Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Massachusetts: Isolating and Attacking the Far Arm from the BJJ Side Control Position

In this week's instructional, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts trainer Stephen Whittier (The MMA Performance Professor) of Nexus Martial Arts & Fitness in Wareham, MA demonstrates a simple but effective method for isolating an opponent's far arm locks from the BJJ side control position.

He begins by explaining the concept behind this control and attack series, which is to be able to use a simple structure akin to a boxing "shell" to maintain control over an opponent's far arm while trying to attempting to apply shoulder locks or the straight arm lock from the cross-sides position.

Before detailing the shell structure, Professor Whittier is careful to explain the importance of body and arm positioning. In particular, he points out that he typically does not advocate keeping both arms on the far side of an opponent's body from the side control position if the opponent has created a frame with his arms in between you. As opposed to the "staggered" arm positions or the both arms on the near side arm position, having both on the far side can give your opponent too much opportunity to create space and escape.

With this attack series, however, Prof. Whittier's arms have pummeled inside his opponent's far arm so that his forearms are between them, and his uses his near-side hip or leg to pin the near-side arm and take it out of play so that his opponent can't create a frame.

Next, he describes the actual attacking structure itself. Once inside your opponent's far arm, he places his hands against his head so that there is no way to get the arm swum back in. Now, he is free to begin attacking the arm, and each time his opponent wrestles his arm away from one lock, Professor Whittier simply returns to the shell structure and attempts to pick it off again.

This structure allows him to attack with:

-The kimura shoulder lock

-The Americana shoulder lock

-The straight arm lock

As a key detail, he also demonstrates how to pin the arm and use his head to help pin his opponent's arm so that he can finish the submission.