Omoplata

What it is

The omoplata is a shoulder lock done with your legs from guard: their arm is trapped bent behind them under your leg, and you turn the shoulder by sitting up and leaning forward over it. It is legal at every belt in gi and no-gi. It is also a sweep, because the usual escape is a forward roll that leaves you on top.

When to use it

• From closed guard or open guard, when one of their arms is inside and they posture or push with it.
• When a triangle or armbar attempt fails and the arm stays near your hip.
• When you cannot finish the lock: use it as a sweep and come up on top.

How to do it

1. Control one wrist and break their posture, then open your guard and put the foot on the other side on their hip.
2. Push off that hip and hip escape away from the arm you hold, so your body turns sideways and your head moves toward their knee on the arm side.
3. Swing the leg on that side over their shoulder and down across their back, so their arm is trapped under your leg.
4. Turn onto your side, lock your feet and drive your legs down to flatten them on their belly.
5. Sit up and wrap your arm around their far hip so they cannot roll forward.
6. Scoot your hips away from their head and lean forward slowly over the trapped arm until they tap.
7. If they roll forward or post to stop you, follow them over or tip them onto their back and come up on top for the sweep.

Key details

• Flatten them first. While they are on their knees they can roll through and escape.
• Control the far hip before you finish. Without it the roll is open.
• Their elbow stays tight to your hip; if it slides away, the shoulder is not locked.
• Finish slowly. The shoulder gives little warning, so give your partner time to tap.

Common mistakes

• Mistake: sitting up before they are flat. They roll forward and you have only a sweep, or nothing.
• Mistake: finishing fast with the hips close to their head. There is no angle and the shoulder pops before they can tap.
• Mistake: letting go of the far hip to reach for the arm. They roll out and come up facing you.

What they will try

• They roll forward over the trapped shoulder before they are flattened.
• They posture up and walk around toward your head to free the arm.
• They grab their own belt or leg to keep the arm from being bent.

Gi and no-gi

Without the gi you control the wrist instead of the sleeve, and the arm slides out more easily, so flatten them faster and keep the elbow tight to your hip.