An
Armlock in
grapplingGrappling refers to the gripping, handling, and controlling of an opponent without the use of striking, typically through the application of various grappling holds, choke holds, and counters to various hold attempts. Grappling forms an important part of both ground fighting and standing clinch...
is a single or double
joint lockA Joint lock is a grappling technique involving manipulation of an opponent's joints in such a way that the joints reach their maximal degree of motion....
that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the
elbow jointThe elbow is the region surrounding the elbow-joint—the ginglymus or hinge joint in the middle of the arm. Three bones form the elbow joint: the humerus of the upper arm, and the paired radius and ulna of the forearm....
and/or
shoulder jointThe glenohumeral joint, commonly known as the shoulder joint, is a multiaxial synovial ball and socket joint and involves articulation between the glenoid fossa of the scapula and the head of the humerus .-Movements:...
. An armlock that hyperflexes or hyperrotates the shoulder joint is referred to as a
shoulder lock, and an armlock that hyperextends the elbow joint is called an
armbar. Depending on the joint
flexibilityFlexibility may refer to:*Flexibility , the range of motion of a joint, which may be increased by stretching...
and integrity of a person, armlocks that hyperrotate the shoulder joint can also hyperrotate the elbow joint, and vice versa.
Obtaining an armlock requires effective use of full-body leverage in order to initiate and secure a lock on the targeted arm, while preventing the opponent from escaping the lock. Therefore, armlocks are usually more easily performed on the ground, from positions such as the
mountThe mount or mounted position is a dominant ground grappling position, where one combatant sits on the other combatants torso with the face pointing towards the opponent's head. This is very favourable for the top combatant in several ways...
,
side mountSide control is a dominant ground grappling position where the top combatant is lying perpendicularly over the face-up bottom combatant in such a way that the legs are free and he or she exerts considerable control over the combatant on the bottom...
, or
guardThe guard is a ground grappling position where one combatant has their back to the ground, while holding the other combatant using the legs...
. Armlocks are more difficult to perform when both combatants are standing up, though the stand-up variants are a focus in certain systems such as
Chin NaChin Na or Qinna is a Chinese term describing techniques used in the Chinese martial arts that control or lock an opponent's joints or muscles/tendons so he cannot move, thus neutralizing the opponent's fighting ability...
. A failed armlock can sometimes result in the opponent escaping and obtaining a
dominant positionA Grappling position refers the positioning and holds of combatants engaged in grappling. Combatants are said to be in a neutral position if neither is in a more favourable position. If one party has a clear advantage such as in the mount they are said to be in a "dominant position"...
.
Armlocks are considered less dangerous techniques in combat sports allowing joint locks, and are the most common joint locks used as submission holds. In sparring or training, armlocks are generally done in a slow and controlled manner, so that the opponent can
submitA submission is a combat sports term for yielding to the opponent, and hence resulting in an immediate defeat. The submission is commonly performed by clearly tapping the floor or the opponent with the hand or sometimes with the foot, to signal the opponent and possibly the referee of the submission...
before any damage is inflicted. In
self-defenseSelf-defense is the act of defending oneself, one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force is available in many jurisdictions, but the interpretation varies widely...
application, or when applied improperly or with excessive force, armlocks can cause
muscleMuscle is the contractile tissue of the body and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to...
,
tendonA tendon is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that usually connects muscle to bone and is capable of withstanding tension. Tendons are similar to ligaments and fascia as they are all made of collagen except that ligaments join one bone to another bone, and fascia connect muscles to other...
and
ligamentIn anatomy, the term ligament is used to denote three different types of structures:# Fibrous tissue that connects bones to other bones. They are sometimes called "articular ligaments", "fibrous ligaments", or "true ligaments"....
damage, even
dislocationJoint dislocation, or luxation , occurs when bones in a joint become displaced or misaligned. It is often caused by a sudden impact to the joint. The ligaments always become damaged as a result of a dislocation...
, or
bone fractureA bone fracture is a medical condition in which there is a break in the continuity of the bone...
s.
Armbar
An
armbar (sometimes called a
straight armbar) is a
joint lockA Joint lock is a grappling technique involving manipulation of an opponent's joints in such a way that the joints reach their maximal degree of motion....
that hyperextends the elbow joint. It is typically applied by placing the opponent's extended arm at the elbow over a
fulcrumFulcrum may refer to one of the following.*Fulcrum, the pivot on which a lever moves*Fulcrum Wheels, a bicycle wheel manufacturer, based in Italy*Fulcrum , part of a percussionist's grip...
such as an arm, leg or hip, and controlling the opponent's body while leveraging the arm over the fulcrum. It is used in various
grapplingGrappling refers to the gripping, handling, and controlling of an opponent without the use of striking, typically through the application of various grappling holds, choke holds, and counters to various hold attempts. Grappling forms an important part of both ground fighting and standing clinch...
martial arts, including
Brazilian jiu-jitsuBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art and combat sport that focuses on grappling but especially ground fighting. It was derived from the Japanese martial art of Kodokan Judo in the early 20th century, which was itself then a recently-developed system , based on multiple schools of Japanese...
