Tag: jiu-jitsu

This technique is probably the most despised by grapplers right next to or above heel hooks. It is an extremely painful and annoying submission that can be hit from almost anywhere. We’re talking about wrist locks.

A wrist lock is super efficient and they work on everyone no matter how big they are. Once it’s locked on you only have fractions of a second to tap or possibly get your wrist broken.

Which is why most grapplers hate wrist lockers. So, we’re going to tell you everything about wrist locks in this article. Everything from the history of the move, how it works, various techniques detailed, and tips for landing a wrist lock.

When were wrist locks created?

Wrist locks have been around for quite a long time and used by multiple grappling arts. One place outside of Jiu JItsu, where wrist locks are used quite often is in aikido and hapkido.

These are passive grappling arts that use an attacking opponent’s energy against them. Generally all from standing.

In Portuguese the name they use for wrist lock is mão-de-vaca, which roughly translates to penny pincher. At first wrist locks weren’t really used much in Jiu Jitsu, but practitioners saw the efficiency of the move.

They saw that a wrist lock was open from multiple positions whether if you were standing or on the ground. It has evolved to the point where many grapplers have made wrist locks their specialty. These techniques are simple, yet really painful once you lock them on.

How wrist locks work?

What makes a wrist lock so devastating is the weakness of a human wrist. It is adapted for being flexible allowing your hand to grab, push, pull, and turn things.

Your wrist is made up of ligaments and various small bones that are easy to injure. This is why wrist locks are dangerous. It doesn’t take much pressure to make an opponent tap out.

Once you control an opponent’s, you can bend in various directions to force your opponent to tap. Forcing their wrist forward or backward using two arms against one. Using leverage with just a little pressure can make your opponent submit with the quickness.

Wrist locks from closed guard

There are numerous wrist lock techniques in Jiu Jitsu. Probably too many to list for this breakdown, so we’ll list a few from each position. Starting from closed guard.

What makes closed guard a great position for wrist locks is because the opponent’s wrist is in reach to attack.

The first wrist lock we’ll detail starts when the opponent is pressing their hand against your chest. Put one hand on the opponent’s wrist and the other cupping their tricep. Before you do the wrist like, you’ll have to open your guard and do a little hip escape. 

Doing the hip escape is important to put you in place to do the wrist lock. Now that you’re in position, cup their tricep with both hands and push their arm into your chest. The pressure is immediate and your opponent will tap instantly.

Wrist lock #2 is when the opponent grabs your wrist to counter you grabbing their wrist. Start by grabbing the opponent’s 4 fingers with your free hand.

With the hand the opponent is grabbing, you’re going to turn your hand and put your palm to the ceiling. It’s a big elaborate turn that twists the opponent’s hand putting them in position for the wrist lock.

Just grab their wrist and push their hand inward with your grip on the fingers to put on the pressure.

Wrist lock #3 is basically the same as the first technique, but the opponent is grabbing lower to your hip. Start with a small hip escape out and you will already have pressure on their wrist. Just reach over with your free hand to grab their tricep and pull yourself into them for the tap.

The fourth wrist lock is when the opponent is grabbing your belt and pushing it up to set up a pass. 

On the same side of the arm you want to attack, reach under that arm and grab your other forearm. That arm you’re grabbing is going to reach over and grab the opponent’s tricep.

Pull their arm across to make a fulcrum. This bends their wrist, so all you have to do is cup their elbow with two hands and pull it in. Be sure to lift your chest up to make this technique work.

For the last wrist lock we’ll detail when the opponent isn’t taking a grip. They just have their hands up defending your grabs.

All you have to do is grab their hand and use your hips to pull them forward. This makes their elbow come to your chest. For the finish just put your free hand on top of your first hand and push down for the tap.

All 5 of these wrist locks are detailed in this video.

Wrist locks from side control

Side control offers a lot of great choices for wrist locks. A lot of the set ups come from when the opponent is defending putting them in place for the submission.

