5 Leg Lock Entries You NEED TO KNOW
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Leg Lock·Ebsayz
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Leg Lock
Family足関節技(Ashi Kansetsu Waza)
Translation: Leg joint technique
Overview
The Leg Lock family encompasses all joint lock submissions targeting the hip, knee, or ankle joints of the lower extremity — including heel hooks, kneebars, toe holds, calf slicers, and straight ankle locks. [1] Once considered a secondary or even disreputable area of BJJ (traditionalists called leg lockers 'lazy' for attacking the legs instead of passing guard), leg locks underwent a dramatic renaissance in the 2010s through the work of John Danaher and the Danaher Death Squad (Gordon Ryan, Garry Tonon, Eddie Cummings, Nicky Ryan), who demonstrated that a systematic approach to leg entanglements could dominate the world's best grapplers. [1],[2] The modern leg lock game is built around the ashi garami positional hierarchy — a system of leg entanglement positions (inside sankaku, outside ashi, 50/50, cross ashi) from which specific submissions are applied based on the control configuration. [2],[3] Heel hooks — particularly the inside heel hook — are now considered the most dangerous and highest-percentage submission in no-gi grappling, capable of destroying the knee's ligaments (ACL, MCL, meniscus) with minimal force and warning. [3]
LeglockLower Limb LockLeg SubmissionAshi Kansetsu WazaJP
History & Origin
Leg locks have deep roots in catch wrestling (where 'hooking' the legs was a primary technique category) and sambo (where leg locks are central to the throwing and ground curriculum). [1] In traditional BJJ, leg locks were historically de-emphasised — Hélio Gracie's system focused on chokes and arm locks, and many BJJ schools considered leg lock attacks to be lower-status techniques. [1],[2] The modern leg lock revolution began around 2014-2015 when John Danaher's students (the 'Danaher Death Squad' — Eddie Cummings, Garry Tonon, Gordon Ryan, Nicky Ryan) began dominating EBI and ADCC competition with a systematic leg lock game built around the ashi garami positional hierarchy. [2],[3] Gordon Ryan's dominance of ADCC (2019 and 2022 absolute champion) cemented the leg lock game as an essential component of elite no-gi grappling. [3]
Effectiveness
Leg locks — particularly heel hooks — are the most effective submissions in modern no-gi grappling; the inside heel hook is the most commonly finished submission at ADCC and EBI. [1] The Danaher Death Squad's competitive record demonstrated that a systematic leg lock game can overcome even the world's best guard passers and top players. [2] In MMA, leg locks have become increasingly common, with fighters like Ryan Hall, Charles Oliveira, and Paul Craig finishing opponents with heel hooks and kneebars from positions that were previously considered neutral or defensive. [3]
Lineage
Competition Record
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Biomechanical Mechanism
Primary Action — Isolating the opponent's leg and attacking the knee, ankle, or foot joints by applying rotational, hyperextension, or compression forces beyond their physiological limits
Joints Involved — Knee (heel hooks attack the knee by rotating the tibia relative to the femur, stressing the ACL, MCL, and meniscus; kneebars hyperextend the knee), ankle (ankle locks hyperextend the ankle by bending the foot toward the shin; toe holds rotate the foot and stress the ankle ligaments), hip (some advanced leg locks stress the hip joint through extreme rotation)
Force Vector — Heel hook: rotational force on the knee — the heel is trapped and rotated, and because the tibia is connected to the femur through ligaments, the rotation stresses these ligaments, Kneebar: linear extension of the knee against its natural bend, Ankle lock: hyperextension of the ankle joint (dorsiflexion), Toe hold: rotation and extension of the foot through the small joints
Lock Mechanic — Leg locks work on the same lever principle as arm locks but target stronger, larger joints; the key innovation of the modern leg lock game is the ashi garami positional system — specific entanglement positions that control the opponent's hip and knee simultaneously, preventing them from escaping while submissions are applied
Position & Entry
Inside heel hook from inside sankaku — From inside sankaku ashi garami (legs triangled around the opponent's leg with outside knee control), trap the opponent's heel in the elbow crease, grip the wrist with the free hand (Danaher grip), and rotate the heel outward while controlling the hip line — the most dangerous submission in modern grappling [1]
Straight ankle lock from ashi garami — From basic ashi garami (outside ashi), wrap the forearm around the opponent's Achilles tendon, grip your own wrist, squeeze the elbows together while arching the back — the most fundamental leg lock
Kneebar from passing — During a guard pass, trap the opponent's leg between your legs with the knee against your hip, squeeze the legs together, and arch backward to hyperextend the knee [2]
Toe hold from 50/50 — From the 50/50 entanglement, grip the opponent's toes and ball of foot, figure-four your hands around the foot, and rotate the foot outward while driving the knee inward — attacking the ankle ligaments
Videos
How to FINISH this Leg Lock EFFECTIVELY!!??
