The Kimura from the guard is one of my favorite guard attacks. Since it’s my favorite I tend to do it a lot. The problem with doing moves a lot is that your training partners start to get hip to what you are doing and start to shut you down before you can use your A game. Instead of getting annoyed by this and giving up, it really just means that you need to evolve your own game. One way to evolve your game is to look for moves that work in conjunction with your original move.

In the video below Josh Colacone shows an Arm Drag variation that can work off a failed Kimura. The key to using this sweep seems to be the build up. By building your body up like you are going to still look for the Kimura, you are accomplishing two things. Number one you are creating the space that you will eventually need to pull the arm across for the Arm Drag. The second reason why you need to build up is to generate momentum. As I get closer to my opponent in this position the more nervous he becomes because he now has to worry about me using the Hip Bump. To counter my Hip Bump, my opponent is going to push back into me. I can use this momentum to help my Arm Drag. If I can generate enough momentum, I can even use this movement to face plant my opponent and expose his back.

If you live in the Van Nuys, Northridge, Granada Hills, or San Fernando Valley area and want to learn more about Jiu Jitsu, Kimuras, or Arm Drags make sure to stop by 10th Planet Van Nuys or check out 10th Planet Van Nuys.com!