Arm drag: how BJJ players use it
The arm drag is the #6 takedown in BJJBuddy logs: 419 people have logged it. How dragging the arm takes the back or sets up a takedown, and by belt.
Where it ranks.
People who logged each takedown at least once.
Logged, not scored.
BJJBuddy records which takedowns people work in training. It doesn’t record who took whom down, so these pages show how widely each takedown is used, not how often it succeeds.
The arm drag pulls your partner’s arm across their body so you can move behind them. From there you take the back or finish with a single or double leg, standing or from guard.
How the arm drag works
- Control their wrist with your opposite hand.
- Reach your other hand across to grab their triceps, just above the elbow.
- Pull the arm across their body while stepping your body outside, toward their back.
- Keep moving: take the back with a body lock, or shoot on the near leg.
Common mistakes
- Pulling the arm without moving your own body around them.
- Gripping the forearm instead of high on the triceps.
- Stopping after the drag, which lets them square back up.
Learn and drill techniques with a qualified coach and a cooperative partner, and let go the moment your partner taps. This overview is not a substitute for live instruction.
Who logs it, by belt
People at each belt who logged this takedown. Belt is the rank set in the app today.
How to read these figures
The rank orders all 31 takedowns by how many different people logged them. From BJJBuddy training logs, November 2015 to November 2026. Duplicate uploads are removed, so a session is one person on one training day. Each person counts once per technique. Groups smaller than 10 people are not shown.