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Heel Hook – BJJ Submission

Heel hooks are now more prevalent than ever in Jiu Jitsu. Although for decades this was not the case as they were strictly forbidden from competition. In recent years, the times have changed and the once banned submission is now allowed in many major tournaments. Here is our breakdown of the heel hook. We’ll go … Read more

Heel hooks are now more prevalent than ever in Jiu Jitsu. Although for decades this was not the case as they were strictly forbidden from competition.

In recent years, the times have changed and the once banned submission is now allowed in many major tournaments.

Here is our breakdown of the heel hook. We’ll go through when it was developed and the mechanics behind one of the most dangerous moves in grappling. Then we’ll go over various setups into the submission and give important tips and details for locking it in.

When were heel hooks developed?

Heel hooks have been around long before Jiu Jitsu was developed. Within Jiu Jitsu, the move has been frowned upon and has not been allowed in most academies for decades.

Where it was developed along with most other leg locks was within Sambo, A martial art that has historically trained leg locks and favored them, when BJJ frowned upon them.

Leg locks like the heel hook have really only been used in Jiu Jitsu competitions since the early 2000s. Predominantly in ADCC rule sets and later in EBI rule sets.

Grapplers from Dean Lister, Gary Tonon, Eddie Cummings, and Gordon Ryan are the ones most credited with their popularity.

As Jiu Jitsu continues to progress, heel hooks will continue to be a game changer in competitions.

The mechanics of the heel hook

The name is heel hook, but this submission actually doesn’t attack the heel. What it does is twist your opponent’s knee and will tear ligaments in just moments if they do not tap.

You use your legs like a vice to lock your opponent’s leg in place and work to isolate their heel. Then one you put their leg at an angle and free their heel up.

From there, all you need is a slight turn to lock on the pressure. Your opponent must immediately tap or risk a major knee injury.

Basics outside heel hook

For the first technique, we’ll focus more on the steps to getting the outside heel hook rather than the entries. We’ll focus on those in the other techniques.

Let’s say you have your outside leg hooked over the leg you’re attacking and hooked under your opponent’s far leg. Both of their legs are controlled and you’re ready to go into your outside heel hook.

Before you go for the heel hook, first make sure you’re controlling above your opponent’s knee, so they can’t escape. Second, use your top leg to bend your opponent’s leg to create an angle before attacking it.

Now the first step to get the heel hook iis to turn into the foot you’re attacking to isolate the heel. You isolate their heel by hooking your tricep/armpit over the top of your opponent’s foot to hold it in place.

This isolates their heel and now you’re ready to put on your hook. Put on your hook by turning into their heel and catching it with the blade of your wrist.

Once the heel is hooked, clasp your hands and turn with your body, which will immediately put on the pressure. Be sure not to just turn with your arms or your opponent’s heel will slide out.

The Inside heel hook

Opposite of the outside heel hook is the inside heel hook. The difference is that with the outside heel hook, you attack their leg on your outside hip. An inside heel hook is obviously done on your inside hip.

An inside heel hook also comes on a lot quicker, so be mindful of that when drilling with a partner.

From the saddle position similar to the first technique, you’re going to triangle your legs and turn them out. You’re also going to fall to your outside hip, so your elbow doesn’t block you from getting your grip.

Once you fall to your outside hip, cup your opponent’s knee to bend their leg and expose the heel.

Next trap the top of their foot with your armpit/tricep and hook their heel with the blade of your wrist. As soon as you clasp your hands together and turn your body, the pressure comes on.

50/50 heel hook

The 50/50 is one of the first leg control positions you learn that is really easy to remember. You have a leg and your opponent has a leg, but it’s also dangerous, because your opponent has a leg.

So remember to keep your feet tightly crossed, so you don’t get submitted when going for a submission.

Start by lifting your hips and bring your opponent’s foot to your inside hip. If they defend by crossing your legs, there is an easy method to separate their legs.

Place your outside hand on your opponent’s and push it as you hip out to break the cross. Now with their heel free go into isolating your opponent’s heel and locking in your grip.

Hook their heel with the blade of your wrist, connect your hands, elbows in, and turn your body.

Single leg X heel hook

Heel hooks are easy to get from single leg x. Before we show how to get the heel hook, we’ll detail how to hold the single leg x position.

Hold single leg x by hooking your outside leg around your opponent’s leg and place your foot on their hip. Your other leg hooks under your opponent’s other leg.

