Straight Ankle Locks From 50-50

We have been doing a series in my advanced class this week on 50-50 (in gi, though it's basically the same). It's my first time working this position. A lot of our time was spent on a series of straight ankle locks (as in, wrap the ankle in your armpit, grab a kimura grip under his heel and over his shin, etc). I have heard often that straight ankle locks "never work", but they are one of the few leg locks that are legal at basically any competition, gi or no-gi, and they don't seem nearly as dangerous to practice with my team as heel hooks and knee bars.

If they could actually be decently high percentage, they would be worth adding to my competition game, but I don't want to waste my time for too long on a low-percentage move. Your thoughts? Does anyone here use a lot of straight ankle locks, or for that matter, does anyone have luck with some basic foot-locks in 50-50?

They're necessary to the 50/50, like having a good arm-bar is necessary for your triangle. The straight ankle lock supplements the inverted heel hook so you can alternate between attacks based on your opponents defense.

Thank you. By defense, do you mean whether they extend their leg and "right-angle" their ankle to stop the straight lock? Or do you mean whether they shift the side their leg is on? Again, thanks in advance.

my progressions:

1.) Inverted Heel Hook
2.) Texas Cloverleaf
3.)Toe hold on protecting leg
4.)Ankle lock on protecting leg

here is a vid from our gym with some nice little details on how to finish the ankle lock and keep your opponent from easily hipping out to avoid the pressure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toLvo...e_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toLvo...e_gdata_player

A good straight ankle lock can break the ankle or at least a ligament. It's a serious submission if you put the proper time into it. The way I line mine up is with their toes pointing sideways along the back of my shoulder blade as my wrist cuts upward directly into the ankle.. the torque at that angle is almost like a toe hold.

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Originally Posted by Harry Evans

We have been doing a series in my advanced class this week on 50-50 (in gi, though it's basically the same). It's my first time working this position. A lot of our time was spent on a series of straight ankle locks (as in, wrap the ankle in your armpit, grab a kimura grip under his heel and over his shin, etc). I have heard often that straight ankle locks "never work", but they are one of the few leg locks that are legal at basically any competition, gi or no-gi, and they don't seem nearly as dangerous to practice with my team as heel hooks and knee bars.

If they could actually be decently high percentage, they would be worth adding to my competition game, but I don't want to waste my time for too long on a low-percentage move. Your thoughts? Does anyone here use a lot of straight ankle locks, or for that matter, does anyone have luck with some basic foot-locks in 50-50?

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Not low % at ALL! Read this article with Rodrigo Cavaca about his ridiculous footlock. He tapped 5 guys with it, 4 times from the 50/50 in the 2010 Worlds.

http://www.graciemag.com/en/2010/06/...adly-footlock/

Just youtube Rodrigo Cavaca for a shitload of straight footlock vids.

The straight footlock is a great sub no matter if it's from the 50/50, the regular leglock position, or the outside leg triangle, etc. It's often said you can judge a person's leglock skills by how good their straight ankle lock is. It's almost as powerful as the heel hook, and it's most definitely not JUST a pain sub like many people think.

Other good footlock guys to watch in BJJ are Braulio and Victor Estima. Braulio broke Rafael Lovato Jr.'s foot in ADCC 09 with a straight footlock. I mean immediately. He did a really unique set up and finish I haven't seen before. Marcelo Garcia actually has an incredible straight footlock from the cross-body position (basically the same angle to finish, but Marcelo does not use the 50/50.) Marcelo wraps his arm actually about halfway up the calf with the toes as deep as possible in the armpit and finishes with one arm.

