Top Mir Lock
The Mir lock from a pin: the bottom player's framing arm is overhooked above the elbow, folded across your chest and turned up and away.
Adapted from InGrappling, Top Mir Lock. System Games did not invent this curriculum.
FamilyArmbarLevelAdvancedPerspectiveTopIntentOffensiveSafetyElevatedHubArmbar systemMapView on graph →This technique has elevated risk. Make sure you've covered the prerequisites before attempting.
Manage injuries →Position map Connects to 4 positions across 2 relationshipsOpen in the map →1234←Attacked from
The top Mir lock is the Mir lock taken from a pin. The bottom player frames with the near arm, that arm is overhooked above the elbow, folded across the attacker’s chest with the elbow bent at roughly a right angle, clasped there, and turned up and away. The shoulder runs out of rotation and the elbow takes a torsional load at the same time.
The finish is identical to the guard-bottom version — the overhook, the fold, the clasp and the turn do not change. What changes is who is offering the arm and what a failed attempt costs. From underneath, a Mir lock that does not close usually returns the attacker to a guard they now have to rebuild. From a pin it returns them to the pin, which is why this half of the technique is the cheaper one to hunt.
It shares its position set with the top shotgun armbar, and the pairing is worth learning as a pair: both read the same framing arm from the same three pins, and the choice between them is decided by whether that arm arrives straight or bent. A straight arm is the shotgun armbar’s; a bent one is this.
Elevated RiskTop Mir Lock is an elevated risk technique. Two joints load together. The shoulder takes rotation through the capsule and rotator cuff; the elbow, folded and turned rather than extended, takes a torsional load. Compound loading shortens the tap window, and rotational shoulder pressure gives its warning late — the shoulder has genuine rotational range, so the movement feels survivable well past the point where the capsule is taking load. From a pin the attacker also has their weight available, which makes it easier to apply more than intended. Serious injury can occur fast — two joints together, with the shoulder's rotational signal arriving later than an elbow extension would.
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.