Emmanuel Fernandez showed me this technique for completing the armbar, and in my opinion there’s no better way of finishing it. It offers the security of the mount position, a technical way to overcome brute strength, and if you do fail, you can quite easily stay on top.

French Armbar 0

We’ve all been in this position, gotten the armbar set up perfectly, but we can’t break our opponent’s grip! (Conor’s holding on too tight to those 24 inch Pythons!)

Instead of struggling, loop your top arm through until the inside of your elbow is at the inside of their elbow. If you keep your arm tight to your chest, you’ll have a secure hold of their arm.

Now, with your lower arm, reach over and grab their far hip. Look to get your elbow to the floor and then pull it back in to tighten up the grip. You will be restricting their hip movement if you set this up correctly.

French Armbar 1

Take your top leg off their face and sit/slide up onto their stomach. You want to get the side of your hip (the boney part that sticks out) right on the centre of their chest. You should be able to sit here comfortably enough if you set it up right.

French Armbar 2

Now, bring your top foot back and aim to have you heel as low down on their neck.

French Armbar 3

Pulling your heel back will apply pressure on their neck (it’s the only real life use of the hamstring curl I’ve found!). Creeping your arm up your shoulder and extending your hips will complete the armbar.

French Armbar 4

You can always dismount to complete the armbar, but holding top is safer and more skillful.