The key for any straight footlock is the toes. They need to be deep in your armpit so that you aren't simply pinching the Achilles. You'll actually be using your own body mechanics to sheer and tear the foot off of the ankle. That's the idea. I vary between the Kimura grip and the Guillotine grip. I'm using the Guillotine grip more now. Try to keep their leg with a serious bend in it, get those your lat/armpit right on the toes without them slipping out, and secure your arms low on the leg in either grip. It's hard to describe, but as yo do your bridging motion try and flex your lat while rotating your upper body slightly up and away in the direction of the trapped foot. Here's a good example of this motion in the cross-body or 50/50 footlock:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc2rIQPioqE

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Originally Posted by VJ Bella

my progressions:

1.) Inverted Heel Hook
2.) Texas Cloverleaf
3.)Toe hold on protecting leg
4.)Ankle lock on protecting leg

here is a vid from our gym with some nice little details on how to finish the ankle lock and keep your opponent from easily hipping out to avoid the pressure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toLvo...e_gdata_player

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Awesome video and cool progression. I think the Texas Cloverleaf is awesome, even though I've only seen a few people at the high level finish it, like Daniel Aguilar for example. Really great video man.

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Originally Posted by AJ Camacho

A good straight ankle lock can break the ankle or at least a ligament. It's a serious submission if you put the proper time into it. The way I line mine up is with their toes pointing sideways along the back of my shoulder blade as my wrist cuts upward directly into the ankle.. the torque at that angle is almost like a toe hold.

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Reilly Bodycomb is a Sambo guy that's a leglock machine with a lot of media out there on Lockflow and at least one DVD. Check out this video where he talks about doing exactly what you said: turning the footlock into a rotational toehold.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxmjkICNqCA

Yup, I learned that detail from one of his DVDs. There's a lot of dudes at my gym with flexible ankles, Reilly's details have made them all tap-able now.

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Originally Posted by WhiteMike2k9

Awesome video and cool progression. I think the Texas Cloverleaf is awesome, even though I've only seen a few people at the high level finish it, like Daniel Aguilar for example. Really great video man.



Reilly Bodycomb is a Sambo guy that's a leglock machine with a lot of media out there on Lockflow and at least one DVD. Check out this video where he talks about doing exactly what you said: turning the footlock into a rotational toehold.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxmjkICNqCA

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Anybody notice where that was filmed at?;)

The other night a friend of mine and me were working on the 50/50 and talking about the straight ankle lock from there ... If i remember correctly and i may be wrong ( have to double check ) Ryan Hall in his 50/50 dvd said u cant really finish the straight ankle lock from the 50/50 but i get it all the time .. Ive gotten really good with the straight ankle locks because i dont like heel hooking my training partners and the 50/50 is one of my fav positions and hit the straight ankle lock all the time ... So yea most def its awesome from the 50/50 and advise to drill it hard ... The way i do it is a mixture of Reilly Bodycomb's sawing off the foot toes bent deep in the arm pit motion and Aoki's kimura grip deep on the achilles like how be broke Kawajiri's foot... those two combined in one move will most likely get u the tap just dont go too deep on the ankle on your training partners cause u can break the foot or damage tendons pretty easy

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Originally Posted by Jonathan Wylie

Anybody notice where that was filmed at?;)

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Yeah... bodycomb is buddies with quick. Kinda weird.

To me...the key to getting the straight ankle lock is having the toes in my armpit an I can see the top of his foot. This is much different than your standard 'achilles' type ankle lock. This is huge...especially in tourneys. When your oppents adrenaline is running it's extremely hard to get a 'pain' tap...but you get there attention rather quickly when all the little bones in the top of their foot start to break...that will get you the tap!!

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Originally Posted by VJ Bella

To me...the key to getting the straight ankle lock is having the toes in my armpit an I can see the top of his foot. This is much different than your standard 'achilles' type ankle lock. This is huge...especially in tourneys. When your oppents adrenaline is running it's extremely hard to get a 'pain' tap...but you get there attention rather quickly when all the little bones in the top of their foot start to break...that will get you the tap!!

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haha you know something about broken little bones in your feet don't you?