Cup your opponent’s knee and push it in to expose their heel. Once it’s exposed go through the normal finishing sequence of hooking your opponent’s heel for the finish.

Heel hook knee shield counter

When you’re in your opponent’s half guard and they have a knee shield, you can easily get a counter heel hook. Cup behind your opponent’s knee and fall back to your outside hip.

Once you fall to your side, your opponent’s heel is exposed. Turn your body into your opponent’s heel, get your grip, and go for the finish.

Backstep heel hook

Doing a back step is a normal way to counter a guard like De La Riva. It’s also a great way to go into a heel hook.

Start the technique by stepping in between their legs and clenching your opponent’s head. With their head controlled, do a backstep with your back foot.

Bringing your knee under your opponent’s leg and cupping behind their knee as you sit back. When you cup and pull your opponent’s knee this opens up their heel.

Hook their heel and get your grip to finish your heel hook.

Half guard to ashi-garami heel hook

When you have a knee shield on your opponent, one option you have is to go to a heel hook. With your hands up blocking, use them along with your shield to push your opponent to make space.

Bring the foot of your shield leg in between your opponent’s legs. Next grab behind your opponent’s arm and knee and pull yourself into their leg.

As you go in, hook your leg around your opponent’s leg to bend it and expose their foot. From here you have three submission options. Ankle lock, toe hold, and heel hook.

For the heel hook, go through the normal process to hook the heel and finish it.

Details and tips for doing a heel hook

A heel hook comes on quickly, but it can all fall apart if you miss a detail. Here are important details and tips for doing a heel hook.

Turn into the heel: To get the heel hook, you need to first turn your body into your opponent’s foot. Doing this isolates their foot and opens up your path to take their heel.
Trap top of opponent’s foot: When you go for your hook, make sure that you trap the top of your opponent’s foot with your armpit/tricep.
Leg control: Like with all leg locks, you need to control your opponent’s leg above their knee. If you don’t, you have no control over their legs.
Hip alignment: Your hips need to stay in line with your opponent for the heel hook to work.
Bend opponent’s leg: For heel hooks, ankle locks, and toe holds your opponent’s leg needs to be bent at an angle. Without their leg bent, you can’t do a heel hook.
The hook: When you hook your opponent’s heel, use the blade of your wrist to hook their heel. Placing the blade of your wrist right into their achilles tendon.
Turn with your body: Turn with your whole body and not just your arms when putting on the pressure. Your grip will slip off if you just turn with your arms.

Anaconda Choke – BJJ Submission

Front head chokes are easy, powerful, and easy to lock on. Especially if you prefer to train No-Gi. The anaconda choke is one of those chokes and there are various setups you can use to put it on. Here is our breakdown of the anaconda choke. We’ll go through how the choke was developed and … Read more

Front head chokes are easy, powerful, and easy to lock on. Especially if you prefer to train No-Gi.

The anaconda choke is one of those chokes and there are various setups you can use to put it on. Here is our breakdown of the anaconda choke.

We’ll go through how the choke was developed and go over the mechanics of how it works. Then we’ll detail various setups into the anaconda and list important details and tips for locking it in.

When was the anaconda choke developed?

The anaconda choke was invented by UFC veteran Milton Vieira in the early 2000s. He was a training partner and coach of Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira who won two fights in Pride with the anaconda.

Nogueira credited Vieira with showing him the choke. It’s a position that Vieira spent years developing and came up with different ways to set it up.

Today with No-Gi Jiu Jitsu more popular than ever, the anaconda choke has become a must know submission. It’s a choke you must know to go along with the guillotine choke, darce, and Peruvian necktie.

The mechanics of the anaconda choke

The anaconda works in the same way as how an anaconda chokes its prey, which is how it got the name. It’s basically an arm triangle choke, but done in reverse.

Your arms cut off blood to one side of their neck, while you push your opponent’s arm into their neck. As you turn into your opponent and take an angle, you take a deep breath and squeeze with your body.

Basic Anaconda choke

A basic anaconda choke starts from either you snapping your opponent down or sprawling.

You end up on top of your opponent in head control and start to set up your choke.