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Leg Lock·TeachMeGrappling Coach Brian
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Ratings
Risk of injury to the person this technique is applied to
10
Extreme10/10
Maximum — heel hooks are the most dangerous legal submission in grappling; they attack the knee ligaments (ACL, MCL, meniscus) which have no pain warning before catastrophic failure; unlike arm locks where increasing pain signals the joint's limit, heel hooks can destroy the knee before the opponent feels significant pain; kneebars can also cause severe ligament damage; even ankle locks and toe holds carry significant injury risk; leg locks have ended more competitive grappling careers through injury than any other submission category
Skill level needed to execute this technique reliably
Beginner
Whether this technique is allowed under major competition rule sets
Illegal
— kansetsu-waza
IJF Sport and Organisation Rules 2025, Article 27PDFRestricted
— IBJJF — Brown and black belt only
IBJJF Rules Book v6.0, June 2024PDFLegal
— ADCC — Legal — all submissions legal in ADCC
ADCC Rules Update, April 2025PDF— Unified MMA — Legal submission technique
Unified Rules of MMA, August 2025PDF— FIAS Sport Sambo — Legal
FIAS International Sambo Competition RulesPDF— FIAS Combat Sambo — Legal
FIAS Combat Sambo RulesPDFTraining Notes
✓Heel hooks MUST be trained with extreme care — always apply slowly, and the defender MUST tap at the first sign of rotational pressure on the knee; there is no 'toughing out' a heel hook because ligament failure occurs without proportional pain warning (Danaher, Leg Lock Anthology) [1]
✓Learn the ashi garami positional system BEFORE the submissions — understanding inside sankaku, outside ashi, 50/50, and cross ashi as control positions is more important than knowing the submission mechanics; position first, submission second
✓The straight ankle lock is the first leg lock to master — it is the safest to train, the most commonly permitted in competition, and teaches the fundamental leg lock mechanics
✓Train leg lock defence with the same intensity as offence — understanding how to escape ashi garami positions and defend specific submissions is essential for safety
✓The inside heel hook is the 'nuclear weapon' of grappling — it should be reserved for advanced practitioners who understand the position and the risk [2]
✓Leg locks change the entire grappling game — once you add leg locks to your arsenal, every position has additional offensive and defensive dimensions
✓Study John Danaher's leg lock system — his systematisation of ashi garami positions and submission hierarchies is the most comprehensive leg lock curriculum ever developed
✓In competition, the penalty for heel hook defence in IBJJF is severe — IBJJF bans heel hooks in gi and at lower no-gi belt levels; know the rules of your competition format
Common Mistakes
!Applying heel hooks at full speed in training — this is the most dangerous mistake in all of grappling; heel hooks must be applied slowly; competition-speed heel hooks in training will injure your training partners and destroy trust
!Not tapping to heel hooks early enough — unlike arm locks where pain precedes joint failure, heel hooks can damage the knee before significant pain is felt; tap at the first sign of rotation
!Ignoring the positional game — attempting heel hooks without first establishing proper ashi garami control results in the opponent escaping; position before submission
!Crossing the knees incorrectly in ashi garami — the inside leg (nearest to the opponent's hip) should be on top in most ashi garami variations; incorrect leg positioning allows the opponent to escape
!Using leg locks as a shortcut — some practitioners use leg locks to avoid learning guard passing; this limits overall grappling development
!Refusing to learn leg locks — the opposite extreme; ignoring leg locks means having no defence when attacked; even if you never attack with leg locks, you must understand the defence
!Not controlling the hip line — the opponent's hip must be controlled (knees squeezed around their thigh) to prevent them from extracting their leg from the entanglement
Related Techniques
Arm Lock — the upper-body joint lock counterpartAshi Garami — the positional system from which leg locks are appliedGuard — leg locks are often entered from guard positions (especially De La Riva and single-leg X)Takedown (Rolling Entry) — rolling entries to leg lock positions from standingEscape (Leg Lock Escape) — the defensive counterpart to leg lock attacks
Counter Techniques
