Among the thousands of submissions and variations, you’ll find a technique well suited for any position or situation. But there is one submission that is as deadly as it is gay.

The homoplata.

For most, the pain of death is not as bad as the pain of dishonor – especially homo-dishonor.That’s why this move is so dangerous. Worse yet, you can never be sure who has this move in their arsenal. Super-blond-bleached-hair guy or excessively sweaty dude who always trains shirtless – it could be either of them. It’s usually not who you expect though.

I know of one student who was absolutely sure the hot Croatian chick in our class was going to pull this move during a sparring session, but she quickly transitioned from the mount into the rear fully clothed choke of emasculation. Kind of a bummer for him and his ego, but a relief that one less person has actually unleashed the homoplata.

But here’s the thing, jujitsu is jujitsu. I lot of people over-react to stuff, that in reality, isn’t a big deal. So far in my teaching career I’ve been bitten, sneezed on, elbowed in the groin, farted on, and had my jaw almost broken against a hairless man chest (don’t ask). My life didn’t end, and every time I’ve been hurt or weirded out, it’s been on accident.

When I hit the mats, it’s time to train and learn mixed martial arts – and I think most people are like that. MMA is a hands on sport, and at least from my experience, almost all men and women treat each other with respect when training in a well coached, positive environment.

Bottom line, most problems come from not loving the art in MIXED MARTIAL ARTS. They love their ego, fantasies, or their crude sense of humor more than the pursuit of MMA.

So bottom line, love MMA.

P.S. But seriously, you never know who might try to stick you with this submission, so you must be ever vigilant. This is why I sugguest you train every day of your life.

P.S.S Here’s some info for those looking for the omoplata armlock.

As a beginner at the time it struck me, “How many ways can you think about a position? When is mount not just mount? When is guard not guard?” Those questions have become a kind of mind-clearing Zen koan. It opened me up to thinking about a lot of things in new ways and a lot of good has come from it.

What happens when I think of mount as “guard from the top?” I get omoplatas.

He then proceeds to walk you through a tutorial with 3rd degree blackbelt Eduardo de Lima.

This whole detailing of the omoplata – it isn’t just about the submission, it’s about the thought process.  I love the dynamic, nebulous and mind expanding nature of jujitsu. Most submission techniques are usuable in many positions and situations – the limiations are due to your static perception. Anyway, if you’re inclined, expand your mind with the revrese omoplata instruction here.

As the title infers, I’d like to go over some information about the omoplata submission. It looks complex if you’ve never done it, but in essence it’s a kimura shoulder-lock using your legs to crank. It’s got so many cool variations and uses, I think it should be one of the first eight submissions you learn in no-gi jujitsu ( the others being the mata leo choke, guillotine, kimura, americana / keylock, leg triangle choke – along with the arm triangle variation – and armbar). The omoplata works well as a set-up or a follow-up to four of the eight submissions aforementioned. Anyway, here’s how to pull off the omoplata from the guard – the first place you should start learning it.

If you’re a sneaky, tactical jujitsu player,
I think you’ll like sinking in the omoplata from the side mount position.

Depending how good your opponent is, you escape the omoplata from guard in a variety of ways. First, you can do a forward shoulder roll to escape, or jump over your hips to the other side of the body, as seen below.

You can put the breaks on these type of rolling escapes by securing the foot or the body when you’re in the jiu-claw position (right before you sit up and start cranking the shoulder) as shown by Urijah Faber. Basically, flatten ‘em out before you start effecting the shoulder joints.

Also, Gene Simco talks about the rolling escapes and how to prevent them with some different insights here. Also, while we’re at it, Eddie Bravo gives his two cents on attacks and hold onto the jiu-claw position, again giving some unique insights and rubber guard instruction- see below.

However, if you can’t roll but can get your butt up in the air to create enough space, it’s possible to weave in outside leg and attempt an armbar. It’s tricky, but cool. See the no-no plata to armbar counter below. (No, no you will not omoplata!)

But maybe you have a little space to try to escape via the shoulder roll, why not turn it into a triangle choke counter?

Sometimes you’ll see guys hooking the ankle under the back of the knee and extend the leg to try to hook under your far side armpit (see here) , or “figure four” their legs to secure your chicken-winged arm. In both cases, you can try the following leg lock.

After seeing these all these variations, no doubt you’ll be alert to the escape attempts of you’re opponent. However, if he still slips by you and rolls out of the omoplata, you’re not done. You can keep rolling with him, flipping as he does so that you won’t lose the submission, or you can transition into another submission – a bicep cutter.

As you see, the omoplata network is expansive. You can transition into omoplata from a open guard sweep, from S mount, enter it “flying“, execute it from turtle position ( called the “reverse omoplata” ) and even defend certain ankle locks with an omoplata. All in all, its a cool thing to have in your toolbox.