The North-South to Kimura transition represents a fundamental attacking sequence from one of BJJ’s most dominant control positions. From North-South position, the practitioner isolates the opponent’s arm and transitions to the Kimura control position, threatening a high-percentage shoulder lock submission. This technique capitalizes on the superior weight distribution and control inherent to the North-South position, where the opponent’s defensive frames are compromised and their shoulders are vulnerable to attack. The transition requires precise timing and grip control, as the practitioner must maintain chest-to-chest pressure while manipulating the opponent’s arm into the characteristic figure-four Kimura grip. Once established, the Kimura control offers multiple finishing options, sweep opportunities, and transitions to other dominant positions, making this a versatile and essential technique for any top game specialist. The position’s effectiveness stems from the mechanical advantage created by controlling the opponent’s shoulder joint while their mobility is restricted by your body weight.
Starting Position: North-South Ending Position: Kimura Control Success Rates: Beginner 30%, Intermediate 50%, Advanced 70%
Key Principles
- Maintain constant chest-to-chest pressure throughout the transition to prevent opponent escape
- Control the near-side arm first before attempting to secure the Kimura grip
- Use your head position to block the opponent’s hip escape and maintain superior position
- Secure the figure-four grip with proper hand placement: palm-to-palm connection
- Keep your elbows tight to your body to maximize leverage on the shoulder joint
- Transition your weight distribution smoothly to prevent the opponent from bridging or turning
- Create the angle necessary for finishing by shifting your hips perpendicular to opponent’s body
Prerequisites
- Established North-South position with chest-to-chest pressure
- Opponent’s near-side arm is exposed or defending against your weight
- Your head is positioned on the mat beside opponent’s hip to block escape
- Strong base with knees wide and weight distributed across opponent’s chest
- Opponent’s far-side arm is controlled or pinned to prevent framing
- Sufficient space to isolate and manipulate the near-side arm without losing position
Execution Steps
- Secure North-South control: Establish dominant North-South position with your chest pressing firmly into opponent’s chest. Your head should be positioned low, near their far hip, with your arms wrapped around their torso or controlling their arms. Distribute your weight evenly with knees wide for maximum base and control. (Timing: Initial control phase)
- Isolate the near-side arm: Slide your near-side hand under the opponent’s near-side arm, reaching for their wrist or forearm. Use your chest pressure to pin their arm against their body, preventing them from pulling it back to safety. Your far-side arm continues to control their far shoulder or head to maintain position. (Timing: As opponent attempts to frame or push)
- Feed the arm across: Pull the opponent’s wrist across their own body using your near-side hand, positioning their arm so the back of their hand is against their far shoulder or neck. This creates the necessary angle for the Kimura grip. Maintain downward pressure with your chest to prevent them from recovering their arm. (Timing: Smooth, controlled movement)
- Establish figure-four grip: Reach your far-side hand over the opponent’s arm and grab your own near-side wrist, creating the characteristic figure-four Kimura grip. Your near-side hand should have a firm grip on their wrist with thumb pointing toward their head. Ensure your elbows are tight and the grip is secure before proceeding. (Timing: Quick, decisive grip connection)
- Adjust body position: Shift your hips toward the opponent’s head while maintaining the Kimura grip, creating a perpendicular angle to their body. Walk your knees up toward their head to increase shoulder pressure. Your head should now be positioned near their far hip, blocking any hip escape attempts. (Timing: Gradual weight shift)
- Control and finish position: Sit back slightly, pulling the opponent’s arm away from their body while maintaining the figure-four grip. Your chest should remain heavy on their upper body. From this Kimura Control position, you can finish the submission by lifting their elbow while pulling their wrist toward their head, or transition to other attacks and positions. (Timing: Controlled, progressive pressure)
Opponent Counters
- Opponent grabs their own belt or gi to prevent arm isolation (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Attack the far-side arm with a choke or armbar to force them to release their defensive grip, then return to the Kimura attack
- Opponent bridges explosively to disrupt your base (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Widen your base, lower your center of gravity, and use your head to post on the mat. Ride out the bridge and re-establish control as they return to the mat
- Opponent turns into you to recover guard (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Follow their rotation while maintaining the Kimura grip, transitioning to side control or mount with the Kimura still secured
- Opponent straightens their arm to prevent the figure-four grip (Effectiveness: Low) - Your Response: Switch to an armbar attack or use your chest pressure to bend their elbow, then re-establish the Kimura grip with increased control
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: What is the primary purpose of maintaining chest-to-chest pressure during the North-South to Kimura transition? A: Chest-to-chest pressure serves multiple critical functions: it prevents the opponent from creating space to escape, limits their ability to bridge or turn effectively, keeps their shoulders pinned to the mat making arm isolation easier, and maintains your dominant position throughout the transition. Without constant pressure, the opponent can use bridging or turning movements to escape before you secure the Kimura grip.
