Developing — Kimura System

The kimura is probably the most mechanically useful submission in no-gi grappling — not because it finishes often against skilled opponents, but because the grip it establishes opens a whole system of positions, sweeps, and chained submissions. This page covers the kimura system at developing level.

Why the kimura system

At foundations, the student was introduced to the americana (stage 6) and probably shown the kimura grip in the context of escapes. At developing level, the kimura becomes a primary system — one of the attack frameworks every developing-level student should have real fluency in.

The reasoning: the kimura grip is reachable from more positions than any other submission grip. Side control, north-south, half guard top, half guard bottom, closed guard, open guard, turtle top, and even back control (as a transition). A student who knows what to do once they have the grip has an attack option from nearly every position on the mat.

See the kimura system concept page for the system overview. This curriculum page covers how to develop the system session-by-session.

The grip is the system

The kimura grip — figure-four wrist control with the wrist-grabbing arm being the inside arm — is what unlocks every attack. Everything the kimura system offers depends on establishing and maintaining this grip.

This is a significant shift from how the kimura was introduced at foundations, where it was one submission. At developing level, the grip is the thing to chase. The finish is one of several outcomes from that grip, not the only one.

Positions the kimura works from

At developing level, the student adds kimura attacks from these positions:

• Side control. The cleanest kimura finish — top player isolates the far arm, figure-fours, finishes.
• North-south. Kimura from top north-south. Often easier than from side control because the defender’s arm is already extended.
• Half guard bottom. The kimura trap — bottom player establishes the grip and uses it for sweep, back take, or submission (see the three outcomes below).
• Butterfly guard. Kimura as part of the butterfly attack chain, often as a sweep-setup before the submission.
• Closed guard. Kimura from closed guard with the pull-to-side setup.
• Turtle top. Kimura on the bottom player’s far arm as they turtle.

The three outcomes from the grip

Once the kimura grip is established, there are three primary outcomes:

1. The submission. The kimura finish — arm rotated behind the defender’s back, shoulder compressed. Most often finishes against lower-skilled opponents; against skilled opponents, serves as the threat.
2. The sweep. The grip lets the bottom player steer the top player’s weight. From half guard, the kimura grip is a primary sweeping lever.
3. The back take. Skilled opponents defend the kimura submission by rolling with the pressure. That roll often opens the back. The attacker releases the grip (or maintains it through the roll) and takes the back.

This three-outcome structure is what makes the kimura system a system rather than a submission. The defender can deny one outcome, but denying all three from the same grip is very difficult.

Invariables that load here

• INV-01 (connection). The kimura grip is connection. Without the grip, there is no system.
• INV-02 (structural alignment). Finishing the kimura requires aligned structure — the attacker’s arm, shoulder, and hip working as one.
• INV-05 (angle). The kimura finishes at a specific angle — the defender’s elbow must pass behind the line of their back. Straight pressure does not finish.
• INV-08 (position → control → submission). Kimura grip is the control; the finish is the submission. The system expresses the invariable cleanly.

Common errors

• Finishing from a stable grip without position. Kimura attempts from positions where the top player’s weight is not on the bottom player fail because the defender can bridge.
• Muscling the rotation. If the grip is not set correctly (wrist not deeply controlled, figure-four loose), adding force does not help.
• Treating the kimura as only a submission. Missing the sweep and back-take outcomes is missing 80% of what the system offers.
• Losing the grip on the defender’s roll. When the defender rolls to defend, the grip must be maintained through the roll. Lost grip = lost system.

Drilling progression

1. Cooperative. Kimura grip establishment from each of the six positions. Partner is passive. 10 reps each side, each position.
2. Cooperative chains. From each position, attacker establishes grip and flows through the three outcomes (submission, sweep, back take). Partner provides the defensive response that opens each outcome.
3. Specific resistance. Attacker has grip; defender chooses one defence (e.g. defending submission). Attacker reads and takes the outcome that opens.
4. Live. Positional sparring from each starting position. Attacker attempts kimura system; defender rolls normally.

Completion criteria

Before the kimura system is considered integrated, the student should be able to:

• Establish the kimura grip from at least four of the six listed positions against a resistant partner.
• Execute the sweep and the back take from the grip, not only the submission.
• Maintain the grip through a defender’s roll and continue the system.
• Read the defender’s choice and select the correct outcome.

The kimura system is one of eight developing-level system deep dives. The others include triangle system, back attack system, half guard, and more. See the developing curriculum for the full list.