This article will cover everything a BJJ trainee (or any grappler) needs to know about leg locks. It’ll also explain numerous mistakes and give practical solutions to such mistakes. Leg locks are crazy effective, especially against advanced grapplers. As a result, you’ll be able to win more fights and do so more quickly.
You can now learn various leg locks that would skyrocket your grappling skills. If you read this post in order—learning this huge topic will come naturally to you.
And trust me, in the more advanced leagues, leg locks work. Period. They’ll be your go-to techniques against grapplers you think you stand no chance against.
This article will be valuable because I’ll cover novice grapplers’ most common mistakes. I also offer practical solutions to these mistakes, so you can finish more fights using these leg locks. Thus, ensure you read each section of this article, as I try to include at least one mistake in each one.
This is what this article will cover:
- 7 Best Leg Locks
- Positions
- Fundamentals
- Escapes
- Tips to win more fights
- Q&A
- Conclusion
We’ve got a lot to go through; let’s dive into the most interesting section and the reason you’re reading this post: the 7 best leg locks out there.
Best Leg Locks
The first section of this article (this one) will review the best leg locks you want to know. Overall, expanding your knowledge is something you must always strive for. Therefore, reading this section is necessary, even if you’re not currently into leg locks.
For instance, you can focus on Armbars and still benefit from reading this part of the article. In addition, knowing how to perform these leg locks will help you prepare yourself better if you face an opponent who will use such maneuvers on you. So learning to attack will teach you to defend; interesting, isn’t it?
So, enough introduction! Let’s dive into the core of this article: BJJ’s & MMA’s best leg locks you must know about to call yourself a grappler.
#1 – Kneebar
The Kneebar is a technique you’ll be using a lot. It’s fairly simple and can be highly practical against novice and advanced trainees. However, defending against the Kneebar is difficult, so you’ll want to try to set it up often.
That said, there are many mistakes you can make along the way that’ll ruin your chances of finishing with this leg lock. As a result, I made sure to include as many details in this small section as possible.
Here’s how to perform the Kneebar flawlessly:
- Start in the top half-guard
- Circle your hand around the opponent’s thigh
- Grab his leg
- Pass your far leg over and turn around
- Wrap your other arm around his leg
- Lean backward
- Grab his toes
- Extend your hips backward
- Wait for the tap
I absolutely love this variation of the Kneebar because it’s so quick. You’ll be able to surprise your opponent if you manage to perform it quickly. It’ll improve your unexpectedness, which is something we want to do.
The biggest problem novice grapplers have with the Kneebar is that they don’t know how to finish. They do everything correctly but then allow their opponent to twist and set his leg free. So how do you finish then?
Ensure you grip the opponent’s big toes. Don’t let him rotate his leg. If he tries to turn his legs while you hold his toes, wish him good luck with all the pain.
#2 – Heel Hook
Probably the most popular leg lock: the Heel Hook. You want to learn and practice it as one of your first leg locks, as it can be pretty simple to do so. But before you do so, you want to understand its basic steps while perfecting your execution; here’s how it goes:
- Grab the opponent’s heel (the bottom)
- Pull it until you lock it with your other arm
- Lock the Cable Grip for more control
- Pinch your elbows together
- Rotate while extending his toes upward
- Wait for the tap
The Heel Hook is a highly effective leg lock. You will cause massive amounts of damage by executing it. However, if you perform it flawlessly, the opponent will have little room to escape.
Your primary goal with these submissions is controlling the opponent’s foot. The critical basic of all leg locks is first to pin the opponent. Then isolate either his foot, heel, or knee. Finishing up, you want to break the isolated part.
Now Jiu-Jitsu is all about control. Thus ensure you isolate the heel before going for the Heel Hook, although it can be tempting to skip this part. Remember, control the heel first, and you’ll manage to win more fights much quicker.
Learn more about the Heel Hook by following this link.
#3 – Toe Hold
The 3rd leg lock we’ll discuss is the Toe Hold. This is, again, one of the more basic ones you want to learn as one of your first ones. However, it’s also an exceptionally effective leg lock BJJ has to offer, at least from my experience.
But again, it’s easy to make many mistakes in its execution. What you’ll experience, in that case, is an inability to finish this submission often. Let’s see how you want to perform the Toe Hold:
This variation of the Toe Hold, just to be clear, is from the half-guard position (you being on top.)
- Start in the half-guard position
- Step to the side
- Wait for the opponent to follow you
- Engage your Toe Hold grip
- Grab his toes
- Grab your wrist using your other hand
- Roll forward
- Lock your legs
- Fold your toes in the direction of the opponent
- Wait for the tap
The grip you’ll be using is similar to the Kimura or Americana. You’ll be gripping the thing you want to isolate first—and then use your other hand to come around and firmly grip your wrist. That’ll allow you more control than you can imagine. It’ll essentially make it more difficult for the opponent to escape.