The first one is when the opponent is framing on your neck. Lift your head up and slide it slightly up to pinch their hand in place.

Walk the hand under the opponent’s elbow out and bring your other hand over to cup their elbow.  Put your near hand on top of the first hand and drive downward to get the tap.

Our second wrist lock from side control starts when you’re underhooking the opponent’s far arm. This is a bait for them to try and defend by underhooking. 

When they try to underhook, swim your arm under and cup their bicep. Their arm is already bent under your armpit.

To keep it in place pinch your shoulder and bicep together. Reach over with your free hand to grab their wrist and lean your weight forward to set in the wrist lock.

Another wrist lock from side control is when the opponent makes the mistake of framing palm up. When you’re in the bottom side mount and do this, you’re basically giving your opponent a wrist lock.

Since their wrist is already bent, all you have to do is take your grips. Cup their elbow with two hands and drive your weight down their wrist for a nasty finish.

Wrist locks from standing 

From standing it is very common for an opponent to palm your chest or grab your collar in Gi. With Gi it is very common for the opponent to grab your collar.

When they do this, you’re going to reach across to palm their hand and pull it inward. Pulling it inward keeps the opponent’s arm in place to do your wrist lock. Also pinch your elbow to your body when you control their hand.

With your free hand cup behind the opponent’s elbow. Bend their arm and step in bringing your head/shoulder towards them to close off space. 

Now that you’re in place release your hand grip and bring it on top of your elbow grip for the finish.

Other wrist locks

If you’d like to learn more wrist locks here is a video of 37 different wrist locks.

Tips for doing wrist locks

Wrist locks are very simple to pull off, but you have to remember the details. Here are some tips for being more efficient with your wrist locks.

• Wrist control: Obviously wrist control is the first thing you need to have when going for a wrist lock. Grab their hand above their wrist when trying a wrist lock.
• Isolate an arm: Before you go for your wrist lock, you have to isolate an arm and establish control over it. This is really important to remember.
• Use 2 hands: Always go 2 hands on 1 when you’re attacking an opponent’s wrist. 2 hands are always stronger than.
• Elbow control: Most wrist locks also include having elbow control on your opponent.  Along with isolating their arm, establish control of the opponent’s elbow.
• Make an angle: When doing wrist locks from guard it is best to take a slight angle. Just going for the wrist list usually won’t work, so you’ll have to set it up.
• Bend the wrist: Every wrist lock involves you bend the opponent’s wrist, so always remember this tip.
• Tap: If you are on the unfortunate end of a wrist lock do yourself a favor and just tap. A wrist lock comes on too fast to try and fight off. Trying to fight a tight wrist lock off will probably end up with you spending some time in rehab.
• Put it on slow: When practicing with teammates always put on wrist locks very slowly. It’s very easy to do damage with one and you won’t have any teammates to train with.

There’s nothing quite like pulling off a good ole fashioned kneebar. It is one of the core leg lock submissions you need to know in order to have a complete Jiu Jitsu game.

Unfortunately if you compete in IBJJF ranking competitions, the kneebar is off limits until you become a brown belt or higher. But that shouldn’t stop you from practicing kneebar techniques.

The great thing about this submission is there are numerous entries from multiple guards and positions. Let’s get your kneebar right and tell you everything about this great leg attack. Everything from it’s creation, its mechanics, numerous entries, and tips for landing this submission.

When was the kneebar created?

The kneebar was a submission that Jiu Jitsu adopted from Judo, which judokus call the hiza-juji gatame. Although the grappling art that really elevated the submission was submission wrestling. Particularly the Russian grappling art of Sambo that focused more on leglocks than BJJ.

Sambo really puts an emphasis on leg locks like the kneebar, where in Jiu Jitsu it was avoided. Mostly due to the danger of severely damaging the opponent’s knee. Although in modern Jiu Jitsu, the kneebar is trained for frequently now and there are now numerous entries for it.

How does the kneebar work?

A kneebar works much in the same way an armbar works. You use leverage and pressure in the mechanics of this submission.

