For years the kimura carried a reputation as a strength move: a big player grabs the wrist, the opponent clasps his hands, and the two of them wrestle arm against arm until someone gets tired. The tarikoplata from kimura flips that contest by putting your leg on the wrist instead of your hands. Your strongest limb now works against his weakest grip.
That matters for anyone who has stalled out in north-south with a kimura grip and nowhere to go. The opponent’s defensive clasp, which used to be a dead end, becomes the setup. Below is how the position works, the four-step finish, the errors that let the arm slip out, and the drills and counters worth knowing.
What the tarikoplata is and when it shows up
The tarikoplata from kimura control is a shoulder lock that lets your leg do the work. Instead of cranking the arm with a figure-four grip, you swing a leg over the opponent’s body and trap his wrist behind your knee. From there a small turn of your hips does the rotating that your arms struggled to do.
It shines at one specific moment: you have the kimura grip, your partner has locked his hands together to stop it, and pulling harder is getting you nowhere. That defensive hand clasp is common at every belt level, which is why this finish is worth learning even for smaller grapplers who rarely win a straight arm-strength battle.
If you already use the kimura as a control tool, as in using the kimura to pass half guard, the tarikoplata gives that same grip one more way to end the round.
Setting up the tarikoplata from kimura in north-south
The most common entry is north-south kimura, a spot some coaches nickname the ‘Teabag’ position. Your partner lies on his side with his hands locked together to protect the trapped arm. You sit across his upper body with one arm and one leg on the side of his chest and the other arm and leg on the side of his back.
Before you think about the leg swing, check three things. Your kimura grip is tight on the wrist, his elbow is bent rather than straight, and your weight is resting on him rather than floating. If any of those is missing, fix it first. Starting the tarikoplata from kimura control that is already loose is the fastest way to lose the arm entirely.
Step-by-step: finishing the tarikoplata
- Raise the clasped hands. Pull his locked hands up his body until they sit around the height of his lowest ribs or higher. Below that line, your leg will not reach the wrist cleanly.
- Freeze his hips. Let go with your front hand and post it on his hip, or push his upper knee toward the mat. This stops him from rolling toward you to relieve the pressure.
- Bring the front leg over. Swing the leg on his chest side across his body and hook his upper wrist in the crook of your knee. Grab the top of your own thigh to clamp the knee shut.
- Turn and finish. Take your weight off his body and rotate toward his head. The turn drives his forearm around while his elbow stays pinned, and the shoulder lock comes on slowly and with control.
On the tarikoplata from kimura, the finishing turn is short. Most of the pressure comes from your hips moving toward his head, not from yanking with your thigh grip. Go slowly in training and stop the moment your partner taps.
Common mistakes that let the arm escape
Swinging the leg too early. If his hands are still low near his belt, your knee lands on his forearm or misses entirely. Raise the clasp first, every time.
Forgetting the hips. Without a hand on the hip or knee, he rolls toward you and the angle disappears. A strong opponent will often feel the leg coming and turn in.
Keeping weight on him during the finish. Staying heavy blocks your own rotation. The final step asks you to slide off, which feels backwards to players who are used to crushing from north-south.
Cranking instead of turning. Pulling hard on a shoulder lock is how training partners get hurt. The tarikoplata from kimura works best as a slow, controlled turn, and that control is also what makes it hard to escape.
Drills to build the tarikoplata from kimura
Shoulder locks reward repetition more than intensity. These three drills build the motion without risking your partner’s joints.
- Hand-height reps. From north-south kimura, practice only step one: lift the clasped hands to rib height and reset. Ten clean reps per side teaches you what the right height feels like.
- Leg swing with no finish. Run steps one to three, trap the wrist behind your knee, then release. Your partner gives light resistance on the hips so you learn to pin them before swinging.
- Positional rounds. Start in north-south kimura with the partner already clasping. You have one minute to reach the leg trap; he scores by rolling in or freeing the hand. Swap roles after each round.
All three should be done under a qualified coach, with a partner who knows to tap early. If you compete, check the current IBJJF rule book or your event’s rules for your division before using any shoulder lock in a match.
How to defend or counter it
Knowing how to stop the tarikoplata from kimura control makes you better at the attack, because it shows you what a good opponent will try.
- Keep the clasp low. Fight to hold your locked hands down near your hip line. If your opponent cannot lift them, his leg has nothing to catch.
- Turn in early. As soon as his hand leaves your arm to pin your hip, roll toward him and square up. The leg swing needs you on your side.
- Free the elbow. Straightening or pulling the elbow toward your ribs takes away the bend the lock relies on.
- Tap when it bites. Shoulder injuries are slow to heal. Tapping early in training costs nothing.
Defending from bad positions is a skill of its own, and it pairs well with attacking ones such as these two armbars from side control, which give you somewhere to go when the arm comes loose.
Frequently asked questions
Can you hit a tarikoplata from guard?
Yes. Any position where you hold a kimura grip and can bring a leg over the trapped arm can lead to it, closed guard included. Most players learn the tarikoplata from kimura in north-south first because the leg swing is shortest there.
Can you do the tarikoplata from mount or side control?
You can, as long as the kimura grip is already locked. From side control, walking toward north-south usually gives the cleanest angle for the leg to reach the wrist.
Is the tarikoplata a shoulder lock?
Yes. Like the kimura it works by rotating the arm against the shoulder joint, but your leg holds the wrist so your hands are free to control the hips and adjust the angle.
When to add the tarikoplata to your kimura game
Add it once your north-south kimura control is steady and you keep running into the same clasped-hands wall. The tarikoplata from kimura turns that stall into a finish without asking for more grip strength. Drill the hand height until it is automatic, and the leg will find the wrist on its own.