Boot (heel slip) — pointing the toes and rotating the heel out of the attacker's gripHip Escape from Ashi Garami — clearing the hips past the knee line to extract the legLeg Pummeling — fighting with the legs to disentangle from ashi garamiRolling — rolling in the direction of the heel hook rotation to relieve rotational pressureStanding Up — driving to standing to break the entanglementCounter Leg Lock — attacking the opponent's exposed legs while they attack yours (common in 50/50)
Setup Chain
1Enter Leg Entanglement — achieve ashi garami through guard play, takedown, or rolling entry
2Identify Position — determine which ashi garami variation you are in (inside sankaku, outside ashi, 50/50, cross ashi)
3Control the Hip Line — squeeze the knees around the opponent's thigh to prevent escape
4Secure the Heel/Foot — trap the heel in the elbow crease (heel hook) or wrap the forearm around the Achilles (ankle lock)
5Apply Submission — rotate (heel hook), arch (ankle lock/kneebar), or twist (toe hold) to stress the target joint
6Finish — maintain controlled pressure until the opponent taps
Sources & References
Primary Source
Leg Lock Anthology (John Danaher, BJJ Fanatics instructional)
1BookJiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
Description sources — [1] Danaher's Leg Lock Anthology system [2] Danaher Death Squad competitive records [3] ADCC and EBI competition analysis
2BookLeg Lock Anthology (John Danaher, BJJ Fanatics)
History sources — [1] Catch wrestling and sambo leg lock traditions [2] BJJ's historical de-emphasis of leg locks [3] The Danaher revolution 2014-present
3BookMastering the Rubber Guard (Bravo, 2006)
4BookCatch Wrestling conditioning manuals
5CitationJiu-Jitsu University (Ribeiro, 2008)
Description sources — [1] Danaher's Leg Lock Anthology system [2] Danaher Death Squad competitive records [3] ADCC and EBI competition analysis
6CitationLeg Lock Anthology (John Danaher, BJJ Fanatics)
History sources — [1] Catch wrestling and sambo leg lock traditions [2] BJJ's historical de-emphasis of leg locks [3] The Danaher revolution 2014-present
7CitationMastering the Rubber Guard (Bravo, 2006)
8CitationCatch Wrestling conditioning manuals
Community
Athletics
Requires
leg dexterity (entangling and controlling the opponent's legs), hip control (maintaining ashi garami positions), grip strength (controlling the heel or foot for submission)
Favours
long legs (easier to entangle), flexible hips (maintaining and adjusting ashi garami positions), strong grip (maintaining the heel control)
Key muscles
adductors (squeezing the ashi garami), forearms (grip on the heel or ankle), hip flexors (maintaining position), core (controlling the hip line and adjusting body angle for the finish)
Sub-techniques
Catch Wrestling Toe Hold
SubFamilyThe Catch Wrestling Toe Hold is a foot lock that rotates the foot against the ankle and knee joints, originating from the catch-as-catch-can wrestling tradition. [1]
Explore
Hiza Garami
SubFamilyHiza Garami is a knee lock technique in judo and jujutsu that attacks the knee joint by entangling the opponent's leg and applying rotational or hyperextension force. [1] The attacker controls the opponent's leg and uses a figure-four or wrapping grip to isolate the knee, then applies pressure that forces the joint beyond its natural range of motion. [1] In Kodokan judo, it is classified under ashi garami (leg entanglement) techniques and is generally prohibited in competition due to the high risk of knee ligament damage. [1] In BJJ and submission grappling, similar knee attacks form the foundation of modern leg lock systems. [2]
Explore
Notes
Leg locks appear in our corpus across 93 books under 'leg lock' and related terms. The Danaher Death Squad (Gordon Ryan, Garry Tonon, Eddie Cummings) revolutionized leg lock grappling from 2015-2019, elevating heel hooks and knee bars from niche techniques to the dominant submission category in no-gi competition. (93 books; Danaher, Enter the System; ADCC/EBI records)
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the most important thing to focus on when entering a leg lock from Shin on Shin position?
According to Ebsayz, the key mistake people make is grabbing the leg in the space between their knee and elbow, which gives your opponent an easy underhook. Instead, position your elbow on the inside of your knee to prevent this escape.
How do I properly connect when entering Single Leg X or Ashi Garami?
Ebsayz emphasizes that your knee must connect to your heel at your opponent's hip. If there's no connection between these points, your entry is incomplete and vulnerable.
When breaking down an opponent for leg locks, what's the critical detail to control?