HAHA...i have a whole new respect for broken bones in the foot now...lmao. I wish i could say it happened in a really cool way like i got ankle locked or someone bit lost control and bit the fucker off and spit it out onto the mat...but alas...it was nothing more than a simple hip escape gone wrong....sigh

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Originally Posted by MiguelGamezJr

The other night a friend of mine and me were working on the 50/50 and talking about the straight ankle lock from there ... If i remember correctly and i may be wrong ( have to double check ) Ryan Hall in his 50/50 dvd said u cant really finish the straight ankle lock from the 50/50 but i get it all the time .. Ive gotten really good with the straight ankle locks because i dont like heel hooking my training partners and the 50/50 is one of my fav positions and hit the straight ankle lock all the time ... So yea most def its awesome from the 50/50 and advise to drill it hard ... The way i do it is a mixture of Reilly Bodycomb's sawing off the foot toes bent deep in the arm pit motion and Aoki's kimura grip deep on the achilles like how be broke Kawajiri's foot... those two combined in one move will most likely get u the tap just dont go too deep on the ankle on your training partners cause u can break the foot or damage tendons pretty easy

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Ryan's not so dead-set on that notion anymore. I like the sound of your combo.

The Straight Ankle lock actually covers 3 basics submissions if your using the Guillotine Grip (my preferred method) vs the Kimura Grip.
1)The Calf Crush: the higher up his calf(closer to his knee) with direct pressure on his calf with your radial bone.
2)The Achilles Crush/Lock: with direct pressure of your radial bone on his Achilles.
3)The Foot Flex(this is what VJ was referencing): With the toes in your armpit, which can also be modified into the toe hold Reilly is talking about.

IMHO the limitations with the Kimura grip is your attacking with the flat side of the forearm vs the cutting edge (radial bone) limits you only to the Foot Flex. However yet another grip the "Outside RNC Grip", on the outside of the leg vs the inside, allows yous to use the cutting edge of the arm to get all 3 attacks mentioned above as well. Not my preferred method but some of my long time students like Sarkis like to use that method when the defender is pulling on the arms break the grip.

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Originally Posted by Chris Herzog

The Straight Ankle lock actually covers 3 basics submissions if your using the Guillotine Grip (my preferred method) vs the Kimura Grip.
1)The Calf Crush: the higher up his calf(closer to his knee) with direct pressure on his calf with your radial bone.
2)The Achilles Crush/Lock: with direct pressure of your radial bone on his Achilles.
3)The Foot Flex(this is what VJ was referencing): With the toes in your armpit, which can also be modified into the toe hold Reilly is talking about.

IMHO the limitations with the Kimura grip is your attacking with the flat side of the forearm vs the cutting edge (radial bone) limits you only to the Foot Flex. However yet another grip the "Outside RNC Grip", on the outside of the leg vs the inside, allows yous to use the cutting edge of the arm to get all 3 attacks mentioned above as well. Not my preferred method but some of my long time students like Sarkis like to use that method when the defender is pulling on the arms break the grip.

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I remember you teaching us this.

i've had alot of success with ankle lock and toe holds i usually try and dominate the legs completely before i go for the submission just to get better at leg dominance. Leg locks are a whole different world than normal jiu jitsu but it can be alot of fun to add to your game since most people don't train for it, although i use the leg knot for leg dominance more than i do 50/50 although i fall back on 50/50 sometimes.

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Originally Posted by flying_monkey

i've had alot of success with ankle lock and toe holds i usually try and dominate the legs completely before i go for the submission just to get better at leg dominance. Leg locks are a whole different world than normal jiu jitsu but it can be alot of fun to add to your game since most people don't train for it, although i use the leg knot for leg dominance more than i do 50/50 although i fall back on 50/50 sometimes.

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I teach the single most important component of attacking the legs is establishing positions of control. To many people place emphasis on the submission. The greater the level of control the greater your chances of getting the submission.

exactly although i'm sure you much better than me at it lol

Is the texas cloverleaf the same as the WWE sub? lol thats all I found on YouTube. :(

Can someone explain it please? or show it?

Mike...me an gab will be training at the gym tomorrow...I'll see if I can iPhone it real quick an post it..kinda hard to describe.