Kimura Lock
Kimura
Literally: Kimura's lock
Also known as: Gyaku ude-garami, Double wristlock
Shoulder lock applied with a double wrist grip, named after judoka Masahiko Kimura; called gyaku ude garami in judo.
Quick Facts
About
The Kimura is a lock that uses a double wrist grip to isolate the shoulder and elbow joints and levers mainly against the shoulder. It is a reversed wristlock: the wrist is gripped with the hand on the same side, while a standard wristlock uses a grip from the opposite side. It works best from ground positions such as mount or side control and requires leverage from the whole body. In judo it is called gyaku ude garami. It is named after the Japanese judoka Masahiko Kimura, who used it to defeat Hélio Gracie on October 23, 1951. This happened in the second of three planned ten-minute rounds, after Hélio had earlier beaten Kimura's training partner twice; historians consider the reported 36-kilogram weight difference likely exaggerated. The origin of the technique itself is uncertain, with catch wrestling and judo the likely sources. Similar positions appear in German wrestling manuals from the 16th century and on Khmer temple reliefs from the 12th century. In catch wrestling, Lorigo Morelli is often considered the creator of the double wristlock in the 1920s. NCAA wrestling rules from 1928 warned that a double wristlock taken into a twisting hammerlock becomes a prohibited hold. David Avellan created the Kimura Trap System in 2012, and the technique is especially popular in no-gi BJJ.