Q2: Why is controlling or neutralizing the opponent’s far-side arm important before attempting the Kimura? A: The far-side arm is the opponent’s primary defensive tool from bottom North-South position. If left free, they can use it to frame against your head or shoulder, creating space to escape. They can also use it to grip their own belt or gi to defend the Kimura, or to post on the mat and bridge explosively. By controlling or pinning this arm first, you eliminate their most effective defensive options and ensure smooth execution of the Kimura transition.
Q3: What is the optimal head position during this transition and why? A: Your head should be positioned low on the mat, near the opponent’s far hip, throughout the transition. This position serves several purposes: it blocks their hip escape attempts by creating a barrier, it lowers your center of gravity making you harder to displace, it allows you to maintain better chest pressure, and it prevents them from turning into you effectively. Keeping your head too high near their head would make you vulnerable to bridges and escape attempts.
Q4: How should you adjust your strategy if the opponent successfully grabs their own belt to defend the arm isolation? A: When the opponent grabs their belt, direct attacks on the Kimura become inefficient. The best response is to switch your attack to their far-side arm with a choke, armbar, or other submission threat. This forces them to release their defensive grip to defend against the new threat. Once they release their belt grip, you can immediately return to the Kimura attack with a much higher success rate. This exemplifies the principle of creating defensive dilemmas.
Q5: What mechanical advantage makes the Kimura from North-South particularly effective compared to other positions? A: The North-South position provides several unique mechanical advantages for the Kimura: your entire body weight is distributed across the opponent’s chest and shoulders, severely limiting their mobility and defensive options; their shoulders are flat on the mat, making it easier to manipulate their arm into the vulnerable position; you have superior leverage because you can use your chest, shoulders, and hips to apply pressure while their base is completely compromised; and the perpendicular angle of your body to theirs creates optimal leverage for the shoulder lock finish.
Q6: Describe the proper hand positioning for the figure-four Kimura grip and explain why this specific grip is important? A: The figure-four grip involves your near-side hand gripping the opponent’s wrist with your thumb pointing toward their head, positioned above the wrist joint. Your far-side hand then reaches over their arm and grabs your own near-side wrist, creating a closed loop. This specific configuration is critical because it: creates a strong, unbreakable connection that the opponent cannot slip out of; allows you to control both the wrist and elbow simultaneously; provides the leverage necessary to manipulate the shoulder joint; and enables you to maintain control even under significant resistance. Gripping the hand instead of the wrist, or failing to create a proper closed loop, drastically reduces control and finishing ability.
Safety Considerations
When training the North-South to Kimura transition, practitioners must exercise caution to prevent shoulder injuries. The Kimura places significant torque on the shoulder joint, and applying pressure too quickly or forcefully can result in serious injury including shoulder dislocation, rotator cuff tears, or labrum damage. Always apply the technique slowly and progressively, giving your training partner ample time to tap. When drilling, focus on control and positioning rather than forcing the finish. Partners should establish clear tap signals (verbal tap, physical tap with free hand, or foot tap if hands are trapped) before beginning. The person applying the technique must release immediately upon feeling any resistance or tap signal. When defending, do not wait too long to tap - protecting your training longevity is more important than ego. Instructors should closely supervise beginners learning this technique to ensure proper application and safety protocols are followed.
