Americana

What it is

The americana is a shoulder lock done with the arm bent at a right angle and the wrist pinned to the mat. You use a figure four grip and paint the elbow down to turn the shoulder past its range. It is the standard answer when someone under mount or side control pushes up with their arms.

When to use it

• From mount, when they push on your chest or put a hand up to stop your weight.
• From side control, when their far arm is extended over their head.
• From the scarf hold, where the trapped arm is already in the right shape.

How to do it

1. Pin their wrist to the mat with your hand, palm on the back of their wrist, thumb alongside your fingers like a monkey grip.
2. Slide your other arm under their upper arm, near the elbow, and grab your own wrist.
3. Press your chest down over their shoulder so their shoulder cannot lift off the mat.
4. Keep their elbow bent at ninety degrees and keep the wrist pinned.
5. Paint the mat: slide their pinned wrist down toward their hip, and lift their elbow a little, slowly, until they tap.

Key details

• Wrist pinned and shoulder down. If either lifts, there is no lock.
• Monkey grip on the wrist, thumbs alongside fingers, so the hand cannot turn.
• The finish is the wrist sliding toward the hip with a small lift of the elbow, not the elbow hauled up to the ceiling.
• Keep your head low and your weight on their chest so they cannot bridge.

Common mistakes

• Mistake: letting their elbow drift above the shoulder line. The lock fades and they turn in.
• Mistake: sitting up to use strength. Your weight comes off, they bridge and escape.
• Mistake: letting their arm straighten. You lose the right angle and the lock stops working.

What they will try

• They turn their palm up and straighten the arm into their body before the grip locks.
• From the bottom of mount they bridge into you the moment your weight lifts.