You can perform the Toe Hold from other positions, such as side control. The variation I mentioned in the step-by-step guide before is more complicated. But I included it since I think you can handle it, although it includes a roll, a relatively complicated maneuver.
I absolutely love the Toe Hold. It can provide you with plenty of utility, thus, making you a more capable leg locker.
If you want to read a complete BJJ 101 guide on the Toe Hold, follow this link.
#4 – Straight Foot Lock
The 4th leg lock I’ll examine is the Straight Foot Lock. This is the one I encourage you to learn first, as it’s the simplest one. It will help you build a solid foundation moving forward in your BJJ journey.
Here’s how to perform the Straight Foot Lock properly:
- Lock the opponent’s heel
- Use the Guillotine grip or any other one that you like
- Strengthen your grip
- Take your shoulder to the floor
- Arch your back backward
- Apply more pressure while squeezing the opponent’s foot
- Wait for the tap
The pressure you apply should not only be to bend the foot backward but also to squeeze it. That’ll ensure the opponent taps out quickly.
A mistake many novice grapplers make with the Straight Foot Lock is gripping higher than they should. Instead, you want to slide down until you feel the heel. Then, you can grip the opponent using what you prefer, such as the Guillotine grip.
The Straight Foot Lock is the most straightforward (no pun intended) leg lock you can learn. However, it’s not easy to master.
Anyways, I encourage you to start your leg lock journey by learning it. Then, you’ll be able to grasp its concepts smoothly and start submitting your training partners using it.
By following this link, learn more about the Straight Foot Lock and how to perform it mistake-free.
#5 – Straight Ankle Lock
The Straight Ankle Lock is the next submission we’ll discuss. I see it more often in MMA than in BJJ, but it’s still legal in both, so I’ve decided to include it. Here’s how you perform it flawlessly: Oh, by the way, you can also learn it as a BJJ white belt, which is excellent news!
- Start standing up
- Wrap your hand around the opponent’s ankle
- Step in while controlling both feet
- Lean back and sit down
- Bring your leg around
- Turn the opponent’s leg while twisting
- Squeeze your legs to lock the opponent’s legs
- Turn
- Arch while applying ankle pressure
- Wait for the tap
This is quite a complicated move, so let’s watch it together:
This submission can be used both in BJJ and MMA, as in all the techniques discussed thus far. Now this is quite a dangerous submission to perform, as you’ll end up vulnerable if unsuccessful in performing it.
The primary mistake fighters make with the Straight Ankle Lock is not controlling both feet. BJJ is all about control. If you can maintain more power over your opponent, do it. It’ll be worth fighting to attain such superiority over your opponent, as it’ll likely lead to a submission.
However, if you only control a single foot, the opponent can roll forward and punch you. You want to avoid that. So instead, hold both feet to ensure you’re performing the Straight Ankle Lock properly.
#6 – Estima Lock
The Estima lock, invented by Braulio Estima, is one of BJJ’s leading leg locks. Learning it will allow you to become a more competent fighter, as your knowledge dictates how dynamic and adaptive you’ll be when fighting.
So here’s how the Estima Lock goes:
- Start in the Reverse De La Riva Guard (on top)
- Wrap your arm around the ankle (RNC grip)
- Raise your elbow
- Apply pressure downward while twisting
- Wait for the tap
A common mistake with the Estima Lock is applying pressure using your arms. It’s not a Rear Naked Choke—so please don’t treat it like it is. Instead, you want to use your body weight, especially your abs, to apply more pressure.
Something you can do to be successful with it more often is to be stealthier. What does that mean? That means you don’t want to be obvious; the best grapplers optimize their smallest motions not to alert the opponent of your plans.
For instance, making continuous eye contact with the opponent’s foot might signal that you want to go for a leg lock, perhaps the Estima Lock (in the advanced leagues.) You might think I’m exaggerating, but I’m not.
Follow this link to learn how to perform the Estima Lock perfectly and win more BJJ fights and tournaments quickly.
#7 – Calf Crush
The Calf Crush is perhaps the most effective leg lock on this list. Fortunately, it can cause so much damage—you don’t even understand how fast the opponent will tap out if you use it correctly.
So I hope you’re ready to learn the last leg lock in this article.
- The opponent starts in Turtle Position
- Hook the opponent’s leg
- Turn (in the direction of the leg)
- Grab the opponent’s toes
- Sit back
- Push the opponent’s other foot with your foot (outward)
- Pull the leg you’re targeting toward you
- Wait for the tap
Learning the Calf Crush can be complicated, as you must push the opponent’s foot downward while pulling the foot you’re targeting toward you.
