Kimura vs. Americana – What's the Difference?

Identifying and recalling techniques is one of the most challenging aspects of jiu-jitsu for many practitioners. Not only are there numerous moves you should attempt to remember, but many of those moves are remarkably similar in appearance and application. There's no better example of this than the Kimura vs. the Americana.

Despite the similarities between these two shoulder locks, they remain distinct from one another. The primary difference between a Kimura and an Americana is that they apply rotational force against the shoulder in opposite directions.

We created this article to help you easily distinguish Americanas and Kimuras so you'll no longer struggle to remember their differences.

Similarities Between the Americana vs. the Kimura

Before describing the differences between an Americana and Kimura, let's summarize what makes these moves similar:

1. Rotational force against the shoulder: Both techniques primarily target the shoulder joint by applying a rotational force. When you apply that rotational force effectively, it can cause your opponent to submit or result in an advantageous change of position.

2. Grip configuration: Kimuras and Americanas involve similar grips. We'll describe these grips in detail with supporting imagery in sections to follow.  

3. Set-up positions: There's significant overlap regarding the positions from which these moves are available. For instance, both techniques are feasible options once you have achieved side control or full mount position.  

With those similarities established, let's use examples to clarify the key differences between these two moves.

Examples Illustrating How Kimuras and Americanas Are Different

Before we present our examples, it's crucial to note that employing either of these techniques requires knowledge of several specific details. Our examples do not delve into all the factors you'll need to understand to make these moves work. Instead, we're presenting a simplified scenario for the sole purpose of highlighting what makes Kimuras and Americanas different from one another.

In this example, let's assume that your opponent is lying on their back, and you have secured the side control position. From side control, both the Americana and the Kimura are viable technique options you can use. The configuration of your arms and your opponent's arms will dictate which of these two shoulder locks you can apply.

Terminology for Our Examples

Defining a few terms will help make our example easier to understand. Mainly, we need to establish clear names for both your arms and your opponent's arms when in the side control position:

1. Your head-side arm: The arm that's closer to your opponent's head in the side control position.

2. Your leg-side arm: The arm that's closer to your opponent's legs in the side control position.

3. Opponent's far-side arm: Your opponent's arm that's closer to your head in the side control position.

4. Opponent's near-side arm: Your opponent's arm that's closer to your legs in the side control position.

When using either of these techniques from side control, you'll target your opponent's far-side arm. When we refer to your opponent's arm in our examples, you can safely assume we are discussing the far-side arm. With that established, let's explore our examples.

Applying a Kimura from Side Control

Opponent's far-side arm position: Imagine your opponent's far-side arm is lying on the mat with their elbow bent at a 90-degree angle and their palm facing down toward the mat. With this arm position, your opponent's hand will be closer to their legs than to their head.

Your grip configuration: Grip your opponent's wrist using the hand of your leg-side arm. Slide your head-side arm under your opponent's upper arm and grip the wrist of your leg-side arm.

Applying rotational force: While maintaining the grip, pull your opponent's upper arm up using your head-side arm while pushing their wrist with your leg-side arm, causing your opponent's hand to move behind their back. Applying this rotational force causes strain on your opponent's shoulder, elbow, and arm bones.

Applying an Americana from Side Control

Opponent's far-side arm position: Imagine your opponent's far-side arm is lying on the mat with their elbow bent at a 90-degree angle and their palm facing up toward the sky. With this arm position, your opponent's hand will be closer to their head than to their legs.

Your grip configuration: Grip your opponent's wrist using the hand of your head-side arm. Slide your leg-side arm under your opponent's upper arm and grip the wrist of your head-side arm.

Applying rotational force: While maintaining the grip, pull your opponent's upper arm up using your leg-side arm while pinning their wrist to the mat with your head-side arm, causing your opponent's elbow to rise off the mat. Again, applying this rotational force causes strain on your opponent's shoulder, elbow, and arm bones.

Positions in Which Americanas and Kimuras Are Available

Both the Americana and the Kimura are available from multiple positions. Here are a few of the most common positions from which you can use these techniques.

Positions from Which the Americana is Typically Available

• Side control

• Mount

Positions from Which the Kimura is Typically Available

• Side control

• Mount

• Full guard

• Half guard

Different Names for Kimuras and Americanas

Understanding what's different between Americanas vs. Kimuras alone is difficult. However, what makes this topic even more confusing is that there are multiple names that practitioners will use to refer to these two moves.

Additional Names for the Americana

1. Ude-garami

2. Keylock

3. Figure-four arm lock

4. Paintbrush submission

Additional Names for the Kimura

1. Gyaku ude-garami

2. Reverse keylock

3. Double wristlock

4. Chicken wing

Americana vs. Kimura – Which Move is Better for You?

By now, you should have a stronger understanding of the differences between the Kimura and the Americana. Your next step is to begin considering these techniques in greater depth and determine how to implement them in your jiu-jitsu training. As you proceed to that next step, you may wonder whether one of these moves is more worthy of your attention than the other.

We won't claim that one of these moves is objectively better than the other. Still, it's worth noting that there are a few arguments that favor the Kimura.

First, the Kimura is available in more positions than the Americana, making it a more versatile technique overall. Additionally, Kimuras are typically more effective against opponents of varying skill levels. By contrast, using the Americana as a submission tends to be most effective against beginners.  

With that said, if you apply them correctly, both the Kimura and the Americana are capable of creating rotational forces strong enough to cause your opponent to submit or initiate an advantageous change of position. As such, you should take time to study and practice both these shoulder locks to fully understand the scenarios in which they are most useful to you.