Start your setup by sliding your wrist under your opponent’s neck and pushing their arm inward. Pushing their arm in gives your arm the space to pass through,

Next take your free arm and grab a hold of your bicep and place your top hand on your opponent’s back. Now with your grip locked in place, turn on your grip side, so your opponent can’t base out with their hand

This puts your opponent on their side and gives you the angle to finish the choke. Finish the choke by walking your hips into your opponent as you bend their neck down with your chest.

Anaconda finish variation #1

Sometimes when you walk your hips into your opponent, they may tough it out and start defending.

If your opponent isn’t tapping you can reach over with your top leg and hook your opponent’s leg. When you pull their leg in closer, this closes extra space and makes the choke tighter.

Anaconda finish variation #2

When you go for your anaconda roll, your opponent may defend by basing out with their foot. This defense stops you from being able to roll them.

If they do this, you do have a way of countering this defense. Use your grips to push your opponent back to make them take away their base leg and continue their roll.

Anaconda finish variation #3

Another way your opponent may defend the choke is by clasping their hands together. Once they do this, they open their elbows to create space.

If they do this, you can counter their defense by switching to a Gable grip. Then use your elbow to force your opponent’s arm down and re-grab your bicep grip.

From there, walk your hips back into your opponent and finish the choke.

Anaconda from the cradle position

When you’re passing your opponent’s guard, you can do this by using a cradle. Do the cradle by hooking around your opponent’s head and neck, clasping your hands together.

As you pass, you’re going to keep the cradle and wait for your opponent to move their arm over. Once they pass their arm over, you can go into locking in your anaconda choke.

Fall to your hip as you slide your arm under your opponent’s neck. Use your top arm to push your opponent’s arm down to make more space to lock in your anaconda grip.

Then just walk your hips into them and squeeze with your body to finish the submission.

Anaconda in the Gi

The anaconda choke in the Gi is basically the same movement with just one extra step involving the Gi.

Whenever your opponent goes for a single leg and you sprawl this leaves their arm exposed. Lock in your anaconda grip like normal, but with one step different.

instead of holding your opponent’s back, you’re going to grab their belt before you roll under them.

Leg staple to anaconda choke

Passing your opponent’s guard using a leg staple can lead to a tight anaconda choke. When you jump forward and staple your opponent’s leg, their head is already off the mat.

Quickly grab a chin strap on your opponent and front roll forward. Once you roll, turn into your opponent, push their arm down, and work in your anaconda grip.

With your grip locked in, walk your hips into your opponent, and squeeze to finish the move.

Anaconda choke without the roll

There is a variation of an anaconda choke, where you do not have to roll into the choke. It is more of a direct way to go right into the choke.

From head control, you work in your grip like a normal anaconda choke. Now instead of rolling, you’re going to bring your leg up, block your opponent’s hip, and turn them.

This puts your right in the same position without having to roll your opponent. Trap their leg to keep them from rolling and finish your choke.

Anaconda with a Gable grip

Instead of doing a hand on bicep grip, you can also use a Gable grip to finish your choke. When you get head control on your opponent, lock a Gable grip under your opponent’s body.

Now instead of switching to a hand on bicep grip, you’re going to keep the Gable grip. Using your elbow to push your opponent’s arm to make space for your roll.

Once you roll through, keep your Gable grip and walk your hips into your opponent. Then hook thor leg and finish the choke.

Anaconda Gable grip to bicep grip

The Gable grip finish isn’t always 100%, which is why the hand on bicep control is better. If the Gable grip finish isn’t working, there’s an easy step to switch to the normal anaconda choke finish.

Your opponent will bring their arm up to defend your Gable grip. When they do this, take your top leg and knock their arm down to re-grip into a bicep grip.

From there, finish the anaconda choke like normal.

Darce to anaconda choke

Remember that the darce and anaconda choke are both connected. When one doesn’t work, you can always go to another.

Sometimes, your opponent will defend your darce and it will leave them open for an anaconda choke.

Details and tips for doing the anaconda choke

Knowing the anaconda choke is important to complete your knowledge of front head chokes. It’s a fantastic choke, but has important details you need to remember. Here are important details and tips for doing the anaconda choke.

