Americana (Ude Garami): BJJ Complete Guide

Beginner–Intermediate · Gi & No-Gi · Shoulder Lock

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.

1. Flatten their arm to the mat
2. Apply figure-4 grip (wrist and elbow)
3. Keep their elbow lower than their shoulder
4. 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