The Kimura From Guard & Side Control Explained

# The Kimura From Guard & Side Control Explained

You’re rolling with a training partner who leaves their arm extended for just a second. You’ve got the grips locked, your hips are in position, but you hesitate. Should you commit to the kimura? Will they defend it? Are you even doing it right? That split-second doubt is what separates white belts from blue belts, and knowing the kimura inside-out fixes it.

## What the kimura actually is and why it works

The kimura is a shoulder lock that targets the humerus by forcing it into external rotation. You control your opponent’s wrist with one hand, thread your other arm under their elbow, then grip your own wrist to create a figure-four lock. From there, you lift their elbow whilst keeping their hand pinned to their body, creating a rotation that their shoulder can’t safely handle.

It’s named after Masahiko Kimura, the judoka who famously used it to break Hélio Gracie’s arm in 1951. In judo circles it’s still called ude-garami (arm entanglement), but in BJJ gyms worldwide, it’s the kimura. What makes it special is that it works at every skill level. White belts can finish training partners with it in their first month. Black belts use it to set up sweeps, back takes, and armbars when the submission itself isn’t available.

The mechanics are simple but unforgiving. Your opponent’s shoulder joint has a limited range of external rotation, usually around 90 degrees with their elbow bent. Once you control their wrist and elbow, you’re deciding how far that arm goes. If they don’t tap or defend properly, something tears. That’s why respect for the tap matters, and why drilling the entry slowly builds muscle memory without the injury risk.

The kimura is the first submission I teach new students from side control because the grips make sense, the finish is intuitive, and it teaches them to control an entire limb instead of chasing a wrist or a collar.

## Setting up the kimura from closed guard

From closed guard, the kimura is your answer when your opponent posts their hand on the mat to defend a sweep or pushes against your chest to create distance. The moment that arm is within reach and their posture is broken, you’re in business.

Start by breaking their posture with a collar grip or by pulling their head down. Once they post their hand on the mat (usually their right hand if they’re trying to stabilise or pass), swim your left hand under their arm and grab your own right wrist. Your right hand should already be controlling their right wrist. This creates the figure-four grip. Your forearms should be tight against their arm with no gaps.

Now sit up and clamp their arm to your chest. Open your guard and swing your left leg over their back, then pivot your hips out to your left. This angle is critical. If you stay square to them, they can stack you or simply pull their arm free. By pivoting 90 degrees (your shoulders should be perpendicular to theirs), you create the leverage to lift their elbow whilst keeping their hand trapped near their hip. Lift the elbow slowly and watch for the tap.

The common mistake is trying to crank their wrist backwards instead of lifting the elbow. That doesn’t work. The power comes from hip rotation and lifting with your entire upper body, not from muscling their forearm. If they defend by grabbing their own belt or gi, you can often transition to a sweep by driving forward or taking the back as they turn away.

## Hitting the kimura from side control

Side control is where the kimura becomes a high-percentage finish, especially against opponents who frame against your chest or try to push you away. They’re giving you the arm, and your position makes it nearly impossible for them to escape once you’ve locked it up.

You’re in standard side control (chest to chest, their right side). They push against your shoulder or neck with their left arm to create space. Immediately trap that wrist with your right hand, then slide your left arm under their elbow and grip your own right wrist. Your weight should be heavy on their chest, and your head should be tight to theirs to prevent them turning into you.

Here’s where the finish differs from the guard version. Instead of pivoting away, you step your right leg over their head into a modified north-south position. Your hips drop low, and you pull their arm across your body whilst lifting their elbow towards the ceiling. Their shoulder is now trapped between your chest and the mat, and there’s nowhere for the pressure to go except into the joint.

If they’re defending well (arm hidden, elbow tight to their ribs), don’t force it. Use the kimura grip as a handle to roll them towards you, then take their back or transition to mount. The grip itself is control. In our BJJ classes, we drill kimura entries from side control in the first month because it teaches new students how dominant grips create options even when the submission isn’t there.

## Kimura variations across positions

The beauty of the kimura is that the same mechanics work from almost anywhere. Once you understand the core principle (control the wrist, thread under the elbow, lift whilst rotating), you can adapt it to whatever position you find yourself in.

The standing kimura is brutal when it works but requires explosive timing. If your opponent shoots a sloppy single-leg or reaches for an underhook, you can lock the kimura grip whilst still on your feet and drive them to the mat. The finish comes as you sprawl your hips back and lift their elbow. It’s high-risk because if you don’t get the grip, you’ve given up your base, but when drilling takedown defence it’s worth adding to your arsenal.

From mount, the kimura is there when your opponent makes the mistake of reaching up to push your hips or grab your collar. Catch that wrist, slide your arm under, lock the figure-four, then lean your weight forward to pin their hand to the mat beside their head. Lift the elbow and rotate. The leverage is overwhelming because your entire body weight is driving into their shoulder.

## How to defend the kimura (and why you should drill it)

If you only learn to attack the kimura, you’ll get caught by it every session until you understand the defence. The number one rule is to hide your arm. Keep your elbows tight to your ribs, hands close to your centreline, and never post flat on the mat when someone has guard or is threatening a sweep.

Once someone has locked the figure-four grip on you, your job is to prevent them from lifting your elbow. Pull your arm back towards your body and try to grab your own belt, waistband, or gi. If you can keep your hand glued to your hip, they lose most of their leverage. If they’re attacking from guard, don’t let them pivot perpendicular to you. Stay square, keep your posture, and start working to break their grips.

If they’ve already stepped over your head from side control and the pressure is building, your escape is to roll with the submission. As they lift your elbow, turn your body towards them and try to come up onto your knees. This relieves the pressure on your shoulder and can give you a scramble opportunity. Do not try to muscle your way out by pulling your arm straight back. That’s how shoulders get injured.

## Why the kimura belongs in your game at every level

The kimura isn’t just a submission. It’s a control position that opens up sweeps, transitions, and scrambles even when your opponent defends perfectly. Blue belts use it to finish white belts. Purple belts use it to bait reactions and take the back. Black belts use it to dominate matches without ever finishing the lock itself.

In MMA, the kimura is even more dangerous because your opponent can’t grab the gi to defend, and the threat of strikes makes them more likely to extend their arms. Fighters use standing kimuras to stuff takedowns, and ground kimuras to transition from side control into mount or back control. If you’re training for competition or for self-defence, the kimura is non-negotiable. It works in the gi, no-gi, and in every rule set from IBJJF to ADCC to the UFC.

At Extreme MMA, we drill kimura entries and finishes from the first week of fundamentals because they teach the principles that carry through your entire BJJ journey: control before submission, use your hips not your arms, and create angles that make your opponent choose between bad and worse. Once you’ve hit a clean kimura in sparring, you’ll start seeing the opportunities everywhere.

If you’re ready to add the kimura and every other essential submission to your skillset, book a free trial session and roll with our BJJ crew. We’ll show you the details that turn techniques from theory into taps.