Kimura: Complete BJJ Technique Guide

# Kimura: Complete BJJ Technique Guide

## What is the Kimura?

The Kimura is a fundamental Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu technique that every practitioner should master. Whether you're a white belt just starting out or an experienced grappler refining your game, understanding the mechanics and timing of this technique will elevate your BJJ.

## How to Perform the Kimura

Here's a detailed breakdown based on expert instruction:

# Kimura

All right, guys, a brief explanation about the Kimura, okay? Kimura is a shoulder

lock, so basically you're twisting your opponent's shoulder, okay,

and putting his shoulder in a bad angle, and your opponent need to tap out,

otherwise he's going to break the shoulder. So basically, the Kimura, in a Japanese

name, is called Udegarami, okay? And I everyone nowadays know as a Kimura because

Kimura was a judo fighter that his name was Kimura and he was a world champion in

judo and he went to Brazil and he fought against our grandmaster Elio Gracie okay

and he was heavier he was bigger he was world champion in judo and they had a

really tough fight but he ended up caught catching our grandmaster, Elio Gracie,

on this submission, on the Udegarami. And he was about to break Grandmaster's arm.

And then our other grandmasters, Carlos Gracie, which was his brother,

threw a towel saying stop the fight because he knew that his

Master Elio Grace, he wouldn't tap. He would break his arm and he wouldn't tap out.

And then after that, everyone stopped calling Udegarami and everyone start calling

just Kimura. So Kimura also is a very good technique and is pretty much like the

armbar you can do from many different places, okay? One of the easiest ways to

understand the Kimura is that, lay down here, Armandah, please, face them.

So sometimes we're fighting and you end up on this position here, that we are

behind our opponent. Maybe you throw and you land it like this. And then we do the

Kimura grip, which is the hand that's close to his head, I hold his wrist.

And then the other hand I go under and I hold my own wrist. So this is the

Kimura grip, okay? This is a very good grip because you have a lot of control of

his arm, not just shoulder but also elbow, okay? You can use this grip to do many

different things to attack the back, to go to arm bars, but let's focus on the

Kimura submission, which is a shoulder lock. So basically what's I going to do here?

Since I have this grip, I'm going to step over his head, I'm going to drop my

knee on the floor, and I lift the other leg up. Now I have the Kimura submission

here. Let's turn this way a little bit. Okay. So basically I have to break his

grip and I'm going to bring his hand behind his neck,

creating leverage against his shoulder and, of course, twisting his rotator cuff in a

really bad angle. And if he doesn't tap, he's going to end up getting hurt his

shoulder, right? So one more time. So I'm here. I finish with Kimura, right?

So we started in a basic way that he's facing like this, okay? So I just put this

in hand down. So basically I'm here. So hand close to the head, I hold his wrist.

The other hand I go under, I hold my wrist. Okay? Step over the head, knee down,

and then Kimura, right? We also could be in normal side control.

And the guy's arm is here above my shoulders, so I'm going to let go to the head

holding my collar. I'm I'm gonna block his hip. I turn a little bit to the side,

I put my leg up, and I turn him facing that way. And then his hand passing front

of my face. So what I need to do, I just drop my knee,

lock the Kimura.

Break his grip, and then submit. Okay?

Also, another easy way to do the kimura is from the bottom.

It's any moment my opponent post the hands on the floor like this. I can very easy

just hold his wrist. And I can sit up.

I lock the kimura. Okay, I have a Kimura locked now,

so I need better angle. I'm most hip scape. Heapscape. And I hold him.

Now again, I'm bringing his hand behind his neck.

All right.

In a more advanced scenario, in a more advanced techniques that towards more advanced

courses, you're going to learn also how to do Kimura traps. So basically, you use

the Kimura to end up counter -take -downs, to end up doing arm bars or back -takes,

like for example, just so you guys understand, he grabbed my leg in a single leg

here. And I cannot sprawl, so I lock the Kimura. E depois,

eu sinto -lhe, falo -lhe, eu posso romper o grip. Agora,

eu tenho a quimura aqui. Eu posso fazer v‡rias coisas. Um, eu posso escapar,

dar o meu leito sobre a sua cabea, comear a levantar. E depois,

eu tenho a quimura normal, certo?

From this grip, my opponent is trying to turn, getting on top of me. I can maybe

use the Kimura to start going to his back.

So I use the Kimura to go to the back. Also,

if I'm in this situation again,

and I feel that my opponent is sitting up a little bit, I can use the Kimura grip

to actually throw my legs and

end up catching him in arm bars okay so that is many different variations that you

can use the kimuda all right is a very powerful technique very strong technique

because you're using both of your arms against one of the arms of your opponent

And once you practice that, you understand that you can do from many different

places, all right? I hope I could clarify a bit about the Kimura, and see you next

lesson.

## Key Points to Remember

When drilling the Kimura, focus on these essential details:

1. **Positioning** — Your body position determines your success rate

2. **Timing** — Wait for the right moment, don't force it

3. **Grip** — Secure proper grips before committing to the technique

4. **Finish** — Follow through completely once you initiate

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

Many practitioners struggle with the Kimura because they:

- Rush the technique without proper setup

- Neglect the importance of base and balance

- Forget to control their opponent's reactions

- Don't drill both sides equally

## When to Use the Kimura

The Kimura works best when:

- Your opponent's weight distribution creates an opening

- You've set up the technique with proper grips

- You can commit fully to the movement

- You have a follow-up ready if the initial attempt fails

## Track Your Kimura Progress

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*This technique guide is based on instruction from Professor Henrique, covering the Kimura as part of the JitsAI Fundamentals Course.*