Buchecha's Rolling Armbar: A BJJ Breakdown
When we first posted this clip back in May 2016, the caption was one line long: remember Buchecha's rolling armbar attack on Roger Gracie from Metamoris? Check out his tutorial. That was the…
Words: Jiu Jitsu Style
At Metamoris in 2012, two of the best gi grapplers Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has produced, Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida and Roger Gracie, went a full twenty minutes without a finish. One of the sharpest moments of the whole match was Buchecha's rolling armbar. He did not get the tap, Roger's defense is the stuff of legend, but the entry was so clean that people were still asking how he did it years later. So he filmed a breakdown, and a decade on it still solves the same problem it did on that stage.
Watch it: Buchecha's rolling armbar.
How to hit this in your next roll
This all starts from top side control. When your opponent starts to turn away from you, trying to escape or to stop you scoring for the position, use that momentum as the foundation for the attack. As their top arm comes across, you capture it. You bring your near foot over their belly, the way you would step up into technical mount, and then you go with their momentum, rolling forward over your own shoulder in the same direction they are already turning.
The arm you captured is your steering wheel. You use it to control how fast they turn, so they cannot get away too quickly, and to keep yourself glued to their back through the roll. The leg you stepped across their belly carries them over with you. You come out the far side, they land on their back, and you are sitting in the armbar.
Drill it in layers
Because the roll happens over your own shoulder, throw it cold at full speed and you will tweak your neck. Start slow. From side control, have your partner turn away and feed you the arm. Capture it, step the foot across the belly, and walk through the forward roll at a crawl until tucking your chin and rolling over the back of your shoulder feels automatic. Only then turn up their speed and resistance.
A few details decide it. Capture the arm as it crosses, before you commit to the roll. Keep that foot and shin heavy across the belly so it actually carries them. Stay connected to the back the whole way, and use the arm to steer their speed and keep the roll flowing. The roll gets you there. An ordinary, patient armbar finishes it.
See you on the mats.
Originally published on Jiu Jitsu Style, 11 May 2016. Refreshed for 2026.