Once you establish control of the opponent’s hip, knee, and foot this makes their leg a lever. As you take an angle and bridge your hips into their leg this puts immense pressure on the opponent’s knee. If you have tight control of their knee with no space, they will have no other choice, but to submit.

Kneebar bottom half guard

When first learning the kneebar one of the easiest positions to do it from is bottom half guard. Particularly bottom half guard when you are using a knee shield.

This knee shield makes space between you and your opponent and gives you an easy path to their legs. With this technique, you’re going to hold your knee shield up on the opponent’s near shoulder.

Before you go for the opponent’s leg, you have to set it up. You just can’t try to grab their leg or they will immediately block you. To make the technique work, you have to make your opponent react.

In Gi, you’re going to use a collar grip with your knee shield. With No-Gi, you’re going to place your hand on the opponent’s far shoulder to keep them away.

You’re going to use these grips with your knee shield to push the opponent off base. Naturally they’ll react by basing and this will give you your entry to enter into your kneebar.

Hook under their leg and pull yourself to the opponent’s leg. Now you’re going to pendulum your hips to get momentum to bring your outside leg over the opponent’s body.

With your free hand grab the opponent’s to bring it towards you as you roll into position for the kneebar.

Remember your three points of control. Hips, above the knee, and the opponent’s foot. Without these three points of control the kneebar won’t work.

Curls your toes behind the opponent’s hips to establish control there, while squeezing your knees about their knee. Then cup their heel with one hand as you take an RNC grip and bring your head against their foot.

Bridge your hips like an armbar for the finish.

Kneebar top half guard

Getting a kneebar from top half guard is also really to pull off with only a few steps. If the opponent is on their side in half guard defending it gives you easy access for the kneebar.

You’ll still have to set up your kneebar entry and an easy way to do it is attempting a kimura. When you go for a kimura, your opponent will immediately defend by getting on their side.

Once they get on their side all you do is bring your leg over their body and turn towards their leg. As you turn towards their leg, hook your legs behind the opponent’s hips and take an RNC grip on their foot.

From there just bridge your hips into their knee and finish your kneebar.

Rolling kneebar

A kneebar is such a versatile submission that you can set it up from standing. The rolling kneebar is quite an effective technique to learn.

From standing take an overhook on your opponent while having dominant head position under their chin. Naturally, they’ll fight to get head control and this is what you want for the set up.

Take wrist control and before you take your two steps before rolling towards their knee. Circle step to get the opponent around and then an instep to get into position for the roll.

As you roll, you’re going to go over your outside shoulder as you bring the opponent down with you. Hook your feet behind their leg, take your kneebar grip and bridge your hips to set in the pressure.

Back-step kneebar

The back-step kneebar is a good technique that comes from faking a knee slide pass. As you go to pass, the opponent will leave them open for a wide variety of counters including a kneebar.

Before you back-step, you have to sit down on their foot, because they could block it and take your back. With your weight on their leg, swing your leg over and hook your knee behind the opponent’s knee. This stops the opponent from escaping your leg lock.

From here all you do is grab their heel, pull the leg back, take a grip, and lock on the pressure. 

50/50 kneebar

From the 50/50 position, the kneebar is a really good option you can go for. You start by standing up in 50/50 and grab their leg high with their foot under your armpit.

To get into position, you’re going to post as you turn your hips outwards and bring your knee to the ground. 

With this kneebar, the opponent’s foot is going to be behind your foot. As you turn, there’s already pressure on their knee, so all you need to do is arch your back.

ADCC medalist Lachlan Giles shows both the back-step and 50/50 kneebar in this video.

Butterfly guard kneebar

Getting to a kneebar from the butterfly guard is also really easy to do. There’s only a few steps to get you into position for a really tight kneebar.

Start in butterfly guard and go 2 on 1 with an opponent’s arm. Push them and then pull them as you elevate the up with your butterfly hooks,

Pass their arm over and switch right into the ashi-garami position. Once you’re in ashi-garai, you go right to the kneebar.