Not a darce choke: Remember that the anaconda has opposite grips to the darce choke. Your arms connect behind your opponent’s arms and not next to their head.
Chest over head: Keep your chest over your opponent’s head when setting up your choke. This keeps them in place and makes it hard for them to move.
Wrist under neck: Slide your wrist under your opponent’s chin and not your bicep. There’s too much space to give a tight choke when you try the move using your bicep.
Push their arm: To give your arm space to pass your opponent’s arm, push their arm into their body.
Grab your bicep: Lock your choke hand onto the bicep of your top hand. If you don’t have enough space, your forearm will suffice, but you’ll need to adjust to finish the submission.
Bend opponent’s neck: Like with all front head chokes to bend your opponent’s neck down to put on the pressure.
Turn inward: Once you lock on your grip, turn on the shoulder of your choke arm. Just like an anaconda would constrict its next meal.
Hook their leg/body: When you complete your roll, hook around your opponent’s back or their leg. This keeps them in place while you squeeze your choke.

How to Level Up Your Next MMA Viewing Party

Are you a big fan of Mixed Martial Arts? You are not alone. MMA is the fastest-growing professional sports league in the world. It’s no surprise that people are flocking to bars, homes, and living rooms every weekend to watch MMA fights. They like to gather with friends and family for an exciting match, some […]

It’s also quite common to find sports bars that host big events on big screens, letting everyone enjoy the action up close. There is no better feeling than watching an epic fight live or on TV with some friends! A viewing party can be a lot of fun for everyone involved because watching MMA is exciting and entertaining.

How to get the most out of your MMA viewing party?

There are many ways you can enhance your viewing experience to your next MMA online game party for an even better event.

Discussing the fights with friends is one way that viewers can enjoy their time watching the fight. You can invite all of your friends over and have them bring their favorite snacks, drinks, and chairs so they can sit together and watch the fight. It is also a good idea to invite everyone to wear some official UFC shirts or hats or some kind of gear to get into the mood.

Viewing parties are great for building relationships with your friends, family, or even customers. Getting them together allows you to spend time with them in person. It is also a great way to build connections. A true bonding moment that can be hard to replicate otherwise.

You can create a fun and engaging experience for your next live MMA fight match by hosting a live online gaming party. By combining social media and online gaming during the intervals between fights at Jackpotcitycasino.com you can create an exhilarating experience for all. You can build buzz around an upcoming fight while boosting engagement between fans.

Where’s the best place to watch MMA online?

When it comes to finding the best place to watch MMA, you should look no further than your computer. There are scores of websites out there dedicated to live streaming events that you might want to watch. But when it comes down to the big fights that grab all the headlines, you won’t find a better option than UFC’s streaming service. This is because not only will you be able to watch the live vents, but UFC has a massive back catalog of past fights that you can watch in between major events.

You can also subscribe to Fite, which is another platform that hosts various MMA events from a host of organizations from around the world. You will have to pay for these services and events, as most combat sports operate under a Pay-Per-View system, but you can split the costs with your friends to make it more affordable. While many MMA sites are available, not all of them can be considered a good option for a real fan.

Miesha Tate Vs Ketlen Vieira To Headline UFC Vegas 43

Miesha Tate and Ketlen Vieira will now headline UFC Vegas 43 on Nov. 20th. The promotion confirmed the match up’s date on Wednesday afternoon. ‘Cupcake’ was scheduled to headline the October 16th card before her positive test for COVID-19. Tate is coming off an impressive comeback after her retirement that lasted almost five years. That […]

Tate is coming off an impressive comeback after her retirement that lasted almost five years. That was her first win since she beat Holly Holm for the Bantamweight title in 2016. The former 135lb champion, Tate (19-7) looks to make another statement against Vieira (11-2).

This is now the fourth women’s fight on that card, shaping up to be one of the most on a card in recent events. The other women’s fights on the card include, Joanne Calderwood (15-5)vs Alexa Grasso(13-3) in the flyweight division, Cheyanne Buys (6-2) vs Loma Lookboonmee (6-2) in the women’s strawweight division, and Jessica Penne (14-5) vs Luana Pinheiro (9-1) in a women’s strawweight bout.

It is good to see Miesha Tate in good spirits and able to get back inside the octagon in November. Vieira is the eighth-ranked fighter in her division, so a win over her would shoot Tate up the division rankings. If Tate keeps winning we could see her back in the title hunt sooner rather than later. Tate was also the former Bantamweight champ at the Strikeforce promotion as well.

The 35 year old looked in fantastic shape and dangerous as ever in her last fight against Marion Reneau. She ended up winning by TKO and taking home a performance bonus. It will be fun to watch the legendary fighter make, what could possibly be her last title run of her career.

