So you want to learn the Omoplata. Well, you came to the right place. My aim with this article is to (1) teach you what the Omoplata is, (2) walk you through its basics, and (3) finish off with many of its variations you want to familiarize yourself with.
The Omoplata is one of BJJ’s most effective submissions you want to learn when you’re a white belt. Many grapplers focus on the most basic techniques, such as the Kimura, Guillotine, and Triangle. Eventually, they miss out on many effective submissions and techniques that will serve them for their entire BJJ career.
The Omoplata is one of these techniques. It works against novice and advanced grapplers, as it’s quite hard to defend. So it’s possible for you to learn it right now and start using it in spars and fights. You’ll see just how effective it can be.
I’ve ordered the article the way it is thoughtfully. I encourage you to follow each section without skipping any section. The way this article is ordered is the most suitable way for many BJJ trainees to learn quickly. You’ll develop better muscle memory if you go through the sections the way they are.
Alright. Enough chit-chat. It’s time we dive into the real stuff!
What Is an Omoplata?
Submissions are a critical part of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. What they do is allow you to hyperextend a specific body part, such as the shoulder, foot, and even knee, to force the opponent to give up. We also got chokes, but they’re for another article.
Anyways, this article is about the Omoplata, which is a submission that utilizes hyperextending the opponent’s shoulder. If you apply too much pressure, you might end up breaking the opponent’s shoulder, which is an outcome you must avoid at all costs.
So what is it exactly?
The Omoplata is a shoulder manipulation submission that’s taught in grappling-based martial arts, especially in BJJ and MMA. You first start in a position such as Closed Guard, isolate the opponent’s arm and turn until you’re parallel with the opponent. Lastly, you hyperextend the arm and shoulder.
It’s really not as complicated as many BJJ coaches say it is. What you’ll need is to follow through with this article and start learning this submission as soon as you’re done with this instructional post.
So now, let’s dive into its basics. They are the fundamentals you must know before you start your learning process.
Omoplata Basics
Alright. You’ve made it to the 2nd part of this article. By now, you understand that the Omoplata is a shoulder manipulation submission and will require you to isolate the opponent’s arm.
For the sake of order, I’ll review the basics of the Omoplata from the Closed Guard position. If you’re unfamiliar with the Closed Guard, follow the link to read about it. Understanding this position is critical before you advance into this submission.
But you likely are familiar with it. So let’s dive into the 1st tip.
#1 – Don’t break the opponent’s posture in Closed Guard
The 1st basic is regarding the fact that you want to isolate the opponent’s arm. Think about it, which position is most suitable for you to achieve that? Well, the best position to achieve that is when the opponent’s arm is straight.
How will the opponent’s arm look if you break his posture? That’s right, it’ll be bent. That’s why you want to avoid breaking the opponent’s posture.
If you have a basic understanding of the Closed Guard position, you know that a fundamental of it is to break the opponent’s posture. It allows you to go for many submissions, such as the Ninja Choke, Ezekiel Choke, Helio Gracie Choke, and Straight Foot Lock.
Learn about the best submissions from the Closed and Open Guard positions by following this link!
So avoid the popular tip of breaking the opponent’s posture when you desire to execute the Omoplata.
#2 – The goal is to isolate the arm using your legs
The 2nd fundamental is to understand your goal. To start thinking about getting into this submission and finishing the fight, you want to first isolate the opponent’s arm.
Because we’re reviewing the Omoplata from the Closed Guard position, it’s easier to understand. But what if you were in Open Guard? In this case, it would be much harder to isolate the opponent’s arm, especially with your legs.
Why is that the case, one might ask? In short, it’s because your opponent has many defensive options when you don’t have your legs wrapped around his hips; Hence, when you’re in Closed Guard.
Your goal is to isolate the opponent’s arm using your legs. That’s the end goal and you want to keep that in mind.
#3 – Grab the opponent’s triceps and wrist
The next part of the Omoplata is to pull the opponent’s arm while twisting and isolating it. As you might know, BJJ is all about control. And what better way is there to gain control than to use grips?
Which grips should you use? The best grips you want to use will be on the opponent’s triceps and wrist. You’ll get more control by gripping these body parts.
Some people like going for the 2-handed wrist grip, which I think is less practical. You’d be able to pull the opponent much more aggressively and assertively when you have one hand on his triceps. You’ll also be able to extend it easily.
#4 – Bend his arm using your hips and hands
We’ll review the exact steps later. But for now, know that you’ll bend the isolated arm once you’re about to turn. A bent arm is much easier to control and twist. As a result, you want to bend his arm.
Now how do you do that? You can do that by using both your hips (lower body) and hands (upper body.) It seems that many novice grapplers only use one or the other while using both can benefit you more.
Thus make sure to use both your lower and upper body to bend the opponent’s arm.