This is what creates most of the pressure. As a result, it’ll be worth it to invest more time into learning this simultaneous motion.
Following this link, you can read a comprehensive guide I wrote about the Calf Crush and how to perform it flawlessly!
Alright! You’ve made it through. You now know which leg locks are the best in BJJ & MMA. Now it’s time we move into the next section of this article: the primary positions you want to master together with these submissions.
Understanding these submissions will allow you to set up more leg locks and finish more fights using them.
Leg Lock Positions You Must Know About
You now know how to perform the best leg locks in the grappling world. Now it’s time we review another, almost as important, topic. Learning these topics will allow you to boost your leg locks skills and finish more fights using them.
Setting up leg locks will be the first step to finishing a fight using them. Therefore, it’s critical to understand. The positions and submissions fuel each other. Hence, you must learn both parts to understand the topic of lower-body submissions.
I hope you’re feeling ready and fresh to start learning. I’m excited for us!
Ashi Garami
Before learning about the Ashi Garami position, I want you guys to understand something. The first thing you want to do is gain control. I’ve already said that BJJ is all about control, and I stand by it.
Thus, the first move is to control the opponent’s ankle. If you can do that, you’ll be in a position to enter one of the positions I’ll review in this article. Alright, now let’s examine the Ashi Garami and why you must know about it.
Ashi Garami means Leg Wrap. To get into this dominant leg wrap position, you first want to grip the opponent’s ankle that’s on the same side as you (same side position.) Then, you want your same side foot to be on his hip. Your other leg must be between his legs. Finally, you pinch your knees inward and are in the Ashi Garami.
From the Ashi Garami, you can transition to all other dominant leg lock positions. It’s the fundamental one all grapplers must learn. That’s why I listed it as the first one. Perfect it, and you’ll have a solid foundation for all leg lock positions.
Outside Ashi Garami
The 2nd position we’ll review is the Outside Ashi Garami. This position calls for you to start in the normal Ashi Garami position. Then, you need to make one move to get into this position.
I didn’t lie when I told you that the Ashi Garami is the fundamental position you can get into all leg locks and other positions from. So, what is the one move you want to do to be in this position?
From the Ashi Garami, move your foot between the leg and wrap the opponent’s other leg. You want to wrap your leg and pinch your knees in.
That will create a lot of pressure and allow you to ensure the opponent cannot turn and escape.
50/50
The last position we’ll review in this video is the 50/50 position. I always find this one intriguing since it can provide many opportunities. However, it can also be more challenging to understand and learn.
Here it goes.
The 50/50 position is a fundamental leg lock position which is when your right leg interlaces with the opponent’s right leg. Or, of course, the same with the left side. In the first case, the left leg locks your hold of the opponent’s leg, which looks like the closed guard hold.
You can perform many leg locks from the 50/50 guard; if you want to learn to finish from this position, watch the following video.
Anyways, it’ll be worth it to learn the 50/50, as it gives you more options. And more options equals more wins.
Leg Lock Fundamentals
Alright, these were the two first sections. Now it’s time we go over some fundamentals, or basics, if you will. These will help you finish more fights using leg locks.
Likewise, they’ll help you avoid losing whenever you’re unsuccessful with these techniques. So I encourage you to read each fundamental, as it’ll increase your winning chances.
#1 – Take your shoulder to the floor
The first fundamental is taking your shoulder to the floor when applying pressure on the opponent’s leg. Most novice grapplers use their elbows as the primary source of leverage.
This is a mistake.
What you want to do instead is to use your shoulder. So how do you do that? You lean on your shoulder instead of on your elbow. As a result, you’ll gain more leverage and the ability to create more pressure.
#2 – Stay compressed (curl up to a ball)
The 2nd tip is always to remain compressed. You want to curl up to a ball whenever you’re about to roll or twist. That allows you to maneuver your body swiftly, making you more likely to get into a successful leg lock and finish the fight.
#3 – Learn all the pre-leg lock positions
I’ve reviewed 3 pre-leg lock positions you want to learn. However, there are more. There’s the Saddle and the Top Ashi Garami, for example.
You want to familiarize yourself with all the positions, so you’ll eventually be capable of transitioning from one position to another. It’ll be better if you don’t use the same two positions. But instead, know all positions and choose the one you think is most suitable to the situation you’re in.
#4 – Transition from all the pre-leg lock submissions
The 4th fundamental is understanding your ability to transition from all the pre-leg lock submissions. For example, you can start in the Ashi Garami and move to the Outside Ashi Garami. Then, you’ll transition to the 50/50 or the Saddle.