,
Catch wrestlingCatch wrestling is a style of Folk wrestling made popular in the late 19th century by the wrestlers of traveling carnivals who incorporated submission holds, or "hooks", into their wrestling to increase their effectiveness against their opponents...
,
Judo, meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century...
,
Jiu-Jitsu, literally meaning the "art of softness," or "way of yielding" is a collective name for Japanese martial art styles including unarmed and armed techniques. Jujutsu evolved among the samurai of feudal Japan as a method for defeating an armed and armored opponent without weapons...
and is one of the most common ways to win a match in
mixed martial artsMixed martial arts is a full contact combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques, from a mixture of martial arts traditions and non-traditions, to be used in competitions. The rules allow the use of striking and grappling techniques, both while standing and on the ground...
competition. The technique has several variations, with the best known and most effective in competition being the juji-gatame. The juji-gatame is so common, that "armbar" is often used synonymously with juji-gatame.
The
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
word "
bar" is used here to signify the opponent's extended arm, while the
Japaneseis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family. There are a number of proposed relationships with other languages, but none have gained general acceptance...
word "
juji" (十字) refers to the armbar's visual resemblance to the number 10 as written in
Kanjiare the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet . The Japanese term kanji literally means "Han characters".- History :Chinese characters first came to Japan on...
, 十. The word
juji is also found in "
juujika" (十字架), meaning a
crossA cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run diagonally, the design is technically termed a saltire....
.
Juji-gatame
The
juji-gatame is derived from judo.(十字固, "cross armlock" or technically referred to as
ude-hishigi-juji-gatame. In general, the attacker grabs the wrist of the targeted arm of the opponent, holding and securing it by squeezing it between the
thighIn humans the thigh is the area between the pelvis and the knee. Anatomically, it is part of the lower limb.The single bone in the thigh is called the femur...
s of the attacker. The attacker's legs end up across the opponent's chest, with the arm held between the thighs, with the elbow pointing against the thigh or hips. By holding the opponent's wrist to the attacker's chest, the attacker can extend the opponent's arm and hyperextend the opponent's elbow. The attacker can further increase the pressure on the elbow joint by arching their hips against the elbow. This is extremely effective, especially against unknowledgeable opponents.
Flying armbar
The
flying armbar is a version of the juji-gatame that is performed from a stand-up position. Without a gi, it is typically applied when the opponent has a
collar tieCollar tie is a grappling clinch hold that is used to control the opponent. It is performed from the front of the opponent by grabbing the opponent by the collar, behind the neck, or behind the trapezius muscle...
. By tightly holding the opponent's neck and arm, the attacker puts one of his or their
shinShin may refer to:* Shin In-Seob Korean footballer, currently playing for Adelaide United* Shinbone, the larger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates* Shin Buddhism, a widely practiced branch of Buddhism...
s against the opponents midsection, and leans up on the opponent; at the same time, the attacker swings the leg on the same side as the opponent's collar tie over the opponents head, into the typical juji-gatame position. (With a gi, it can be performed without needing to hold the neck.) If improperly performed, this technique will cause the opponent to escape the hold and gain an advantageous position, even the option of slamming the attacker to the ground. The flying armbar is considered to be one of the most spectacular
joint lockA Joint lock is a grappling technique involving manipulation of an opponent's joints in such a way that the joints reach their maximal degree of motion....
s, but it is uncommon because of the risk of losing
positionA Grappling position refers the positioning and holds of combatants engaged in grappling. Combatants are said to be in a neutral position if neither is in a more favourable position. If one party has a clear advantage such as in the mount they are said to be in a "dominant position"...
.
Sankaku-gatame
The
sankaku-gatame or "triangular armlock" is a juji-gatame performed from the
sankaku position . Originating from judo it is normally used when the
shime (strangle) is not working. It's an effective competition technique due to the fact that the opponent's arm became exposed while defending the sankaku-jime and their attention is focused in stopping the strangle.