Take their leg and pass it over your body and put their foot behind your armpit. From there,  just cross your feet behind their hips and lock in the pressure.

Tips for doing the kneebar

The kneebar is similar to other leglocks in that you can’t leave out any steps when going for one. Any missed step and you will most likely not land this submission. Here are tips to remember when you go for a kneebar.

• 3 points of control: Like with most every leg lock to do a good kneebar you need to have the 3 points of control. Have control of the hip, knee, and foot when you attempt a kneebar.
• Lock above the knee: The kneebar works just like an armbar, so you have your legs locked above their knee. If you lock below the opponent’s knee, there isn’t any pressure on their knee and they can escape easily.
• Heel control: With whatever grip you choose to go with remember to have it on the heel for control. It’s like wrist control with an armbar, where you need to establish control over it to pull off a successful kneebar.
• No space: You have to stay tight on your opponent’s leg and not give up any space. Any open space will give your opponent a way out of the submission.
• Curl your feet: To control the opponent’s hips remember to curl your feet next them.
• Kneebar grips: The kneebar grips you can do include an RNC grips, two hands cupping the heel, and  behind your armpit.
• Head against their foot: Press your head against the opponent’s foot like you’re on the phone. This closes space and keeps them from being able to turn their foot.
• Thigh squeeze: Also like with an armbar, you have to squeeze the opponent’s leg with your thighs. This puts pressure on for the kneebar and keeps their leg in place.
• Hip bridge: For the finish of the kneebar, you have to bridge your hips into their leg to put on the pressure.

With the booming popularity of leg locks in BJJ, heel hooks are getting most of the shine. Many of the other leg locks, while effective, sometimes get lost in the shuffle.

One of those techniques that we’re going to talk about is the ankle lock. It is a tried and true technique that is a leg lock that you must know.

There are numerous ankle lock techniques out there and we’re going to a full break down on them. Everything from when they were created, the mechanics of them, various techniques, and tips for locking them in.

When was the ankle lock created?

Noone can be accredited with inventing the ankle lock, but has been widely practiced in grappling for nearly 200 years. Every form of grappling practices this technique and has a different name for it.

In submission wrestling it is referred to as an achilles lock, while its name in Judo is the ashi-hishigi. The Jiu Jitsu term in Portuguese for ankle lock is botinha, which means little boot. They call it this, because the technique looks like you’re putting a little boot on your opponent.

With the move widely practiced by various forms of grappling it cements that it is an effective move.

How does the ankle lock work?

The ankle lock has numerous technical variations, but they all go by the same principle. For the ankle lock to work, you have to control the opponent’s body at three points. Their hip, bover their knee, and the foot you’re attacking.

Once you establish control of the opponent’s leg and hip it is a matter of leverage. The opponent’s leg becomes a lever and you use leverage to put pressure on their ankle.

Someone efficient with ankle locks that is aware of these mechanics are hard to deal with grappling. If they get a hold of your ankle and put this submission on it is all, but over.

Straight ankle lock

Usually when you get into leglocks one of the first you learn is the straight ankle lock from 50/50. Before you can go for the ankle lock, you have to secure control of the opponent’s leg.

There’s numerous leg entanglements, but you can go with this simple control. When you’re going for an outside ankle lock have your outside foot on their hip and inside foot hooking their leg.

Once you get your legs this position you must bring your knees together to cut off space and be tight. With their leg secured, you can work on getting your grip.

Hug their ankle tight with the blade of your wrist pressed against the opponent’s achilles. Your hand needs to be placed on your chest for two reasons. It keeps your grip high, which makes it more secure and harder to escape.

Now you can lock on the pressure. Push on their hip the same time you arch your back and drive your wrist bone into their achilles.

If done right, the pain is excruciating and will result in a quick tap.

50/50 inside ankle lock.

This technique is similar to the basic 50/50 straight ankle lock, but done at a different angle. You bridge your hips and push the opponent’s foot to your inside hip.

