Roger Gracie demonstrates how to successfully apply the armbar from closed guard. The video is detailed and easy to understand. There are small details that deserve some elaboration. Let’s discuss them.
- Securing the arm.
- Using your body as a unit to create tension and angles.
The most important thing is to secure the arm that you are going to attack. As you can see in the video Roger Gracie stresses how important this is. Most people on top will grab your gi and try to work to open and pass your guard. Once they do so, take advantage of it.
The person on top is using Gracie’s right hip to rest his elbow there for better leverage. That also allows the arm being attacked to feel secure. The top guy feels strong. Once he grips the sleeve Gracie then gets to his right hip as he opens his right elbow up and away in order to create more tension, but also to straighten the arm of his partner.
When Gracie creates an angle by turning to his right hip he also straightens the arm of his opponent. Now the leverage we talked about above is gone because the arm of the top person is straight and Gracie has moved the limb slightly across the top guy’s body.
Even though Gracie is on the bottom he is still creating angles in order to improve his position. He comes up by posting on his elbow to grip the gi collar of his partner. At the same time, he maintains a grip on the sleeve. By coming up on the elbow he creates a better angle and more tension in the sleeve. It also takes away space and the ability for the top person to posture. The key is to use your body as a unit and create angles.
If you want to learn from Roger Gracie visit his academy in London, England.
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