The "shoulder lock" is a technique used as a method of upper body restraint. It should not be confused with a choke because the lock does not block or interfere with the flow of air or oxygen to the brain. The application is executed by applying pressure between the radial bone and shoulder.
Top shoulder lock ) The
top shoulder lock, (Also known as the
figure-four armlock,
bent armlock,
Americana,
keylock,
V1 armlock,
paintbrush, or
ude-garami) is a
grappling keylock technique in which both of the practitioner's arms isolate and cause
flexion to the
shoulder,
elbow, and to a lesser extent the
wrist of the opponent. The technique is generally set in motion by the practitioner, using their opposite side hand (i.e. to target the opponents' right hand he uses his own left hand), pinning the opponent's arm to the ground at the wrist, so that the elbow falls at a
right angle with the palm facing upwards. Subsequently, the practitioner will thread his opposite hand under the opponent's biceps, reach through and grasp his own wrist. Doing so creates the signature "
figure four", from which one name for this technique was derived. This also gives the practitioner a mechanical advantage over the opponent. To finish the submission the practitioner slides the wrist of the opponent toward the lower body, while simultaneously elevating the elbow and forearm, in a motion resembling using a paintbrush, creating opposition to the joints and causing the necessary flexion in the shoulder and elbow to cause significant pain, and damage if the opponent fails to submit. While it is feasible to execute this technique from several different positions, the most commonly utilized is the side mount position. This technique also has numerous variations with their own nomenclature, for instance depending on the rotational direction the arm, the addition of the word "reverse" signifying
medial rotation as in
reverse keylock or
reverse ude-garami, in which case the usage of "keylock" indicates
lateral rotation only.
Double wristlock 's 800 year old
Bayon temple
Double wristlock/chicken wing (
catch wrestling),
kimura (
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu), or
reverse keylock are terms used to specify a medial keylock known in judo as
gyaku ude-garami (reverse arm entanglement) or simply as
ude-garami. The application is similar to the top wristlock, except that it is reversed. It needs some space behind the opponent to be effective, and can be applied from the side control or guard. Contrary to the top wristlock, the opponent's wrist is grabbed with the hand on the same side, and the opposite arm is put behind the opponent's arm, again grabbing the attacker's wrist and forming a
figure-four. By controlling the opponent's body and cranking the arm away from the attacker, pressure is put on the shoulder joint, and depending on the angle, also the elbow joint (in some variations the opponent's arm is brought behind their back, resulting in a finishing position resembling that of the
hammerlock outlined below). The name "kimura" started circulating in Brazil after a judoka and a professional wrestler
Masahiko Kimura used it to defeat one of the founders of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,
Hélio Gracie. This variation of the name gained more prominence in MMA after the introduction of UFC, and the role Gracie had in its early history. Although a top wristlock is technically a reverse double wristlock, UFC announcer
Bruce Buffer still announces fights won by top wristlock as "by tap-out due to a kimura". The double wristlock is considered in catch wrestling to be the bread-and-butter part of their style. Professional wrestler
Terry Funk credits
Lorigo "Tony" Morelli with introducing the hold to wrestling "in the '20s", and expressed light frustration with the term "kimura" gradually replacing "double wristlock". He says Morelli set it up by giving opponents (either in fixed matches or legitimate challenges) his back, while standing, throughout his thirty-year career. A reporter for
The Spokesman-Review used the term in June 1925 to describe a submission by Jim "Cyclone Thompson" Corrigan over the deputy sheriff of
Worley, Idaho, without elaborating on the mechanics.
The Wichita Eagle did likewise that April, for Dick Daviscourt's first fall on strongman Henry "Milo" Steinborn. The 1928
National Collegiate Athletic Association rulebook noted, "Attention is called to the fact that if the double wristlock is brought up to a twisting hammerlock, it becomes an illegal hold and must be stopped by the Referee...". Elsewhere, it prohibits preventing an opponent from escaping with a bodylock, with low-quality photographic illustration. It also noted concern for the danger of a legally applied double wristlock.
Robin Reed had used the move to force pins on his way to an Olympic gold medal in 1924.
Omoplata demonstrating the Omoplata. The
omoplata (referred to in judo as
ashi-sankaku-garami, 脚三角緘, "triangular entanglement" and in
catch wrestling as
coil lock) is another bent arm shoulder lock. The locking mechanism is similar to the kimura bent arm lock, but instead of using a figure-four, it is applied using a leg. The omoplata can be applied from the guard, by placing one leg under the opponent's armpit and turning 180 degrees in the direction of that leg, so that the leg moves over the back of the opponent and entangles the opponent's arm. By controlling the opponent's body and pushing the arm perpendicularly away from the opponent's back, pressure can be put on the opponent's shoulder. It is also possible to put pressure on the elbow joint by bending the leg entangling the arm, and twisting it in a specific manner. In order to secure the opponent and prevent him from rolling out of the lock, the inner arm can be thrown over the opponent's waist as a "seatbelt" securing the opponent. Though an effective lock, it is more difficult than other armlocks to successfully apply. The technique called a monoplata is a similar armlock that resembles jūji-gatame or spiderweb position yet has a mechanism like an omoplata. Tsunetane Oda, a judo groundwork specialist who died in 1955, was shown on video to have demonstrated the technique.
Hammerlock A
hammerlock is a shoulder lock similar to the double wristlock where the opponent's arm is held bent against their back, and their hand forced upwards towards the neck, thereby applying pressure to the
shoulder joint. This version of the rotational armlock has been present in wrestling circles for centuries and its earliest appearance is in a 16th-century German book detailing techniques for European Wrestling. ==See also==