Elbow lock
An
elbow lock is a type of
joint lockA Joint lock is a grappling technique involving manipulation of an opponent's joints in such a way that the joints reach their maximal degree of motion....
that hyperflexes or hyperrotates the
elbow jointThe elbow is the region surrounding the elbow-joint—the ginglymus or hinge joint in the middle of the arm. Three bones form the elbow joint: the humerus of the upper arm, and the paired radius and ulna of the forearm....
. An elbow lock is applied by forcing the arm beyond its normal range of elbow-wise movement, which can be done through a variety of ways. Typically, the body is controlled from moving by using a pinning hold, and the arm is then pulled, pushed or twisted.
Keylock
A
keylock (also known as a
bent armlock,
figure-four armlock or
ude-garami) involves holding the forearm and using it to twist the upper arm laterally or medially, similarly to turning a key in a keyhole. It is usually considered to be a shoulder lock since the primary pressure is often on the shoulder, but depending on how it is performed, significant pressure can also be applied to the elbow. It passes for a lock on the elbow in
judo, meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century...
competitions, where only elbow locks are allowed. It can be applied from a multitude of positions, and it is the most common shoulder lock used as a submission hold in
mixed martial artsMixed martial arts is a full contact combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques, from a mixture of martial arts traditions and non-traditions, to be used in competitions. The rules allow the use of striking and grappling techniques, both while standing and on the ground...
competition. The keylock has several variations with their own names, for instance depending on in which direction the arm is rotated. The word "reverse" is sometimes added to signify medial rotation as in
reverse keylock or
reverse ude-garami, in which case the usage of just "keylock" indicates lateral rotation.
Figure Four Arm-lock/Americana (Ude-garami)
The
figure four arm-lock (also known in the USA as the
americana) is a term used in
Brazilian Jiu-JitsuBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art and combat sport that focuses on grappling but especially ground fighting. It was derived from the Japanese martial art of Kodokan Judo in the early 20th century, which was itself then a recently-developed system , based on multiple schools of Japanese...
to specify the lateral keylock known in
judo, meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century...
as
ude-garami (arm entanglement). This lock is generally applied only from the
mountThe mount or mounted position is a dominant ground grappling position, where one combatant sits on the other combatants torso with the face pointing towards the opponent's head. This is very favourable for the top combatant in several ways...
or
side controlSide control is a dominant ground grappling position where the top combatant is lying perpendicularly over the face-up bottom combatant in such a way that the legs are free and he or she exerts considerable control over the combatant on the bottom...
. The opponent's arm is pinned to the ground so that it is bent at the elbow, with the opponent's palm upwards. The wrist is grabbed with the opposite hand, and the arm on the same side is put under the opponents arm, gripping the attacker's wrist. This results in the necessary figure-four hold. While keeping the opponent's hand pinned to the ground, the attacker begins sliding his or her pinned arm down and parallel to his or her thigh while cranking the elbow upwards. This is referred to as 'painting'. The opponent will feel pressure on their elbow and/or shoulder. From some positions, such as
kesa-gatameKesa-Gatame is one of the seven mat holds,Osaekomi-waza, of Kodokan Judo.In grappling terms, it is categorized as aside control hold.Eri Gatame is one of the Shime arts in Danzan Ryu Jujitsu...
, it is possible to apply this technique with a leg instead of using two arms.
The technique is one of the official 29 grappling techniques of Kodokan Judo. It is one of the nine joint techniques of the Kansetsu-waza list, one of the three grappling lists in Judo's Katame-waza enumerating 29 grappling techniques. All of Judo's competition legal joint techniques are arm locks.
Kimura (Gyaku ude-garami)
Kimura (
Brazilian Jiu-JitsuBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art and combat sport that focuses on grappling but especially ground fighting. It was derived from the Japanese martial art of Kodokan Judo in the early 20th century, which was itself then a recently-developed system , based on multiple schools of Japanese...
),
chicken wing/double wristlock (
wrestlingWrestling is an ancient martial art that uses grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, generally between two people, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
), or
reverse keylock are terms used to specify a medial keylock known in judo as
gyaku ude-garami (reverse arm entanglement) or simply as
ude-garami. The application is similar to the americana, except that it is reversed. It needs some space behind the opponent to be effective, and can be applied from the
side controlSide control is a dominant ground grappling position where the top combatant is lying perpendicularly over the face-up bottom combatant in such a way that the legs are free and he or she exerts considerable control over the combatant on the bottom...
or
guardThe guard is a ground grappling position where one combatant has their back to the ground, while holding the other combatant using the legs...
