There are certain moves which can be dubbed the quintessential Jiu Jitsu submissions. Among them would be the armbar, the triangle, the rear naked choke, and one of the most legendary of all….The jiu jitsu kimura. What makes this particular submission so unique is that it is one of the few that is named after a fighter, the Judo player Masahiko Kimura. While Kimura was not the inventor of the hold (it had been around for thousands of years), he was a master of it and he used it to break the arm of the undefeated Helio Gracie in a legendary 1951 match in Brazil.
The Jiu Jitsu Kimura appears to be a rather simple move. Essentially, when your opponent’s elbow is flared, you reach over it with one arm, grab the wrist of the opponent, then grab your own wrist, and wrench the elbow and shoulder of the opponent. This move can be executed from many different positions – top or bottom. However, it becomes much easier to finish when it is executed from the top since you have much more leverage and body weight to press against an opponent.
Also, it is important to point out that the Kimura is not just a submission. It can also be used for sweeps and throws. In fact, this move – dubbed the double top wristlock in the west — was once used quite for wrestling throws until it eventually became an illegal move. For those who wish to move or manipulate an opponent, the throwing version of the Jiu Jitsu Kimura can prove to be a great help.
You could claim that the Kimura arm position is a form of tie-up. This means you can somewhat slow the match down if you are able to immobilize the limb via a Kimura. Granted, this strategy is not one that you can perform for long or else it becomes stalling which is never an effective strategy. However, for the short term, this tie up can prove to be helpful under certain situations.
But, Jiu Jitsu Kimura
One thing that does need to be adhered to when you use the Jiu Jitsu Kimura is not to solely use arm strength. This is the most common of all mistakes and it must be avoided with all uses of the Kimura. You must put your entire body in the hold or else it will falter which is assuredly not what you want when the move needs to work.