Kimura Defense from Electric/Perfect Double Unders

[Robbie Carter]

So I've been working on getting to Electric Chair / Dogfight from lockdown (as was recommended to me by you guys) but the issue I'm running into is the same issue I ran into when I was learning Deep half. My top arm is left open for kimuras. When I was working deep half I just buried it under their leg, but if I do that I feel like I'm giving up the opportunity to get to the dog fight, but if I leave it there I get tapped. I know there is something I'm missing here; Should I just hard commit to the electric chair sweep when they go for that arm? Is there a different sweep I should be going for? Any advice would be awesome, or if there's an MTS episode you recommend that would be great too!

[TaylorWolf]

Gotta develop the clinch and squeeze make that shit absolutely unbreakable... Just takes time.

Also mental game and confidence. If you think of your underhooks as weak an vulnerable, they will be. Think of them as solid iron and unbreakable and they will be.

[Joshua Jarboe]

There may be some technical stuff you need to do to increase your power as you turn from Electric Underhooks to the electric chair?

[Arman Fathi]

I occasionally run into this problem, considering I have an instructor that teaches Kimura trap seminars

The biggest thing to remember is to not have a half assed underhook. Either hide your underhook by tucking in your hand and elbow to your opposite side torso or USE that hook with the intention of standing up to your feet. The underhook was made for just that; the ability to stand up. If there is forward momentum on your underhook, it ought not to be Kimura-able. Now in a Jiu Jitsu fight, 80-90% of the time your standup attempt will be stuffed with a whizzer, but that opens up the entire half-guard path (plan b, mechanic sweep which I love, electric chair, dogfight, drowning wizard etc.). At one of his seminars, Eddie simplified the electric chair into 4 steps, the first of which is to bump the guy with your underhook once you're in electric underhooks to create a reaction of him trying to smash his weight on you. From there, the hip switch to the whip up make the electric chair a cinch. My percentages have greatly increased since Eddie's 'BUMP HIP WHIP BOOM!" discussion.

Bottom line, don't 'play your card' and show your underhook unless you have every intention of using it. Otherwise, a dangling dead fish of an underhook will be kimura'd faster than you can scream 'Uncle Renatch.' Especially in the tenth planet system, where rolling kimuras are literally a part of the warmups

[Solicit]

Just to add to this, use your lockdown more. Pinch your knees hard and stretch that thing out, it should be difficult for them to kimura you with a good lockdown on. Also, whip it! If they are committing both of their arms to one of yours, they have no base. You should be able to hit that Electric chair sweep easy and pass to side control, then you can try to reverse the kimura on them/transition to armbar.

[Arman Fathi]

Just to add to this, use your lockdown more. Pinch your knees hard and stretch that thing out, it should be difficult for them to kimura you with a good lockdown on. Also, whip it! If they are committing both of their arms to one of yours, they have no base. You should be able to hit that Electric chair sweep easy and pass to side control, then you can try to reverse the kimura on them/transition to armbar.

Spot on.

Also, don't neglect the fact that if you are driving forward with your underhook, and they back off, and you respond by electing to clinch rather than use your underhook to stand up to your feet, you can recover to butterfly guard and play with the Jean Jacques sweeps (tho I prefer an overhook) or more often than not Xguard/Ashi entries. Lots and lots of options. There is no middle ground tho; either use your underhook and instill forward momentum or hide it. An analogy an instructor of mine makes is like a shootout in the old Wild West. Once you draw your pistol, the game is on. Don't draw your pistol from your holster (aka your underhook) until you're ready to negate his Kimura/darce/necktie game by having conviction in your upward drive.

[Eddie Bravo]

Your under hook should be as deep as possible around his waist, it should be right next to his far hip. Don't stay in electric under hooks, you got to explode into dogfight or electric chair