Cheat sheet: Three solid tips to improve your Omoplata game

November 24, 2023

Regardless of fighting style, a good competitor must strive to know all about the many attacks that Jiu-Jitsu provides to its practitioners. A warrior may not use every weapon in their arsenal, but knowing all of them will create new possibilities in future battles. One such weapon is the Omoplata lock.

Consisting of an attack on the shoulder blade, the Omoplata lock is a crafty offensive maneuver that might catch your opponent by surprise and land you the win. Worst case scenario, you can even use it to seize the advantage in the match by other means. To help you better understand this submission, here are three tips to make the most out of your Omoplata lock. Check it out below!

Maintain control of the hip

When you spin to attack in the shoulder blade and raise your torso to a sitting position, your first order of business should be the opponent's hips. The defending athlete may instinctively attempt to escape sideways or with a somersault. To avoid this scenario, place your grips on the opponent's belt or waist area, always making sure to keep their hip close to your own. This will prevent their escape and keep their arm within attacking distance. 

Try a grip on the sleeve

Another important detail is not to let your opponent's arm loose. With the hand and wrist unrestrained and able to spin, freeing the should might provide them with enough space to avoid the submission. A simple method to prevent this is to place a firm grip on the sleeve, keeping the adversary's arm tensed up before letting go to raise your hip and complete the lever.

Didn't land it? Go up and take two points

The Omoplata lock has many escape routes and an experienced athlete might be able to defend well and avoid the attack altogether. In higher levels of competition, Omoplata submissions are few and far between. However, the path to this particular lock leads the attacker to many advantageous positions, allowing for the more adept guard players to use the Omoplata as a way to sweep the opponent. If the adversary does a spin when you apply pressure on the shoulder blade, keep their arm locked tight and follow the spin to go up. This will land you two points and the side control, most of the times.