YR Sports Lab
When you cannot pull an opponent's arm out from the top Kimura position, most people give up the attack. The Tarikoplata grew out of exactly that problem: it joins the Kimura grip, the Omoplata leg control and a roll, then finishes by driving the arm behind the back. This guide covers its origin story, mechanics, entries, counter ideas and how it has actually shown up in competition.
1. Origin and Story: It Started With an Arm That Would Not Come Out
The Tarikoplata is named after its originator, Tarik Hopstock, a Norwegian competitor who trains under Eduardo Rios (BJJ Easy and LowKick MMA agree) at Frontline Academy in Oslo (BJJ Easy and the IBJJF agree).
The name came from competition, not from a plan
LowKick MMA quotes an interview Hopstock gave to BJJ Heroes: the technique took shape around 2014, starting from trouble pulling an opponent's arm out from the top Kimura position. In the quoted words: "We didn't even call it the tarikoplata until I had gotten it numerous times in competition."
The BJJ Heroes site refused automated access (HTTP 403) while this article was researched, so the interview content here is LowKick MMA's relay of it. BJJ Easy served as a second source for the originator and the instructor, and we did not read the BJJ Heroes original directly.
BJJ Easy's May 2020 report described Hopstock as a 23-year-old brown belt at the time and said that Keenan Cornelius, Gordon Ryan and Marcus Buchecha also use the move in their games. It also calls Hopstock the inventor and popularizer. Neither source discusses whether anyone did something similar earlier, so this article only adopts the claim both sources agree on: Hopstock developed and named it.
His later results are independently documented. The IBJJF website reports that at the Dublin International Open in May 2022, Tarik Hopstock of Frontline Academy won gold in the adult black belt middleweight division, then entered the open class and won four fights, three of them by submission, for his first black belt open class gold and his second gold of the day. That report does not say which techniques he used, so it only shows that he later earned a black belt and kept competing at a high level.
Within the shoulder lock family, this site also has guides to the Kimura, Americana and Omoplata. The Tarikoplata sits between the Kimura grip and the Omoplata leg path.
2. Mechanics: Kimura Grip, Foot Over the Head and Shoulder, Roll
LowKick MMA defines it as a combination of a Kimura, an Omoplata and, from the bottom, a sweep. Its original setup starts from knee shield or Z guard. The table below follows that article's steps (order and detail are per that article):
| Stage | Key points |
|---|---|
| ① Build the frame | Push the opponent's head away and place the knee in front of the face to stop forward movement |
| ② Control the far arm | Underhook the far arm and bring the elbow to your chest |
| ③ Foot over head and shoulder | Circle the foot over the head and shoulder so it lands on the hip |
| ④ Kimura grip | Secure the Kimura grip; the opponent's natural reaction is to tuck the arm, which is the key to the setup |
| ⑤ Turn the hips and thread the leg | Rise onto the shoulder, drive the hip over the opponent's shoulder and slide the bottom leg through |
| ⑥ Trap the wrist | Point the heel up and hook the leg over the arm to trap the wrist, then release the Kimura grip and hold your own thigh |
| ⑦ Roll | Grab the pants with the free hand, keep the far leg over the head and pull the opponent over |
| ⑧ Sit up to finish | When the opponent lands on the back, release the pants, post a hand and sit up; place one foot under the arm, then step the other foot up to torque the arm |
| ⑨ Tap | Drop the knee and rotate the elbow toward the ceiling until the opponent taps |
BJJ Easy's tutorial lists the core as three parts: the Kimura grip, the elbow crunch entry, and a forward or backward roll sweep. LowKick MMA adds a backup: if the opponent posts to block the roll, use that energy to back-roll them into the same finishing position.
3. Entry Timing and Setups
LowKick MMA lists more than one entry. They share a theme: the opponent blocks your first attack and you turn into this one.
First, the bottom of knee shield or Z guard. This is the original setup above. When the opponent starts blocking your Kimura grip, you circle the foot over the head and shoulder.
Second, when the opponent tries an Over-Under pass. The article suggests throwing the trapped leg over the opponent's head to the hip, then following the original sequence. The Over-Under Pass guide helps with this situation.
Third, when a top armbar is defended. The article describes looping the inside arm under the opponent's arm and holding your own thigh, pulling the wrist down, bringing the leg over, then sitting up and turning toward the head.
Fourth, side control or north-south. If the opponent defends a Kimura by gripping the belt or clasping the hands, hug the arm, control the leg by the pants, loop the leg over the body, hold your thigh and rotate the opponent onto the back. In no-gi, from north-south against locked hands, you can loop the leg over to trap the arm.
The shared setup principle
What these entries have in common: first make the opponent tuck the arm to protect it (Kimura grip, armbar or pressure), then trap the arm with the leg at the moment it tucks. The tuck itself is the trigger.
