Kimura
Figure-four the wrist. Rotate the shoulder behind the line.
Adapted from InGrappling, Kimura. System Games did not invent this curriculum.
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The kimura is a shoulder rotation submission attacking the glenohumeral joint in internal rotation and extension. The control mechanism is the figure-four grip: the attacker bends the opponent’s arm at 90°, grips the opponent’s wrist with one hand, and feeds their other arm under the opponent’s upper arm to grip their own wrist. This creates a closed loop around the opponent’s forearm and upper arm.
The finish rotates the forearm behind the opponent’s back — driving the hand toward the opponent’s opposite shoulder blade — loading the posterior capsule, the posterior band of the inferior glenohumeral ligament and the posterior rotator cuff through internal rotation past comfortable range. The elbow must remain bent throughout; a straight arm converts the attack from a rotational submission to a straight armbar.
The kimura is central to this kimura system because the same grip geometry that finishes the submission also functions as a positional control and back-take mechanism. When the submission is not available immediately, the practitioner does not release the grip — they use it. This duality is what distinguishes the kimura from a single-context submission and why it is a hub rather than simply a technique.
Ruleset context This technique is legal in all major competitive formats.
Elevated RiskKimura is an elevated risk technique. The kimura attacks the posterior capsule, the posterior band of the inferior glenohumeral ligament and the posterior rotator cuff — infraspinatus and teres minor, the external rotators being stretched — through forced internal rotation; the superior labrum loads through the biceps anchor as the rotation deepens. The transition from discomfort to tissue damage covers very little additional rotation. Speed of application is the primary risk factor. Fast kimura application reduces the tap window to near-zero. Serious injury can occur a short band of additional internal rotation past the discomfort point — narrow enough that a fast application crosses it before the tap lands.
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.
Communicate before drilling. Know your partner's experience level with this position.
Do not train this technique while fatigued or in live rolling without established mat culture.