Ebsayz stresses that if you can't control both legs, make sure your opponent's knee goes outside their foot, and positioning yourself perpendicular to their spine makes it much harder for them to keep their legs away from you.
How do I prevent my opponent from escaping the top leg in a saddle position leg lock?
Coach Brian from TeachMeGrappling explains that you must keep your legs locked tightly so the top leg can't escape, and hook behind your opponent's knee to prevent them from fitting their leg out of the trap.
How does the Leg Lock work?
The Leg Lock family encompasses all joint lock submissions targeting the hip, knee, or ankle joints of the lower extremity — including heel hooks, kneebars, toe holds, calf slicers, and straight ankle locks. Once considered a secondary or even disreputable area of BJJ (traditionalists called leg lockers 'lazy' for attacking the legs instead of passing guard), leg locks underwent a dramatic renaissance in the 2010s through the work of John Danaher and the Danaher Death Squad (Gordon Ryan, Garry Tonon, Eddie Cummings, Nicky Ryan), who demonstrated that a systematic approach to leg entanglements could dominate the world's best grapplers.
Where does the Leg Lock come from?
Leg locks have deep roots in catch wrestling (where 'hooking' the legs was a primary technique category) and sambo (where leg locks are central to the throwing and ground curriculum). In traditional BJJ, leg locks were historically de-emphasised — Hélio Gracie's system focused on chokes and arm locks, and many BJJ schools considered leg lock attacks to be lower-status techniques.
Is the Leg Lock legal in competition?
IBJJF: restricted — Brown and black belt only; IJF: banned — Only elbow joint locks (kansetsu-waza) permitted in judo — all other joint lo…; ADCC: legal — Legal — all submissions legal in ADCC; Unified MMA: legal — Legal submission technique; FIAS Sport Sambo: legal — Legal; FIAS Combat Sambo: legal — Legal
How dangerous is the Leg Lock?
Danger rating 10/10. Maximum — heel hooks are the most dangerous legal submission in grappling; they attack the knee ligaments (ACL, MCL, meniscus) which have no pain warning before catastrophic failure; unlike arm locks where increasing pain signals the joint's limit, heel hooks can destroy the knee before the opponent feels significant pain; kneebars can also cause severe ligament damage; even ankle locks and toe holds carry significant injury risk; leg locks have ended more competitive grappling careers through injury than any other submission category
How do I set up the Leg Lock?
The standard setup chain: Enter Leg Entanglement → Identify Position → Control the Hip Line → Secure the Heel/Foot → Apply Submission → Finish.
How do I defend against the Leg Lock?
Standard counters include: Boot (heel slip) — pointing the toes and rotating the heel out of the attacker's grip / Hip Escape from Ashi Garami — clearing the hips past the knee line to extract the leg / Leg Pummeling — fighting with the legs to disentangle from ashi garami / Rolling — rolling in the direction of the heel hook rotation to relieve rotational pressure.
What are the variants of the Leg Lock?
Common variants: Inside heel hook (the most dangerous submission; rotates the heel outward, …); Outside heel hook (rotates the heel inward; attacks different ligaments than…); Straight ankle lock (the most fundamental leg lock; hyperextends the ankle usi…); Kneebar (hyperextends the knee using the same mechanics as an armb…); Toe hold (figure-four grip on the foot, rotating and extending to s…); Calf slicer (calf crusher) (compressing the calf muscle against the knee joint from b…); Estima lock (foot lock applied during guard passing); 50/50 heel hook (heel hook applied from the 50/50 entanglement position); Outside ashi ankle lock (straight ankle lock from the outside ashi garami position).
How effective is the Leg Lock in competition?
Heel hooks are the most common submission at ADCC and EBI. Gordon Ryan (2x ADCC absolute champion) and the Danaher Death Squad built careers on the leg lock game.
What are common mistakes when doing the Leg Lock?
Top errors to watch for: Applying heel hooks at full speed in training — this is the most dangerous mistake in all of grappling; heel hooks mu… / Not tapping to heel hooks early enough — unlike arm locks where pain precedes joint failure, heel hooks can damage th… / Ignoring the positional game — attempting heel hooks without first establishing proper ashi garami control results in… / Crossing the knees incorrectly in ashi garami — the inside leg (nearest to the opponent's hip) should be on top in mo….
What are other names for the Leg Lock?
The Leg Lock is also known as Leglock, Lower Limb Lock, Leg Submission, Ashi Kansetsu Waza.