The term Keylock

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Does anybody know where the term "keylock" originated from?

Also, does the term have anything to do with the shape or way the move is applied? I don't see how anything resembles a key.

I have done a little searching and read the BJJ Heroes article. All I've found is that the Americana aka Keylock was not invented by Bob Anderson and coined by Rolls Gracie. In Judo, it is called Ude Garami and has been around for over 100 years.

 

[ChainFlow]

It's because making a frame with one arm on his arm and threading your other arm through resembles sliding a key into a lock.

However, the Americana (ude garami, paintbrush, top wristlock, whatever) should not be called a keylock properly. An actual keylock is a catch wrestling move resembling a biceps slicer using your arms instead of legs.

 

[mattemate]

It's because making a frame with one arm on his arm and threading your other arm through resembles sliding a key into a lock.

However, the Americana (ude garami, paintbrush, top wristlock, whatever) should not be called a keylock properly. An actual keylock is a catch wrestling move resembling a biceps slicer using your arms instead of legs.

Is it different from a hammer lock? Paul Varlans tapped someone with something like that.

 

[ChainFlow]

Is it different from a hammer lock? Paul Varlans tapped someone with something like that.

Yeah. The hammerlock involves bringing the hand up the back. They keylock involves using your forearm that's in the crook of his elbow to separate the elbow joint. Usually also while torquing the shoulder.

Here's a not-entirely-terrible video:


She focuses more on the shoulder lock aspect of it. To focus more on the elbow separation / biceps slicer you instead emphasize drawing your own elbows together, driving off of your toes, and rolling the inside forearm so it goes from being blade-in-the-crook-of-their-elbow to being perpendicular but still as deep as you can manage it from drawing your elbows in and driving in with your body.

Like most catch moves, it's hideously painful.


There's also a version off of the americana that I find is lower percentage, but it's similar in principle.

AND there's a version where they keep their hand on their chest and you turn it into a forearm lock (yes, that's a thing). I think Kurt Osiander showed this particular one a while back, so it at least has some presence in the BJJ community.

In general, I use this move when they defend the kimura/DWL by keeping their hand from crossing the line of their body. Grabbing the gi, clasping their hands, whatever - if I can't break the grip to finish the kimura and I don't think the armbar is there either, I let them keep their hand trapped, force it even deeper into what they thought was safe territory, and lock in the keylock. It's very difficult to escape, and did I mention painful?

 

[Chandler sama]

I use that variation on the kimura too. It puts a lot of pressure on their forearm. I think of it more as a kirmura grip break, but 99% of the time they tap to it because they refuse to release their grip and they don't realize holding their Gi/belt won't save them until it is too late. I believe I learned it from Marlon Sandoro.

 

[PayPerView]

It's because making a frame with one arm on his arm and threading your other arm through resembles sliding a key into a lock.

However, the Americana (ude garami, paintbrush, top wristlock, whatever) should not be called a keylock properly. An actual keylock is a catch wrestling move resembling a biceps slicer using your arms instead of legs.

This makes a lot of sense. However everybody in BJJ seems to use key lock and Americana interchangeably. I'm curious how this happened.

 

[ChainFlow]

This makes a lot of sense. However everybody in BJJ seems to use key lock and Americana interchangeably. I'm curious how this happened.

Terminology is a weird thing. I don't think there's a way to know at this point.

My old BJJ coaches use "key lock" to refer to the Americana too. It's not like it's an inappropriate word to use, it's just that we already have other names for the Americana/paintbrush so we might as well reserve "keylock" for this particular move, since that is what it was called 100+ years ago by catch wrestlers anyway and we lack alternative labels for it like we have for the americana/paintbrush/top wrist lock/ude garami. IMO.

 

[Gorbag]

"Ude-garami" has been called so at least since 1885 when it was taken into katame-no-kata by the Kodokan. What the BJJ crowd call "Kimura" is called gyaku-ude-garami in judo.