OMOPLATA
Omoplata
IBJJF legal at: white
The omoplata is the shoulder lock executed by trapping the opponent's arm between the bottom player's legs and using a forward rotation to drive the trapped shoulder past its natural range of motion. The name comes from the Portuguese medical term for the scapula, capturing the joint that ultimately gives way. Unlike most submissions, the omoplata is a three-option attack: it tap, sweep, or take the back depending on the opponent's defensive response, which makes it one of the most strategically rich submissions in the modern game.
The defining mechanic is the figure-four trap of the opponent's arm between the bottom player's legs, with the inside knee pressing across the back of the trapped shoulder. The finish requires the bottom player to pivot 90 degrees toward the trapped side and lean forward toward the opponent's hips — leaning backward or staying square produces no torque. Clark Gracie's competitive career was built almost entirely around the omoplata, and Garry Tonon's no-gi omoplata system extended the technique into the submission-grappling era. The technique is legal at every IBJJF belt and a viable finish at every level of competition.
MECHANICS
- 01Isolate the target arm inside the guard before any leg movement begins.
- 02Swing the same-side leg over the opponent's back, pressing the knee across the back of the shoulder.
- 03Pivot 90 degrees toward the trapped side; never finish from a square angle.
- 04Lock the figure-four with the inside leg over the outside ankle to defeat the somersault escape.
- 05Lean forward toward the opponent's hips to drive the rotational torque.
DEFENSES
- →Posture forward aggressively before the figure-four locks in.
- →Somersault forward to release the shoulder angle (defeated by the ankle lock).
- →Grab the bottom player's belt and roll backward to invert the position.
- →Walk laterally toward the bottom player's head to escape the angle.
NOTABLE PRACTITIONERS
Clark Gracie · Garry Tonon · Nino Schembri · Tainan Dalpra