Americana (Ude Garami): BJJ Complete Guide
☰Contents
Americana shoulder lock from mount and side control — grip mechanics, arm position, finish details, and common defense counters.
The americana (ude garami in judo terminology) is one of the most fundamental shoulder locks in BJJ. Applied from mount or side control, it attacks the shoulder's internal rotation limit using a figure-4 grip.
Grip Setup
The americana grip is a figure-4: control their wrist with one hand (palm down), pass your other arm under their elbow, and grab your own wrist. This creates a powerful double-arm lever.
- Wrist hand: palm facing down on their wrist
- Elbow hand: slides under their elbow, grabs your own wrist
- Keep their elbow below their shoulder at all times
- Maintain control even before moving to finish
Americana from Mount
From high mount, isolate one of their arms by pressing your knee against their elbow. Apply the figure-4 grip, then rotate their arm in a windshield-wiper motion toward the mat.
- Flatten their arm to the mat
- Apply figure-4 grip (wrist and elbow)
- Keep their elbow lower than their shoulder
- Rotate their forearm toward their head
Americana from Side Control
From side control, isolate their near arm by controlling the wrist and pressing their elbow to the mat. Apply the same figure-4 grip and execute the rotation from a perpendicular body angle.
Common Defenses
- Reaching to grab their own belt or leg (prevents full rotation)
- Framing with the other arm to create space
- Hip escape to create room to pull the elbow free
Defeating Defenses
When they grab their own leg, apply downward pressure on their elbow while maintaining rotation. The combined torque overcomes the grip defense.
Americana vs Kimura
The americana attacks internal shoulder rotation; the kimura attacks external. They are mirror images of the same figure-4 control, attacking in opposite directions.
Related Techniques
See also: Kimura System, Omoplata System, Shoulder Lock Guide, Mount Control