Position Integration
The North-South to Kimura transition is a cornerstone technique in modern BJJ’s top control system, bridging the gap between positional dominance and submission finishing. North-South position is typically achieved through transitions from side control, mount escapes, or successful guard passes, and represents one of the strongest control positions in grappling. From this position, the Kimura serves as both a high-percentage submission and a powerful control mechanism that opens multiple attacking pathways. When the direct Kimura finish is defended, practitioners can seamlessly transition to back control (rolling them with the Kimura grip), move to mount (using the arm as a handle), switch to armbars or chokes, or return to side control with superior arm control. This versatility makes the North-South to Kimura transition essential for any top game specialist. The technique also integrates into larger systematic approaches, particularly in submission-oriented games where practitioners chain submissions together. Understanding this transition is crucial for both offensive and defensive purposes - attacking practitioners must master the technique to capitalize on North-South opportunities, while defensive practitioners must understand the mechanics to defend intelligently and avoid injury. The position exemplifies the fundamental BJJ principle of using superior position to create submission opportunities while maintaining control and safety.
Expert Insights
- Danaher System: The North-South to Kimura transition represents a perfect application of the fundamental principle that superior position creates submission opportunities, not the reverse. From North-South, your weight distribution across the opponent’s chest and shoulders creates a biomechanical environment where their defensive capabilities are severely compromised. The key insight is understanding that the Kimura is not simply a submission attempt - it is a control position that creates a decision tree of offensive options. When properly executed, the opponent faces multiple simultaneous threats: the direct shoulder lock finish, the transition to back control using the arm as a lever, the switch to armbar attacks, or the maintenance of dominant top position. This exemplifies what I call ‘layered offense’ - each defensive choice the opponent makes opens a different offensive pathway. The technical precision required is in the grip mechanics and weight distribution. Your figure-four grip must be unbreakable, achieved through proper wrist control and closed-loop hand connection. Your weight must remain distributed across their chest even as you adjust angles for the finish. The transition timing is critical - you must isolate the arm while maintaining sufficient pressure to prevent escape, requiring coordinated movement of your upper and lower body. Master this transition and you master the fundamental concept of using positional dominance to create inexorable submission pressure.
- Gordon Ryan: The North-South to Kimura is one of my highest percentage attacks in competition because it exploits a fundamental weakness in most people’s top game - they focus so much on getting to North-South that they don’t develop sophisticated attacks from there. In high-level competition, your opponents will defend basic submissions, so you need techniques that create genuine dilemmas. This transition does exactly that. When I secure the Kimura grip from North-South, I’m not necessarily trying to finish it immediately - I’m creating a control position that forces my opponent to choose between defending the shoulder lock or defending the back take. Both defenses open additional attacks. Against defensive specialists who grab their belt, I immediately attack the far arm with a choke or armbar, forcing them to release. Against opponents who try to turn into me, I follow their movement and take the back while keeping the Kimura grip - now I have back control with a submission already locked in. The competition-proven detail that separates this from a low-percentage attack is the head position - keeping my head low near their far hip prevents all their major escape attempts. I also never rush the grip. I’d rather spend an extra five seconds establishing an unbreakable Kimura connection than attempt a quick finish with a weak grip. In competition, patience and precision beat speed every time. This technique has scored me numerous victories because once you truly master the control aspects, opponents have no good defensive options remaining.
- Eddie Bravo: From a 10th Planet perspective, the North-South to Kimura is a gateway technique that opens up the entire submission control game. What makes this transition beautiful is how it creates what I call ‘cascading threats’ - one attack flowing seamlessly into the next based on how your opponent defends. We integrate this heavily into our system because it connects to so many of our signature positions. When I have the Kimura grip from North-South, I’m looking at five or six different paths depending on how they react: if they defend by turning into me, I’m transitioning to the truck position or taking the back; if they defend by straightening their arm, I’m switching to the armbar or transitioning to a crucifix; if they defend by grabbing their belt, I’m attacking the opposite side with a choke or different arm attack. The innovation we’ve developed is using the Kimura grip as a steering wheel - you’re literally controlling their entire upper body with that one grip. We’ve also found that combining this with rubber guard concepts creates additional layers. If you can get one leg over their head while maintaining the Kimura, you’ve created an inescapable position that combines the best elements of both techniques. The key is developing the feel for when to hold the position and apply pressure versus when to flow into the next attack. Don’t get married to the finish - use it as a control position that creates opportunities. Train this transition until the Kimura grip becomes your default response from North-South, and you’ll see your submission rate from top positions skyrocket.