Kimura from BJJ Takedowns

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Kimura from BJJ Takedowns is a finishing attack built around a handful of repeatable controls. You have a figure-four kimura grip on your opponent's arm with their wrist trapped to your chest and the joint loaded. Another common starting shape: the attacker is in on a single leg and the partner has clamped on a kimura with no free post. The ideas that hold it together are the kimura figure-four is both a finish and a powerful control grip that opens many transitions, trade the kimura's grip for a takedown setup, and use the partner's commitment against him.

The kimura chain is a sequence of small controls, not one athletic burst. Build the figure-four by pinning the wrist with your near hand and threading your far hand through the gap to grip your own wrist. Shoot deeper to bring the partner's head low and hips high. Square the feet under for a squat-load posture. Pop the hips up explosively to lift the partner. Dump him over the top while his hands are still committed to the kimura. Use a cross-body lever and a pulling grip to roll the opponent over your hip line while keeping their isolated arm tight to your chest. Move and off-balance the partner the moment the single is set. Keep elbows tight to the body so the kimura cannot wrap. You arrive at a finished submission with the joint or strangle structure fully loaded and your opponent forced to tap or accept the consequence.

Later in the kimura, kimura prevention before defense, movement equals safety, and position is established before submission; chasing finishes without first owning the position is a common time-burn tend to decide whether the position stays on track. Watch for these mistakes: Releasing posture or grip pressure before the structure is fully sealed, allowing the opponent to escape the angle. Letting the trapped wrist creep below the elbow line, which weakens the leverage and lets the opponent posture out. The high-percentage version of kimura from bjj takedowns is the one you can still chain when the first squeeze is defended.

Key concepts

  • The kimura figure-four is both a finish and a powerful control grip that opens many transitions.
  • Trade the kimura's grip for a takedown setup
  • Use the partner's commitment against him
  • Kimura prevention before defense
  • Movement equals safety
  • Position is established before submission; chasing finishes without first owning the position is a common time-burn.

Common mistakes

  • Releasing posture or grip pressure before the structure is fully sealed, allowing the opponent to escape the angle.
  • Letting the trapped wrist creep below the elbow line, which weakens the leverage and lets the opponent posture out.