Last week, Ed Perdomo and Johnny Rodriguez used a failed Kimura attempt to take the back mount position and finish the fight with a Rear Naked Choke. The Kimura that was used to defend the rear clinch is a common and effective way to escape the suplex or rear drag takedowns but it does often result in a scramble situation. When the opponent manages to straighten their arm, Ed’s best course of action is to roll onto their back and mount them. However, when the arm comes free completely, his opponent can block him and potentially catch him in half guard. Ed will be better served to transition into a Belly-Down Armbar from this situation.
When Ed falls back for the Kimura, he loses the grip, resulting in a scramble situation where he must either fight for the hand position in hopes of getting it before Johnny regains his base and takes top position, or he must abandon the submission entirely. Rather than fight for the arm Ed decides to let Johnny’s natural instincts work for him. He allows Johnny to straighten the arm and captures his wrist then bridges (LEFT).
Ed then uses the bridge to roll into position for the Armbar (RIGHT). He rolls into Johnny’s arm, leading with his knee, to bring his foot over Johnny’s arm and in front of his face. This movement closely resembles Ed pulling his knee to his chest. This is important to avoid having to maneuver his leg around Johnny’s head.
As Ed moves to position his leg in front of Johnny’s face and isolate the arm between his legs, Johnny’s instincts to immediately reestablish his base actually work in Ed’s favor. When Johnny pulls his knees in and begins to sit back into his base, the move actually pulls his head back and up, allowing Ed extra space to easily slip his leg around in front of his head (LEFT).
Once he has the position and the arm isolated, Ed moves to finish the submission. With his body weight trapping Johnny’s arm to the mat, Ed has ample time to turn Johnny’s thumb toward the mat and move both of his hands into wrist control. Ed then bridges into the man, arching his back as if he wants to force Johnny’s elbow into the mat with his hips as he pulls his wrist toward the ceiling (RIGHT). This hyper-extends the elbow and eventually breaks the arm.
Recap:
- When you lose the Kimura grip, trap your opponent’s wrist then bridge, rolling on top of their arm.
- As you roll, tuck your knee to your chest to thread your leg through the gap between your body and your opponent’s head rather than moving the leg over or around the opponent’s head.
- Once your leg is in front of your opponent’s head, turn their thumb to the mat and bridge into the ground to finish the submission.
This easy three-step scramble submission is an excellent way to use even an experienced grappler’s instincts against them. It is also a great way to stay a step ahead of the opponent who feels that they are in control both because they are on top and because they recently had a standing back clinch. Next week, MMA Gospel will return with a brand new arc of grappling techniques.
*Ed Perdomo is a 4th degree black belt in the Korean grappling art of Hapkido and is head instructor of the Hapkido Institute in Morris, IL.
