armbars

An armbar, also known in Japanese as juji-gatame, is a joint submission that hyperextends the opponent’s elbow by isolating a single arm and applying leverage with the attacker’s hips and torso. The attacker secures the arm at the wrist, keeps it tight to the body, and uses hip rotation to straighten the elbow while preventing the opponent from bending the arm.

The technique is commonly applied from several control positions, including the closed guard, mount, side control, and back control. From the closed guard, the practitioner traps the arm, secures it across their chest, and swings the legs over the opponent’s head to anchor the hips and straighten the arm. From mount or side control, the arm is isolated and the hips are used to pressure the elbow while the opponent’s arm is kept from retreating. From back control, the arm can be controlled with the legs and progressively pinned toward the opponent’s body to complete the lock.

Variations and related concepts include the straight armbar, which aims to maximize elbow extension with minimal wrist leverage, and the armbar from the mount or back control, which are common in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and mixed martial arts. The armbar is sometimes integrated with other submissions, such as transitions from a triangle choke.

Defense typically involves defending the elbow by stacking, turning the thumb inward, or rolling to escape, while the attacker seeks to maintain control and finish. Submitting via an armbar is contingent on the defender tapping to avoid injury.