no, you want to keep your opponent close. The arm bar attacks the elbow. It works by bending the elbow in the wrong direction. If you were to push your opponent away, the fulcrum point would slide too far away from you and you couldn't get the hyper extension needed.
The technique I'm talking about realistically is primarily used from side control. When you come in from the side, it is more difficult and time consuming to get both legs over, verses when you attack from mount, you already have 1 leg on each side, so you are only throwing 1 leg over.
If you understand the principle of the armbar, it is almost always available. All you have to do is find a place to create fulcrum point on the back of the elbow, push up on the elbow while pulling down on the forearm. You can lay your elbow on the side of the couch or table with the forearm hanging down, and pull down on the forearm. That is the principle behind the arm bar.