#5 – To finish, bend your legs and sit up
For the last fundamental we’ll review—we’ll talk about the finishing mechanism. It might be difficult for some of you to finish once you are already in the finishing position. The Omoplata deserves its place in Jiu-Jitsu’s Hall of Fame, as it gives you tons of control, more than most submissions.
The most common way the opponent can use to escape your Omoplata is by rolling forward. And once you got his hand isolated, he’s pretty much doomed. If he rolls forward, he’ll end up submitting himself, so there’s no need to worry about that.
Anyways, you want to finish the Omoplata by bending your legs sideways and sitting. You’ll use your hips to generate more force and hyperextend the opponent’s shoulder even further.
This is the optimal way to finish the Omoplata.
Omoplata Variations
This part of the article is the last one. What it’ll discuss is variations of the Omoplata, which you want to familiarize yourself with before you decide which one you’ll learn first.
You might even choose a variation I didn’t cover in this article, which is totally fine. It might be even more optimal if you think another one, which I haven’t covered, is more suitable for your grappling style.
This might be the most important part of the article, as it’ll allow you to see how the Omoplata plays out from different positions.
Alright. Without further ado, let’s dive in!
Omoplata From Closed Guard
The first variation we’ll review is the Omoplata from the Closed Guard position. This is the one I encourage you to learn first. That’s for two reasons: first, it’s the simplest – and second, it’ll give you the best foundation to learn the other ones faster.
Here’s how to perform the Omoplata from Closed Guard:
- Start in bottom Closed Guard
- Grab the opponent’s wrist
- Grab the opponent’s triceps
- Bend his arm, similarly to the Kimura
- Wrap your right leg around his back
- Place your right shin on the opponent’s back
- Turn until perpendicular to the opponent
- Bring your left knee to your right foot
- Turn more while keeping your arm isolation
- Lock your legs
- Grip the opponent’s hips with your right hand
- Extend your legs
- Sit up
- Lift your bottom and lean forward
- Wait for the tap
Fairly long, isn’t it? Well, it’s still the simplest one we’ll cover, as it’s easy to understand. I’ve tried to go as deeply as possible into this variation, so you’ll understand just how much detailed you can go. And I can go into far greater detail.
Here’s a visual aid you might find helpful:
Omoplata From Side Control
The 2nd variation will be from Side Control. Hopefully, you’ve heard about this position. If you haven’t and want to learn the basics of Side Control, follow this link. Likewise, if you want to learn how to finish from Side Control (The right way) follow the 2nd link.
Anyhoo, this variation will get you to start winning more often from Side Control. We all know it’s a dominant position that allows you to go for countless submissions and other options. However, not many grapplers will expect you to go for the Omoplata from Side Control, as it’s less common.
While it’s less common, it’s definitely not less effective.
Here’s how to perform the Side Control Omoplata:
- Start in top Side Control
- Place your knee on the opponent’s hips
- Grab the opponent’s left thigh with your right hand
- Sit on his shoulder
- Catch his arm
- Bring the same arm toward you
- Lift yourself to be on top of the opponent
- Lock your legs around the opponent’s arm
- Move to the side and grab your shin
- Tighten your legs around the opponent’s arm
- Hyperextend his shoulder
- Wait for the tap
This is it for this variation. It’s actually more complicated than the previous variant, even though it contains fewer steps.
Mounted Omoplata
The last variation we’ll review is the Mounted Omoplata. Or, in simpler terms, Omoplata from the Full Mount position.
As you might know, the Full Mount is one of BJJ’s most dominant positions. You can execute countless of moves from this position, such as attaining the Back Mount position or finishing the fight using any of the endless sets of submissions.
Learn to finish from the Full Mount position by following this link!
Here’s how to perform the Mounted Omoplata properly:
- Start in Mount
- Grip the opponent’s arm
- Bring your feet over his arm
- Trap the same arm
- Lean to the side
- Lock your legs
- The opponent will have to turn on his belly
- Sit up
- Wait for the tap
This is the least common variation. The most popular variant is from the Closed Guard. However, the fact that it’s less popular doesn’t mean that it’s less effective. In fact, less grapplers will expect you to perform it from the Mount, which might make it more attractive for you to learn.
The following video is an awesome breakdown you want to check out!
Final Words
Writing this article allowed me to learn more about the Omoplata. I learned so much information in such a short period, which makes me pleased. My takeaway from the research period of this article is how much you can really learn if you set your eyes on a specific technique.
In a few hours, I learned a book’s value of knowledge just on the Omoplata! My goal with this article was to synthesize as much information as possible in a single blog post. Furthermore, I also wanted to present the most relevant data and knowledge, so you can start getting results with it quickly.
The Omoplata isn’t the most effective submission from the Half Guard position. Read which submissions are best from Half Guard by following this link!
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Here are other articles you’d enjoy reading:
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