Straight arm lock

Straight arm lock is a descriptive name for the armbar — emphasising that the target arm is held straight at the elbow during the loading phase, in contrast to bent-arm locks (kimura, americana) that load the joint at an angle.

Etymology. The descriptor “straight” distinguishes the armbar’s mechanical signature from bent-arm shoulder rotations. The label is most common in older coaching vocabulary — particularly judo-translated material and mid-20th-century English-language grappling literature — where it served to flag the elbow-axis attack and the extended-arm geometry. Modern no-gi vocabulary has largely consolidated around “armbar” or “juji gatame,” with “straight arm lock” persisting as an alternate descriptor in coaching contexts that want to emphasise the joint axis.

Mechanics. The configuration isolates the elbow from the body’s defensive system and loads the extended joint against its natural range until the elbow reaches its structural limit.

Cross-reference. “Armbar” is the dominant English-language term; juji gatame is the judo standard. Full mechanical coverage on Armbar.