Question about the swim move

[FrostyMc]

So first of all, hey everyone. I'm at 10th Planet Apple Valley, MN training with the new bb instructor Joao Alfredo Tavares Marinho. Been training for almost 3 months. Wade (purple belt and former, and still sometimes instructor there) knows me as the guy who rolled to the truck in my first roll with him, and he asked if I had a MTS account. At the time, no, but now, yeah. Blonde hair, balding, yeah you know me. Anyways, I appreciate online anonymity. I know it said to use my real name, but I hope it's okay with you guys. Ok so, question:

I was rolling with a really good blue belt tonight (Titus), and I was getting my rubber guard (mission control in the middle of trying to zombie) stacked and smashed. Pretty sure it was more him trying to turn the corner than me spinning my hips out, but i found myself hooking an arm and pulling for an arm bar. Pretty soon, I was belly down, but I couldn't break his grip, so I put a deep hook in and tried to swim move. To counter that, he based his near side (left) leg toward his head, and I couldn't get the leverage to swim his foot over and roll him. He eventually rolled on his own, and during which, managed to pull his arm free, and I honestly don't remember exactly how that went, except that it happened during, or very shortly after his roll. So my question is... So many questions actually. First, how do you break his grip when you have a belly down arm bar? Second, was that the right time to swim? Third, why didn't it work? I must've been doing something wrong, or maybe that's just a good defense against the swim move, and i should've tried something else? Lastly, any other tips for next time? Thanks for any help, guys.

[Arman Fathi]

As you're rolling with the swim move, it should be instinctual to underhook his leg with your free hand and make your hooking arm on his arm as deep as possible. He's not going to escape your armbar with this solid control. You might hear this position referred to as "spider web" throughout the system. Spider web is the armbar control position. Work on getting this control and making it a habit. After mastering control, there are numerous armbar breaks that could happen, but it all starts with a deep hook on his arm and underhooking his leg. That's the principle here. If you could get an angle in your closed guard and achieve that deep hook, the swim move will naturally open itself up. Work on the control first and the armbars will follow. You'll start to see armbars from every which way once you understand the principle.

To paraphrase Master Eddie from a recent seminar:

"If you and your boys are out in the woods, doing ayahuasca, seeing spirits and shit, and you start messing around doing some jiu jitsu, even when you're totally f***ed up, you shouldn't even THINK about underhooking his leg. That should be in your DNA."