Americana
- BJJ
- Mount Attacks
- fundamental
- Mount / side control
- 3 steps
Pin a bent arm to the mat, figure-four the wrist and lift the elbow to attack the shoulder. Also known as the Keylock or the Ude-garami (bent up). Here is the exact breakdown from the DARCE app: 3 steps, the details that make it work, and the mistakes to avoid.
When to use it
Use the americana from mount when the opponent leaves an arm bent on the mat beside their head. It often appears as they frame on your hips and the arm slides up. Pin the wrist flat before you thread the figure-four.
Step by step
- 01
Establish mount
Control them and spot an arm bent on the mat.
- 02
Pin the wrist
Pin their wrist to the mat with one hand and thread your other arm under the elbow to grab your own wrist.
- 03
Paint & lift the elbow
Drag the hand down toward their hip ("painting"), then lift the elbow off the mat to crank the shoulder.
Key details
- Keep the wrist pinned flat to the mat throughout.
- Drag the hand toward the hip before lifting the elbow.
- Keep your own elbow tight so they cannot straighten the arm.
Common mistakes
- Letting the wrist lift off the mat.
- Lifting the elbow without first painting the hand down.
- Gripping high on the forearm and losing leverage.
Common counters
Opponents straighten the arm, turn into you to relieve the shoulder, or grab their own collar to lock the arm. If the wrist lifts off the mat, it loses all its leverage. Keep the wrist pinned and paint it toward the hip.
How to drill it
From mount, pin the wrist, figure-four, paint the hand toward the hip and finish slowly, ten reps on each side. Then chain it for three rounds of one minute: they straighten the arm, you switch to the armbar.
Related techniques
- Armbar from MountBJJIsolate an arm from mount, climb to high mount and swing a leg over the head to attack the elbow.
- Cross-Collar Choke from MountBJJFeed both hands deep into the collars from mount and drop your weight to finish the strangle.
- Arm TriangleBJJTrap one of the opponent’s arms across their own neck and squeeze with your shoulder to strangle.
- Ezekiel ChokeBJJUsing a sleeve grip behind the neck and the other forearm across the throat, saw the choke closed.
Train it with the AI coach