. Contrary to the americana, the opponent's wrist is grabbed with the hand on the same side, and the opposite arm is put on the back side the opponent's arm, and again grabbing the attacker's wrist and forming a
figure-fourA Figure-four is a grappling joint-lock that resembles the number "4". A keylock or toe hold can be referred to as a nyfigure-four hold, when it involves a figure-four formation with the legs or arms. If the figure-four involves grabbing the wrists with both hands, it is sometimes called a double...
. By controlling the opponent's body and cranking the arm away from the attacker, pressure is put on the shoulder joint, and depending on the angle, also the elbow joint (in some variations the opponent's arm is brought behind their back, resulting in a finishing position resembling that of the
hammerlock outlined below). The kimura was named after the
judo, meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century...
ka
Masahiko Kimurawas a Japanese judoka who is widely considered one of the greatest judoka of all time. Kimura was born on September 10, 1917 in Kumamoto, Japan...
, who used it to defeat one of the founders of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,
Hélio GracieHélio Gracie was a Brazilian martial artist who, together with his brother Carlos Gracie, founded the art of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, known internationally as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu...
.
Omoplata (Ashi-garami/sankaku-garami/ude-garami)
The
omoplata (sometimes referred to as
ude-garami or
sankaku-garami, 三角緘, "triangular entanglement" or
ashi-garami, "leg entanglement" in
Judo, meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century...
) is a commonly featured shoulder lock in
Brazilian Jiu-JitsuBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art and combat sport that focuses on grappling but especially ground fighting. It was derived from the Japanese martial art of Kodokan Judo in the early 20th century, which was itself then a recently-developed system , based on multiple schools of Japanese...
. The locking mechanism is similar to the kimura lock, but instead of using a
figure-fourA Figure-four is a grappling joint-lock that resembles the number "4". A keylock or toe hold can be referred to as a nyfigure-four hold, when it involves a figure-four formation with the legs or arms. If the figure-four involves grabbing the wrists with both hands, it is sometimes called a double...
, it is applied using a leg. The omoplata can be applied from the
guardThe guard is a ground grappling position where one combatant has their back to the ground, while holding the other combatant using the legs...
, by placing one leg under the opponents armpit and turning 180 degrees in the direction of that leg, so that the leg moves over the back of the opponent and entangles the opponents arm. By controlling the opponent's body and pushing the arm perpendicularly away from the opponents back, pressure can be put on the opponent's shoulder. It is also possible to put pressure on the elbow joint by bending the leg entangling the arm, and twisting it in a specific manner. Though an effective lock, it is more difficult than other armlocks to successfully apply. The technique called a monoplata is a similar armlock that resembles juji gatame or spiderweb position yet has a mechanism like a omoplata.
Hammerlock
A
hammerlock is a shoulder lock similar to the kimura lock where the opponent's arm is held bent against their back, and their hand forced upwards towards the neck, thereby applying pressure to the shoulder joint. The hammerlock is well-known as a pain compliance hold in law-enforcement where it is typically used from a stand-up position to control an aggressor, and is also utilized in the application of
handcuffsHandcuffs are restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists close together. They comprise two parts, linked together by a chain, a hinge or in the case of rigid cuffs, a bar. Each half has a rotating arm which engages with a ratchet that prevents it from being opened once closed...
. It is also sometimes seen used as a submission hold in
submission wrestlingSubmission wrestling is a formula of competition and a general term describing the aspect of martial arts and combat sports that focus on clinch and ground fighting with the aim of obtaining a submission using submission holds.The sport of submission wrestling brings together techniques from...
arts.
See also
- For armlocks involving a separating motion of the elbow joint
The elbow is the region surrounding the elbow-joint—the ginglymus or hinge joint in the middle of the arm. Three bones form the elbow joint: the humerus of the upper arm, and the paired radius and ulna of the forearm....
, see Biceps slicer.
- Leglock
A leglock is a joint lock that is directed at joints of the leg such as the ankle, knee or hip joint. A leglock which is directed at joints in the foot is sometimes referred to as a foot lock and a lock at the hip as a hip lock...
- Small joint manipulation
Small joint manipulation, in grappling, refers to twisting, pulling or bending fingers or toes to cause joint locks in the various joints in those appendages...
- Spinal lock
A Spinal lock is a multiple joint lock applied to the spinal column, which is performed by forcing the spine beyond its normal ranges of motion. This is typically done by bending or twisting the head or upper body into abnormal positions...
- Wristlock
A Wristlock is a joint lock primarily affecting the wrist-joint and possibly the radioulnar joints through rotation of the hand. A wristlock is typically applied by grabbing the opponent's hand, and bending and/or twisting it. Wristlocks are very common in martial arts such as Aikido, Hapkido and...