ONE Championship Broad name Grappler Mikey Musumeci Nearly Broke My Arm

MIKEY MUSUMECI DOESN’T assume admire one of basically the most feared opponents on this planet first and most most well-known scrutinize. He’s a minute young man with glasses, in overall smiling and offering up his signature hand gesture (you know the emoji, on the least: 🤌) to reference his Italian heritage and deep admire of pizza and pasta.

Rob him on the mat at your native martial arts gym, although, and also you’re going to safe yourself on the mercy of a terrifyingly ambiance friendly submission technician. The 28-year-feeble “Darth Rigatoni” is one of basically the most accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners on this planet. He’s won five IBJJF World Championships and he’s at point out the ONE Championship Submission Grappling Flyweight title-holder. Sadly for me, when Musumeci visited the MH Successfully being Hub outdated to ONE 168 in Denver, I modified into meeting him on a mat—and I’d be subjected to 1 of his principal-efficient submission strikes, the closed-guard arm bar.

This finisher set me in a noteworthy predicament, and one in which I’m no longer completely familiar. Most of my martial arts skills is with striking in boxing and Muay Thai. I’ve been coached a bit on grappling, nonetheless that modified into serene from an MMA level of view where punching and kicking is serene an option. Since Musumeci competes in ONE’s submission grappling division, that approach he’s handiest the exercise of his jiu-jitsu to simplest his opponent—and I undoubtedly accept as true with out a recourse a whole lot of than to retract a scrutinize at to wriggle out of his buy. As any of his seven opponents at ONE can attest (he’s received a 7-0 file with 5 submissions), that is principal more uncomplicated said than executed.

Thankfully, I wasn’t rolling in opposition to Musumeci to compete. He would notify me programs on how to attain the arm bar, and I’d (confidently) are dwelling thru the demo with a brand unique skill.

Mikey Musumeci’s Closed Guard Arm Bar

The Ability

First, Musumeci demonstrated exactly what it solution to be in closed guard on bottom predicament. “Closed guard on bottom’s a immense predicament, you’re going to it even in MMA, on story of I will protect myself from getting strikes,” he said. “It’s seemingly you’ll perhaps per chance no longer good stand up and punch me.”

What that looks admire in practice is the particular person that shall be within the kill deploying the arm bar on their relief on the mat, the exercise of their legs wrapped round their opponent to lock them into their guard. The grappler in bottom predicament is then in a position to “body” their opponents biceps, battling them from punching or elbowing them and controlling the match.

In practice, this intended that Musumeci would possibly per chance completely retain an eye on my movements after I entered his guard. I outweigh him by round 70 pounds (his wrestle weight, that is), nonetheless I could per chance per chance now not trek from where he wanted me to be.

Thankfully, he modified into with me in teacher mode, no longer as the ruthless Darth Rigatoni. He walked me thru the steps for the arm bar, which had been straightforward to learn, nonetheless sophisticated to have in recommendations.

First, shake your opponent’s hand. In practice, you are grabbing their arm, no longer basically greedy palms—nonetheless the introductory aspect helps to have in recommendations the first step. Subsequent, snatch their elbow in conjunction with your a whole lot of hand and predicament it on your lap. Align their hand, elbow, and shoulder. Then, procure your leg up over your opponent’s shoulder and lock your heels round their relief. From there, shift your weight to the aspect, throw your leg over your opponent’s head, pinch your knees, and clamp your feet down. The closing step: Press down in conjunction with your hands and procure up in conjunction with your hips. Rob placing the stress to your opponent till they tap out or their arm breaks.

I received uncomfortably shut to that fate within the center of the considerable demo of the arm bar. I modified into a bit slower on the tap than I seemingly must serene had been, nonetheless happily there modified into no lasting distress—to my arm, on the least. My delight modified into a fairly a whole lot of topic.

The Drill

After finding out the steps to throw the arm bar, I wanted to toughen the body predicament I’d must win my opponent in closed guard—and retain them there. To attain that, Musumeci set me thru a deceptively sophisticated drill that pushed my hips and adductor muscle tissue to their limits.

Musumeci had a aesthetic reference to enhance this maneuver: the Adam Sandler traditional Relaxed Gilmore. Worthy admire Chubbs Peterson (Carl Weathers, RIP) teaches Sandler’s Gilmore that golfing is “all within the hips,” Musumeci taught me the identical is good in throwing an arm bar, since the hips are necessary for locking the legs to retain retain an eye on of the opponent. “In jiu-jitsu, you are the exercise of your whole body accurate now,” he says. “Or no longer it’s a whole-body exercise.”

In practice, this afflict up with me energetic a medicines ball between my legs as I scooted around the mat. This modified into a surprisingly tricky; the key is, again, to lock the feet on the ankles, then squeeze the ball with the thighs all the intention thru the overall length of the drill. The adductors don’t seem like the ultimate muscle tissue that are set to the test; my core modified into on fire by the terminate of the length. At once placing my arm bar to the test afterword modified into a noteworthy assignment—nonetheless the particular space modified into good about to inaugurate.

The Issue

This all led up to the final stage: Musumeci challenged me to speed thru the drill for 30 seconds, then nail two out of three attempts at an arm bar. “Judge of it admire a cookbook,” he told. Now, good to have in recommendations the steps of the recipe.

He started the timer, and my adductors and core had been accurate now on fire. I modified into concentrating on assemble—after which accurate now needed to rack my mind for the true steps. The first strive modified into a fail. Musumeci wanted to “introduce himself” to me once extra to skedaddle my memory. After that (and with some extra support), I remembered successfully ample to win into predicament to assemble him tap out. I had learned the arm bar from Mikey Musumeci, giving me one more lethal wrestle skill. A minimal of that’s what I’m going to expose myself.

I do know that if we afflict up on the mat without my practicing wheels and a whole lot of friendly support, Darth Rigatoni would be an not seemingly adversary for anyone admire me. Musumeci is one of basically the most productive on this planet, in the end—and his next ONE Championship opponent will be faced with a steep space to final to the final bell sooner than tapping.