Here is another armbar against an opponent who spaced on his/her first turn. For a higher chance of the armbar to succeed you must try to grab your opponent near the shoulder so they cannot distance themselves from you.

I still struggle with the armbar when there is a regular grabtrade (hands on hands) since it makes it easier for my opponent to distance me from them. What happens a lot when you're too far from your opponent is that the chances of your hand ghosting through your body increases.



In most aikido matches the opponent starts with a clap but in this match my opponent spaced which left them quite vulnerable. I started with an opening kick with my right leg. This might make your opponent think they will be kicked on their left side.
I then lower my arms which moves my body to the ground which I have to protect from DQing with my right arm. To get enough rotation for the armbar I extend my elbow and wrist. From there I got my foot over their head and secured the armbar.