No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu

Armbar

Category: Joint lock Rank: #3 Used Count: 496

Overview

The armbar is one of the most classic and effective submissions in grappling. Applied by isolating the opponent’s arm, securing control of the shoulder line, and extending the elbow against the hips, it creates a powerful joint lock that can force an immediate tap. Its mechanics are simple, reliable, and usable at every level, making it one of the cornerstone attacks in jiu-jitsu.

In modern no-gi, the armbar is part of a broader attacking system built around breaking posture, controlling the shoulders, and using constant threats of back exposure, triangles, and off-balancing to isolate the arm. High-level athletes often chain failed armbar attempts with leg entanglements. Its versatility and high success rate make it a staple submission from guard, mount, back control, and scrambles.

Common Applications

From closed guard: Break posture, isolate the arm, angle the hips, and extend through the elbow while controlling the opponent’s shoulder line.
From mount: Step over the head, fall to the side while maintaining arm isolation, and finish with tight hip extension and controlled wrist positioning.
From back control or triangle setups: Threaten the strangle or triangle to force defensive reactions, then transition directly to the armbar as the opponent exposes their arm.
During scrambles: Catch the arm when the opponent posts, reaches, or frames, turning their defensive movement into a controlled extension. This is often done with the use of the Choi bar.

Related Techniques

Choi bar, Omoplata, Triangle

ARMBAR ATHLETES (RANKS 1–20)

Rank	Athlete	Count
1	Adele Fornarino	15
1	Dante Leon	15
2	Mateusz Szczecinski	12
3	Jasmine Rocha	11
3	Deandre Corbe	11
4	David Garmo	10
4	Haisam Rida	10
5	PJ Barch	8
5	Ffion Davies	8
5	Mica Galvao	8
5	Max Hanson	8
6	Fabricio Andrey	7
6	Keith Krikorian	7
6	Dominic Mejia	7
6	Jon Blank	7
6	Gordon Ryan	7
6	Kenta Iwamoto	7
6	Roberto Abreu	7
6	Roberto Jimenez	7
7	Alexandre Ribeiro	6
7	Joao Miyao	6
7	Aurelie Le Vern	6
8	Morgan Black	5
8	Kendall Reusing	5
8	Gianni Grippo	5
8	Ana Mayordomo	5
8	Andrew Tackett	5
8	Vagner Rocha	5
8	Mason Fowler	5
8	Amanda Bruse	5
8	Helena Crevar	5
8	Michael Sainz	5
9	Alan Sanchez	4
9	Alex Enriquez	4
9	Renato Canuto	4
9	Ross Nicholls	4
9	Jason Rau	4
9	Josh Cisneros	4
9	Felipe Pena	4
9	Grace Gundrum	4
9	Brianna Ste-Marie	4
9	Daniel Sathler	4
10	Davis Asare	3
10	Elijah Carlton	3
10	Elizabeth Mitrovic	3
10	Julian Espinosa	3
10	Kaynan Duarte	3
10	Aaron Johnson	3
10	Carlos Henrique	3
10	Lachlan Giles	3
10	Lucas Barbosa	3
10	Marcelo Garcia	3
10	Felipe Costa	3
10	Mayssa Bastos	3
10	Felipe Machado	3
10	Fellipe Andrew	3
10	Charles Negromonte	3
10	Oliver Taza	3
10	Frank Rosenthal	3
10	Placido Santos	3
10	Roosevelt Sousa	3
10	Cole Abate	3
10	Sarah Galvao	3
10	Giancarlo Bodoni	3
10	Shawn Melanson	3
10	Achilles Rocha	3
10	Izaak Michell	3
11	Gavin Corbe	2
11	Craig Jones	2
11	Jett Thompson	2
11	Abraham La Montagne	2
11	Paulo Miyao	2
11	Owen Jones	2
11	Nikolay Vetrov	2
11	Nicholas Meregali	2
11	Beatriz Mesquita	2
11	Meyram Maquine	2
11	Maria Clara Cardoso De Abreu	2
11	Margot Ciccarelli	2
11	Ingridd Sousa	2
11	Faris Ben-Lamkadem	2
11	John Combs	2
11	Luccas Lira	2
11	Lucas Pinheiro	2
11	Yuri Simoes	2
11	Fabian Ramirez	2
11	Ethan Crelinsten	2
11	Kade Ruotolo	2
11	Elisabeth Clay	2
11	Gabrielle Garcia	2
11	Ryan Aitken	2
11	Javier Barter	2
11	Samuel Nagai	2
11	Derek Rayfield	2
11	Garry Tonon	2
12	Kieran Kichuk	1
12	Adam Benayoun	1
12	Almog Britch	1
12	Anabel Lopez	1
12	Andre Galvao	1
12	Andrew DeGraff	1
12	Andy Murasaki	1
12	Andy Varela	1
12	Anton Minenko	1
12	Bartosz Lukaszewicz	1
12	Bernardo Faria	1
12	Bobby Sandhu	1
12	Bradley Schneider	1
12	Brandon Reed	1
12	Caroline Vinhaes	1
12	Chloe Roberts	1
12	Chris Wojcik	1
12	Danielle Kelly	1
12	Declan Moody	1
12	Diogo Reis	1
12	Dylan Benningfield	1
12	Eddie Cummings	1
12	Eliazar Guardiola	1
12	Emily Leyva	1
12	Eoghan O'Flanagan	1
12	EoghanO'Flanagan	1
12	Espen Mathiesen	1
12	Fabyury Khrysthyan	1
12	Francisco Lo	1
12	Gabriel Brod	1
12	Gabriel Sousa	1
12	Gairbeg Ibragimov	1
12	Geo Martinez	1
12	Helder Rodrigues	1
12	Igor Tanabe	1
12	Indy Briar	1
12	Jacob Couch	1
12	Jadeya Reber	1
12	Jake Straus	1
12	Jansen Gomes	1
12	Jayden Groner	1
12	Joao Assonitis	1
12	Johnny Tama	1
12	Jonnatas Gracie	1
12	Josh Hinger	1
12	Josh Saunders	1
12	Joshua Squires	1
12	Jozef Chen	1
12	JT Torres	1
12	Keenan Cornelius	1
12	Kevin Beuhring	1
12	Kody Steele	1
12	Kostiantyn Zhyvanov	1
12	Kron Gracie	1
12	Layla Szymanska	1
12	Liisi Vaht	1
12	Marco Mendes	1
12	Marcus Almeida	1
12	Max Gimenis	1
12	Mikey Musumeci	1
12	Nathan Haddad	1
12	Nick Mataya	1
12	Nicky Ryan	1
12	Nicole Evangelista	1
12	Paige Borras	1
12	Pedro Machado	1
12	Raajus Dewan	1
12	Roger Gracie	1
12	Salla Simola	1
12	Savion Maranon	1
12	Sean Yadimarco	1
12	Sebastian Attard	1
12	Sergio Rios	1
12	Shay Montague	1
12	Tainan Dalpra	1
12	Tammi Musumeci	1
12	Tarik Hopstock	1
12	Taylor Ellis	1
12	Taylor Pearman	1
12	Tommy Langaker	1
12	Travis Haven	1
12	Tye Ruotolo	1
12	Victor Hugo	1
12	Vitoria Vieira	1
12	William Tackett	1