Whenever you’re on top you want to cause as much discomfort to your opponent. This is known as “cooking” them. Ideally you want them to give you the arm or turn their back so you can sub them, because a sub is less uncomfortable than staying underneath.
The Shoulder of Justice (copyright Kavanagh) is probably the best way of doing this if you’re playing a fixed top game.
Key points:
- Reach all the way through and grab their armpit
- Pull your elbow back to your body. The closer your elbow is to your body, the stronger you are
- Bring your elbow tight against their shoulder
- Bring your shoulder low, onto their jaw or neck (neck will apply greater choking/strangulation pressure)
- Bicep curl, keeping your elbow flat on the ground. Another way to think about this is to drill your shoulder into your hand. Some people experience a bit of numbness in their hands from this pressure.
- Extend your top leg. If your right shoulder is the shoulder of justice, extend that leg.
- Turn your body towards your opponents hips.
Sometimes it’s not feasible to do a shoulder of justice, particularly if you’re not playing a fixed game. The dumbass choke is one very simple way to apply pressure to the neck.
With your top hand, reach across to their far shoulder and catch their trapezius muscle. Drop your elbow as long as possible. This will cause this a choking pressure on their neck but won’t choke them. It should cause discomfort so they’ll start lifting their elbows as they try to relief pressure. Separating the elbows from the body is the first step in catching an armlock.