Alias · Top Positions
Arm triangle defence from bottom
Also known as Kata Gatame — Bottom — the canonical term used on this site.
Training background: functional description
Descriptive — defending the arm triangle underneath
Arm triangle defence from bottom is a descriptive name for the kata gatame bottom position — naming the defence against the arm triangle from underneath.
Etymology. “Arm triangle” is the common name for kata gatame’s strangle; “defence from bottom” frames the underneath player’s response. The label names the position by the submission being defended.
Mechanics. Staying off the flattened back preserves the frame capacity the defence needs: turned onto a side, the bottom player can post a shoulder and elbow to fight the pressure, whereas flattened they lose the leverage to resist. Keeping a frame and an angle is what buys time to clear the head or free the arm.
Cross-reference. “Head and arm pin bottom” and “Under the shoulder choke” are sibling aliases. Full mechanical coverage on Kata Gatame — Bottom.