Choi Bar
Choi Bar — shoulder rotation submission; arm pulled across the body while the shoulder is externally rotated. From side control.
Adapted from InGrappling, Choi Bar. System Games did not invent this curriculum.
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The Choi Bar is a shoulder rotation submission. The opponent’s arm is isolated and pulled across their own body — the arm crosses the centreline — while the attacker externally rotates the shoulder against its natural range of motion. It is a shoulder lock, not an elbow hyperextension, which places it in a distinct mechanical category from the standard armbar despite sharing the armbar system hub.
The defining characteristic is the arm crossing the centreline. When the opponent’s arm is pulled across the midpoint of their body and the shoulder is rotated outward, the shoulder capsule and rotator cuff structures are loaded. The Choi Bar exploits a positional exposure that occurs when the opponent’s near arm drifts across their body — in side control, at turtle, or from back control when the seatbelt over-hook isolates the arm.
At proficient level the Choi Bar is learned as a positional read: near arm crossing the centreline equals Choi Bar entry. When that read becomes reflexive, the technique slots into the armbar system chain as a complement to the standard armbar and kimura.
Ruleset context This technique is legal in all major competitive formats.
Elevated RiskChoi Bar is an elevated risk technique. The Choi Bar is a shoulder rotation lock — it engages the shoulder joint's external rotational limit. The rotator cuff and posterior capsule are loaded. Because shoulder rotation lacks the clear mechanical endpoint that elbow hyperextension provides, the joint can be stressed beyond safe range without warning pain. The transition from discomfort to injury can be rapid. Serious injury can occur before significant pain — the shoulder's rotational limit is often crossed without clear warning.
If you are new to this technique: read this section before anything else. Understanding the danger is part of understanding the technique.
The person applying the technique is responsible for releasing immediately.