Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Double Armbar???

Could the mystery armbar attack that Fabricio Werdum uses against Matt Lindland in their ADCC match actually be a double armbar?

There are a couple of things that make me think so. One is that it is clear in the Werdum fight that Fabricio has double wrist control. It's also clear that it's not just some feint, as some over at the Sherdog Grappling Forum were suggesting. He is trying very hard to get his right leg up over Lindland's left shoulder.

What I wonder is if Werdum is trying to do a double armbar one leg at a time or not. The picture above is from a technique description over at BJJ Fighter, and the guy in that description seems to talk only about putting both legs up over the shoulders at the same time.

But this other description over at Lock Flow shows the same double armbar one leg at a time ...

The Lock Flow version makes a point of getting into the high guard before putting a leg over the shoulder, though Werdum just seems to launch his leg up as soon as he's set. Another detail is that here she pulls the arms outward to the side as she raises her hips. I read over at the Austin Jiu Jitsu website that turning your wrists inward is one way to relieve the pressure of a double armbar, so this detail of pulling the wrists outward as you apply the lock makes a lot of sense.

We'll see if I can work this into a routine. If I've got it right that Werdum is attacking with a double armbar, then it definitely looks as if the double armbar/windmill sweep is a combination worth considering.