No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu

Armbar

Category: Joint lock Rank: #3 Used Count: 499

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