It doesn’t matter.
The vital thing to know is that you can transition from one position to another and, as a result, become much more unexpected. Your opponent will get confused and find keeping up with your pace challenging. This is what you want to do.
And transitioning from one position to another will accomplish just that. So do use your ability to do that.
#5 – Know when to bail
The last fundamental is knowing when to bail. Sometimes, you’ll be unsuccessful, and that’s totally fine. What you want to do is bail whenever you see things are going south. Please don’t let the opponent counter when you’re vulnerable.
And you will be vulnerable after you try to get a leg lock, especially if you go all-in because you think you got it.
The opponent can always escape and counter by moving to a dominant position, such as full mount, back mount, or side control. Do be careful of that.
How to Escape Leg Locks
Now it’s time to discuss the opposite: defending against leg locks.
First, if the opponent is standing, you want to create space between him and you. The primary way of doing that is by pushing him with your other leg. Let’s say he got one of your feet in his hold, well create space by pushing him harder with your harder leg. He’ll either fall and release his grip or start to panic.
But what do I do if that doesn’t work and the opponent is inside one of the dominant positions?
In that case, your goal is to close the distance between the opponent and yourself. How can you go about it? First, you can spin if the opponent releases his hold (when he’s flat on his back, for example.) Getting his foot off your hip will be best if you can’t roll or twist to the side to release the grip. You can push down with your hand to manage that.
Leg Lock Tips (How to Win More Fights)
Alright, this is the final section of this article; wow, it’s been a lot of writing! This is quite a long blog post, but the topic justifies the length. There’s so much we can cover on leg locks, but you can follow the links in this article to read related blog posts. I ensure to write individual guides on each leg lock (you can find the personal links in their sections.)
Anyways, you want to win more fights. Well, I do too. But, actually, do all BJJ trainees wish to do that? So how do you stand out?
The mindset I want you to start adopting is to do everything to do that everyone isn’t willing to do. I’ve found this advice extremely helpful in any area of life. Do you want to get in the best shape of your life? Start waking up early and go for a 5-mile run. Nobody is willing to do that, apart from true athletes.
You’ll have to sacrifice time and effort to learn to use leg locks. Unfortunately, nobody is reading articles about what they want to learn, as investing your time in reading and learning can be difficult. However, you can be different.
So, what’s the practical thing you should do? First, keep training, stay consistent, and primarily, learn each technique of this article alone. Don’t start implementing everything at once. Instead, implement each tip in another training session. That way, your body will build muscle memory, making you a faster, better grappler.
Who Is the Best Leg Locker in BJJ?
Lachlan Giles is the best leg locker in BJJ. That’s because he knows to maneuver himself according to his opponent to catch him and get into a pre-leg lock position, such as the Ashi Gararmi, Saddle, 50/50, and Outside Ashi Garami. He mastered many leg locks from these positions, such as the Heel Hook and Kneebar.
What Is the Most Effective Leg Lock?
The most effective Leg Lock in BJJ and MMA is the Calf Crush since you can cause astounding amounts of damage using them. You’ll be able to manipulate the opponent’s leg in such a way that he’ll be forced to tap quicker than you think. The Calf Crush can cause extreme amounts of physical pain.
Can White Belts Leg Lock in BJJ?
White belts in BJJ can’t use leg locks but the Straight Ankle Lock. It’s also important to note that they have to apply their pressure in the opposite direction of the opponent’s knee. It’s illegal to apply pressure toward the knee, as this likely will cause permanent injuries, especially in the hands of novice grapplers.
Final words
This article was a blast to write. I had a lot of fun researching and coming up with the best techniques you’ll find suitable and easiest to learn. Likewise, I tried to use my experience to develop tips and fundamentals that will eventually help you win more fights using leg locks.
Learning a new set of techniques is always tricky. However, when you become a brown belt, you suddenly can use all the leg locks, including Kneebars and Heel Hooks. Therefore, you’re now open to a new world of opportunities.
Use that wisely, as it’ll help you win more fights and progress faster in your BJJ journey; with the right hands, leg locks are extremely powerful, sometimes more than upper body submissions, such as the Triangle and Guillotine Chokes.
Practice wisely, and I hope you stick around to learn more about the beautiful world of BJJ (and all martial arts!) But, really, we got everything inside Blinklift.
Here are other articles you’d enjoy reading if you’re interested in leg locks and BJJ:
The 7 Best BJJ Guard Passes You Must Learn – Guide
The 7 Best Positions in BJJ: Dominate Your Opponent
How to Finish From Side Control in BJJ – 11 Submissions