Favoured Techniques: Omoplata

Hey guys. I was thinking about some of the techniques I really like - but don't necessarily hit all the time - and I thought of the Omoplata. The Omoplata is a submission I do not find myself going for very often, in fact I can count on one hand the amount of times I've tried to land it. I can count on two fingers the amount of times I've actually hit the move.

The positioning for the basic Omoplata that I have hit is best started with your opponent in your closed guard. For the movement to be successful you need him to put his hand down on the floor to your side, (actually this is not imperative but just easier for the point of this explanation) you can then secure that arm to the side of you and, using the foot on the other side of him, place your foot on his hip and use it to push your hips out (as if shrimping) to the side of the secured arm. In the position you are in from that manoeuvre you will be able to bring your other leg up behind/on top of him to press on his shoulder strengthening the secure hold on that arm. You can then pull your top leg over his head and pull the leg down over the top of his shoulder to tuck the foot under his chin. It is pretty important at this point to secure his lower back somehow, be it by grabbing his belt or gi or wrapping your arm over his back. Now all you need to do is put pressure on his face using the foot underneath it by pushing forward and that will help you remove the leg that you have underneath him. From there you just lean forward with both your legs out to the side and your bodyweight pressing down on his back. His arm should be getting pushed forward by your torso in a painful school boy behind the back arm/shoulder lock. Sometimes you may have to flatten the guy out to apply the move which is best done by shifting your weight away from the guy (while keeping him held down) and pulling him off his knees.

Here's an example that closely represents what I was trying to explain courtesy of SandhillsBJJ

This is the only way I have hit this move but exploring YouTube show about a million other ways to go. I think I will be trying to hit more Omoplatas in the future as it seems quite tailored made to my Bjj style. One video showed the Omoplata being hit nicely from a defended Kimura which looks pretty awesome.

Courtesy of Submissions 101. Lovely looking move.

There's also a few ways to use the Omoplata as a sweep. If you threaten the Omoplata but don't manage to secure the back in time, sometimes your opponent will attempt to roll out giving you a cool option to dive right into side control. If you did secure the downward pressure on his back but don't feel you have the positioning on the arm to finish the sub you can just release the arm and transition to the back. Another option is to take the mount using this excellent sweep/transition.

Awesome move from Luiz Palhares showing how to use the omoplata to get the sweep to mount and even how to hit a triangle straight off.

In summary, I'm soooo going to be trying to hit some Omoplatas from now on. It's a cool move and if it doesn't work it has some great go to options. Another criminally underused sub in my game that I'm looking to correct. I'll tell you how I get on.  \m/