teeth into. 

As with most techniques, in order for them to be successful you must set them up correctly. Alec suggests your first arm bar take place from side control. He starts by gaining a couple points if it were a tournament by popping up into knee on belly. This position can be highly uncomfortable, and can cause some genuine reactions from our partner. 

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Most commonly the person on bottom will start to push the knee off of their stomach. Since this is an obvious reaction it’s important to have a little planning ahead. Alec utilizes the knee on belly to gain a palm up grip underneath of his partner’s arm. This space is created by the bottom player trying to push the knee. This grip is important for numerous factors but perhaps mainly because of its ability to bring your partner to their side. For the far side arm bar to be successful it’s crucial to get your opponent off of their back. 

Now that there's space for our foot to land from getting our partner to their side, Alec starts to pivot his body around to start the arm bar. He makes special note of where his toes point because his body will pivot around wherever your foot plants. By pointing the toes towards his partner's back he is able to pivot around his partner’s arm, while setting in the arm bar. One key detail that Alex points out is the “bow-legged” stance he uses to sort of pinch his partner in place before falling to the mat. 

As you start to fall to the mat it’s important to remember to stay as close as possible to your partner. If you fall back away from your partner there is a good chance you will lose control of the arm. When Alec lands he is almost scooped underneath of his partners shoulder region. This provides an elevated platform which makes the finish much more manageable. If you are struggling to find the necessary leverage to apply the submission there is a good chance that your partner wasn’t on their side enough during the initial exchange, so that is a good place to start. 

When you ask yourself what is a good place to start for the arm bar, a lot of people would suggest the guard. While obviously there are many answers to that question, the difference in  finishing the arm bar from the guard during practice vs rolling can be quite shocking. Pulling off submissions from the guard is quite an art form. Applying an arm bar while on top can be a little more practical for beginners without those sniper like guard attacks. 

Alec Baulding teaches the UNTEACHABLE in Keeping The Guard! Keeping and maintaining the guard is one of the deciding factors in MOST MATCHES! Stop your guard from getting passed and if it does....GET IT BACK! Keeping The Guard By Alec Baulding Has you COVERED!

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