Mechanics of Kimura

System Overview

7 Kimuras

1. Figure 4 - most common kimura
2. Figure 4 Bicep - rnc type grip
3. Cross Kimura - legs are employed
4. Kimura Plata - mix between kimura and omoplata
5. Trimura - triangle and kimura hybrid
6. One Hand - single hand
7. Legs Kimura - legs are used from beginning - attack against turtle

Foundation is the figure 4 kimura

Application of fig 4 creates the central problem - Hand behind back?

Hand Behind

• Top Position -> Establish Top Powerline
• Bottom Position -> Establish Bottom Powerline

Hand in Front

• Employ Legs to Increase Power -> Cross Kimura -> Kimura Plata
• Switch to Another Submission -> e.g. Armbar, Triangle
• Switch to Another Position -> T Kimura, Head and Arm Kimura

If you get the hand behind go directly to submission hold

Two distinct powerlines - top and bottom

Otherwise you have to work when your opponent’s hands are in a strong defensive position

You can use your legs against opponents arms to force opponent’s hand behind their back

Core Concepts

• Multiplicity Principle - never limit to one variation of a submission
• Front Back Asymmetry - when hands are in front they are strong and coordinated (opposite when they are back)
• Arms Legs Asymmetry - legs are much stronger than arms, use them to bring their arm behind their back
• Head Chancery Principle - almost all effective defence comes down to opponent moving their head around. also when the head can’t move the shoulder becomes more vulnerable
• Power from Position Principle - there is a powerline from top and bottom that will increase the power dramatically
• Gateway Principle - gateway to many other positions and submissions

Trinity of Power

Best place to start is side kimura

Single clearest way to illustrate principles

Opponent is on their back

• Hand relatively close to back
• Almost all escapes involve opponent moving head
• Further elbow is away from the shoulder line, worse the kimura is
• You want elbow, shoulder and shoulder in a line
• You can use your legs as part of the attack
• Hands are the transmitters of power, legs and hips are backbone

1. Always control your opponents head
2. Shoulder line - elbow, shoulder, shoulder
3. Use your legs and hips as backbone of power

Thumb or no Thumb

• If you can turn your opponents forearm with thumbs it would add to breaking power
• If your opponent is strong, your hand just rotates around their wrist
• Position of your thumb is not critical to breaking power
• General rule, smaller wrist opponent - use your thumb
• Bigger wrist opponent - no thumbs
• Don’t obsess over thumbs - in regards to breaking power
• When setting up kimuras - thumbs matter

Essential nature of Kimura - A Twisting Lock

• Linear lock - arm bar
• With any twisting lock we have a pull hand and a push hand
• Degree of arm is variable
• Best kimuras are when the arm has less than 90 degrees (quite bent)
• One hand provides a push on the wrist, the other arm pulls on the elbow
• The push hand can often be used to simply “stop” the opponents hand

Hand and Arm Positioning

• Grabbing opponents hand
• Grabbing the wrist is further down the lever than optimal
• Grabbing the fingers is grabbing over a flexing joint (even though lever length is long)
• Best compromise is to grab right on the wrist

When grabbing your own hand

• Bring your wrist where there is physical contact with your opponents wrist
• There should be no daylight between your hands

Your elbow

• Bring your elbow out as far as possible towards your opponent’s elbow
• Push your elbow out to increase the pulling power
• You want your elbow where their elbow is

Bending a Straightened Arm

Should your opponent’s arm be more or less than 90 degrees

Preference for arm bent more

From a relatively straight arm position

• Opponent’s back is on the mat, so you can’t bend their arm behind their back
• Put up a support leg (top leg by their head)
• Point your elbow towards the ceiling (lean towards their legs)
• This takes their back off the floor
• Throttle your wrists like a motorcycle - over the top!
• Bring their arm behind their back

Diagonal Power Line

• 1 of the most crucial aspects of kimura
• typically people try to attack kimura from a perpendicular angle
• you want to line up your body from your opponent’s far hip to their near shoulder
• your hip should dominate their close shoulder
• your shoulder (side close to their feet) should dominate their far hip when getting the kimura

1. walk forward and step over your opponent’s head
2. bring your head up , straight back, towards their hip

• your hip must come up upon their shoulder
• step over their head

test this out with a no-hands kimura

try to just use the pulling hand to see if you can get the kimura

Pull Dominant Kimuras vs Push Dominant Kimuras

• If you are pushing the shoulder their is a lot of movement in the shoulder
• Rather than pushing, immobilise their hand and pull their elbow
• Only way you can do it if your head moves back away
• Create immobility in the hand and immobility in their head

Beating the Shoulder and Trapping Head

• If your opponent is going to escape, they have to escape their head
• Most defensive opponents will keep a near hand in on your hip
• First problem to deal with is the framing near hand
• Bring your hips up higher and point them towards your opponents feet
• Twist your hips back, beat their arm and get your hip on the shoulder
• Step your leg over their head
• Don’t collapse the leg (even though it will trap their head better)
• Keep the foot active so you can push off the floor

Shoulder Line

• The elbow should be on the shoulder line (even if you can’t bend the arm in)
• First bring your head over the elbow
• Pull their elbow to the shoulder line
• If their elbow is low, kimura is very hard

A Vexing Problem

• When you are starting to get the kimura
• You can’t reach your own wrist
• Temptation is to bring the hand up - can be very bad
• In this case, use a thumb grip
• If your hands are unlocked and you don’t use thumbs your opponent can pummel out
• Opponent is doing a good job of keeping their arm straight (so you can’t lock)

First method

• Bring your body close and bring your elbow to theirs
• Pull them up, turn the wrist in. Then you can grab your own wrist

Second method

• Shorten the method by bringing your grip up on their arm
• Once you lift them up adjust your grip back down their arm

Essential Skill of Kimura System - Roll Through Kimura Scrambles

• Focus on keeping your opponents hand behind their back when in scrambles
• A big part of the initial gambit is keeping your opponents head down when you bring your opponent’s back up
• If your opponent sits up while you do this do not let go of the grip
• Have confidence in the hand behind their back
• Do not stay on the same side of their body (they can get the hand in front)
• Bring your head to their elbow (dive over them kinda)
• Continue to roll them over til you are back on top again
• Make sure to cover their head with your leg as you come back up
• Because mechanics are so good for you, you can give up position