4. Strengths and Limits
| Strengths | Limits |
|---|---|
| Gives a next step when the opponent defends the Kimura or armbar | Many steps (nine in the original version); a break in the chain loses the advantage |
| Reachable from knee shield, passing defense, side control, north-south and no-gi positions | Needs fluid leg control and Omoplata-style hip movement, which beginners rarely get on the first try |
| If it fails, the roll takes the opponent to their back so the attack can continue | LowKick MMA does not discuss body type or rule-set fit, so this article draws no conclusion on that |
5. Common Counters
LowKick MMA has no dedicated escape section. It only mentions two things: opponents block the Kimura grip, and they post to block the roll. The following is our technical reading derived from those two points and the steps above, and it is an inference, not a research finding:
First, do not let the arm be pulled out. The trigger is the tuck, so the defender's first goal is to keep the arm in front of the body, using frames and both hands, before the foot goes over the head and shoulder.
Second, deal with the hips before the leg threads through. Steps 5 and 6 need the hips to get past the shoulder. If the defender can pressure or turn at that moment, the attacker struggles to lock the wrist on the leg.
Third, post to block the roll. LowKick MMA already notes the attacker's answer, which is to roll back into the finishing position, so this only buys time and does not solve the problem outright.
Options after the counter
If the opponent posts to block the roll, use that posting energy to roll backward per LowKick MMA's backup; you can still reach the same finishing position.
If the opponent pulls the arm fully out, return to the Kimura grip or armbar setup and wait for the next tuck.
6. How Often It Appears in Competition
The IBJJF and ADCC publish placings and brackets but not per-technique statistics. Within the scope we searched, we found no reliable third-party Tarikoplata frequency statistic (searched October 2026), so we give no percentage and describe individual events only.
One event can be checked: Digitsu's Polaris 11 record shows Tarik Hopstock beating Sean McDonagh by Tarikoplata (Polaris 11, 2019). We found no other verifiable match records, so we do not list more examples.
The only honest conclusion is qualitative: it is a newer shoulder lock that took shape around 2014, with a documented match record and well-known athletes using it, but we cannot find enough data to judge its share in high-level competition. On rules, each organizer restricts shoulder locks and leg entanglements differently and we could not check the official IBJJF rulebook line by line, so read the current-year rules and event notice before you register.
7. Safety Notes: Shoulder and Wrist
The Tarikoplata loads the shoulder joint while twisting the arm. We found no study that tracks injury rates for this move, so the following are conservative training principles, not research conclusions.
・Make the final twist slow, release the moment your partner taps and never speed up
・During the roll, watch your partner's neck and head and do not drag them over with force
・Tap early when caught, do not wait until the shoulder hurts
・If persistent shoulder pain, weakness or limited range of motion follows training, stop and see a doctor
・Further reading: BJJ shoulder injury guide
FAQ
What is the Tarikoplata, and how does it differ from the Kimura and Omoplata?
The Tarikoplata is a shoulder lock that mixes the Kimura grip, Omoplata leg control and a roll, developed and named by Tarik Hopstock. LowKick MMA describes it as a Kimura, an Omoplata and a sweep combined, finishing with the arm driven behind the back.
Who invented the Tarikoplata?
Tarik Hopstock, a Norwegian competitor, is credited with it. BJJ Easy calls him the inventor, and LowKick MMA quotes him saying it formed around 2014 from trouble pulling an opponent's arm out of the top Kimura, and that it was named only after he hit it many times in competition.
Can I learn the Tarikoplata without special flexibility?
You can start with the basic Kimura grip and the roll. The steps LowKick MMA lists center on gripping the arm, putting the foot over the head and shoulder, and rolling, with no special flexibility requirement mentioned, but real feasibility varies by person, so progress gradually under a coach.
What should I do when someone has a Tarikoplata on me?
Deal with it before the leg crosses your head and shoulder and the arm is trapped, for example by keeping frames and not letting the arm be pulled out. Once the shoulder is under pressure, tap early. This is a training suggestion drawn from technique write-ups, not a research finding.
References
1. LowKick MMA. Tarikoplata: BJJ Technique Explained. lowkickmma.com (retrieved October 2026; supports Hopstock as a Norwegian competitor, the Eduardo Rios lineage, the 2014 origin account and quotation, the nine-step original setup, other setups and the backup; the BJJ Heroes interview content is that article's relay)
2. BJJEE. Tarikoplata: The Most SAVAGE Shoulder Lock | Tarik Hopstock (2020/05/25). bjjee.com (retrieved October 2026; third-party report supporting the inventor and popularizer attribution, Frontline Academy in Oslo, the 23-year-old brown belt description, use by Keenan Cornelius and others, and the three teaching points)
3. IBJJF. Dublin International Open Results: ECJJA Wins Gi and No-Gi Titles; Tarik Hopstock Wins Double Gold (2022/05/02). ibjjf.com (retrieved October 2026; supports Hopstock as a Frontline Academy black belt, the middleweight gold, and the open class gold with four fights and three submissions)
4. Digitsu. Polaris 11 Results & Stats. digitsu.com (third-party match database, retrieved October 2026; supports Hopstock beating Sean McDonagh by Tarikoplata)