The other difference is your foot placement. With this one, you are going to put both of your feet on the opponent’s hips. Your grips will be similar using a shallow grip with your wrist bone on their achilles.

Push on their hip with both feet as you arch back to lock in the pressure.

Straight ankle lock variation

This variation is when both you and your opponent are in a sitting position. You start with your legs in between your opponent’s legs hooking under both legs.

Choose the leg you want to attack and grab it with two hands. One on their ankle and the other on their knee as you pull it into you.

As you do this your far leg shifts to an inside hook on the leg you are attacking. You then press your outside leg against the opponent’s thigh, get your grips and get the submission.

Straight knee ankle lock

Generally when you do an ankle lock, you have to bend the opponent’s knee, but sometimes they defend it. When you go to turn your, they block by grabbing your leg and keeping their knee straight.

Even if they do this, you can still counter and get your ankle lock. With your grip on their ankle still locked in place your hand on their knee and push it as you lock super tight pressure.

If you’re in Gi it works even better, because you can grip their pants to push their knee upward.

Half guard to ashi garami ankle lock

Ashi garami provides great control for an ankle lock. This technique starts from half guard and enters into ashi garami.

You start from a knee shield and bring your foot between the opponent’s legs and hook the leg you’re attacking. Reach behind the opponent’s and grab their side with one hand and cup their knee with the other.

Use these grips to shift your body to put you in ashi garami. For the finish grab a hold of their ankle and lock on the pressure.

Ankle lock from open guard pass

There’s a few standing ankle lock techniques, but this one is really tight. Act like you’re going to pass their guard and start moving their legs around.

When you’re ready put one of their ankles under your armpit. To further secure your submission, you’re going to trap their other leg to keep them from defending.

Grab their other leg and pass it over the leg you are attacking. Once you pass it over step over it to lock it in place and fall back to get your ankle lock.

Ankle lock counter

The common defense against an ankle lock is to take off the foot that’s against the hip and scoot out. When an opponent does this, you can still salvage your ankle lock doing this counter.

Before they can fully escape, take your inside hooking leg out and push it against the opponent’s hip. This puts the opponent back in position to finish your ankle lock.

Tips for doing the ankle lock

The ankle lock seems simple enough, but many people make errors locking it in. One misstep and you will lose the whole submission. Here are tips to remember when doing the ankle lock.

• Arm placement: Make sure to place the blade of your wrist against the opponent’s achilles tendon. Many try to wrap their whole arm around the ankle, but it’s easy to escape and there’s no pressure. 
• Hand on your chest: When you get your grip make sure to have your hand placed on your chest. This will ensure you lock your grip up higher up, while makes your grip more secure and harder to escape.
• Turn into the foot: When you go to take control over the opponent’s foot turning into the foot before getting your grip. You need to have your body and the mat in between their ankle when you turn to take a grip.
• Hip connection: For just about every leg lock, you need to be connected to the opponent’s hip. This gives you leverage for your submission, while also keeping them away as you lock in your ankle lock.
• Control the toes: You have to control the opponent’s toes when attempting an ankle lock. When you go for their ankle trap their toes with the back of your tricep. It traps their foot and gives the arch you need to lock on the submission.
• Bend the foot: Going along with controlling the toes, you have to bend the opponent’s foot at a downward angle. The defense for an ankle lock is to straighten the foot, so you need to bend it at an angle.
• Leg control: Like with all leg locks, you have to control the opponent’s leg above their knee. This ensures you have control over their leg and can finish your ankle lock
• No space: Keep your legs tight when doing any leg lock technique. If there is any space the opponent can use it to escape.
• Bridge your hips: When you go to put on pressure, bridge your hips into the opponent’s leg.
• Toes to heels: For the motion of the ankle lock you need to go toe to heel. Any other way than the submission will not work.
• Use your body: Use your whole body when you go to lock in pressure on your ankle lock. Using just your arms won’t get the maximum pressure you can get on your ankle lock.