FAR-SIDE KIMURA

The far-side kimura is the kimura variation applied to the opponent's far arm from side-control or north-south position, in which the attacker reaches across the opponent's body to capture the far-side wrist and applies the figure-four kimura grip configuration. The technique is the most common kimura entry from top side-control and one of the highest-percentage shoulder-lock finishes in modern BJJ competition.

The mechanics begin from established side-control with the attacker's chest pressuring the opponent's chest. The attacker reaches across the opponent's body with the far-side arm and grips the opponent's far-side wrist, palm facing down. The near-side arm then threads under the opponent's far elbow and grips the attacker's own wrist, completing the figure-four. The finish comes from rotating the opponent's wrist toward the opponent's head while the trapped shoulder is forced into external rotation — the same mechanical principle as conventional kimura but with the geometry inverted by the far-side approach.

The far-side kimura was refined and made a competitive focal point by Bernardo Faria, who used it extensively in his IBJJF and ADCC career. Modern competitors who have used it include Marcus Buchecha, Andre Galvao, and various Atos-trained black belts who have integrated it into broader top-game systems. The technique pairs particularly well with the bow-and-arrow attack chain — if the kimura is defended by the opponent rolling away, the rolled position often produces a back take or transition to north-south. Defensively the far-side kimura is escaped by hand-fighting the wrist grip before the figure-four consolidates, by tucking the far elbow tight to the ribcage to deny the underhook, or by rolling away from the kimura side to relieve shoulder rotation.