Are you excited about the Miesha Tate vs Ketlen Vieira fight headlining the November UFC Vegas 43 event?

Jake Paul Has ‘So Many Advantages’ Over Conor McGregor – Javier Mendez

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s long-time coach, Javier Mendez appears to be backing Jake Paul to beat Conor McGregor if they ever face-off inside the squared circle. The YouTuber has been carving out a lucrative boxing career for himself as of late. Paul is currently 4-0 as a professional and holds two big wins over former MMA champions […]

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s long-time coach, Javier Mendez appears to be backing Jake Paul to beat Conor McGregor if they ever face-off inside the squared circle.

The YouTuber has been carving out a lucrative boxing career for himself as of late. Paul is currently 4-0 as a professional and holds two big wins over former MMA champions Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley.

Paul has been relentlessly calling out McGregor for more than a year now who has distanced himself from the trash talk without totally ruling out the possibility of fighting the internet celebrity down the line.

Some believe a fight with McGregor would be a step too far for the combat sports newcomer. Mendez disagrees with those people and says Paul would enter a ‘Notorious’ fight with several big advantages.

“Jake has got so many advantages on Conor,” Mendez told Betway. “Size being one of the big major ones, and the fact that he’s been boxing for three plus years with really good boxing professionals that know what they’re doing. So no, he shouldn’t have to fear Conor whatsoever.

“Instead, he has to fear people like Canelo,” Mendez added. “He would just smash him in one round, it would be embarrassing. He hasn’t got a chance against those kinds of guys, he really should stay away from him – but against Conor, absolutely he has a chance. Looking at the two, Jake’s got big advantages in size and power. Yes, he doesn’t have fight experience, but he’s been strictly just boxing for a long time now. Conor’s not been strictly boxing.”

The American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) Head Coach was full of praise for the divisive Paul Brothers who are currently taking the boxing world by storm.

“The Paul brothers are extremely likeable entertainers or extremely hateable entertainers, depending on your viewpoint,” Mendez said. They cross both fields. People love them, people hate them but people want to watch them, so I applaud them for what they’re doing. I respect their abilities but they’re not true boxers. They’re legit boxers but they’re not high level. They’re not high level at all, they’re beginners. For beginners to do what they do, that’s amazing and I applaud them for that because it takes special people to get that kind of attention.

“Whether it’s great for the sport, I‘d have to say majority yes because look at Jake Paul’s PPV numbers,” Mendez concluded. “How can a guy box another guy that’s never boxed and get that kind of attention? I’d be fooling myself to say nobody’s interested because of the really good numbers. One of the highest numbers of all time on PPV so, you know when you get over a million, that’s pretty high so I say kudos to them. They’re doing a great job.”

Do you agree with Javier Mendez? Does Jake Paul have a genuine shot at beating Conor McGregor in a boxing match?

REPORT | Dominick Cruz To Fight Pedro Munhoz At UFC 269

The former Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is set to take on the #9 rated Pedro Munhoz at UFC 269 on December 11 according to a report from MMA Fighting. Cruz is coming off a split decision victory over Casey Kenney back at UFC 258. Prior to the win over Kenney, Cruz was on a 2 […]

The former Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is set to take on the #9 rated Pedro Munhoz at UFC 269 on December 11 according to a report from MMA Fighting.

Cruz is coming off a split decision victory over Casey Kenney back at UFC 258. Prior to the win over Kenney, Cruz was on a 2 fight losing streak. He had lost to Cody Garbrandt to lose his championship back in 2016, but then came back in 2020 to challenge Henry Cejudo for the belt. He ultimately lost that fight as well, being the 2nd loss in a row.

Cruz had been hinting at a possible fight with someone in the top 10 earlier this week. His name was brought up for a possible bout against ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley, but he quickly shot that down. In recent years, Cruz has had his struggle with injuries. Cruz talked about his inability to walk at times leading up to his fight with Cody ‘No Love’ Garbrandt due to plantar fascia tendinitis. He has also had his share of broken bones and torn ACL’s in the past as well.

On the other hand, this will be Munhoz’s third fight of the year. He started off the year by winning a match against Jimmie Rivera via unanimous decision. That bout also got him a bonus for being the ‘Fight of the Night’. In his second fight of the year, Munhoz lost a decision to Jose Aldo at UFC 265. This fight against Cruz will be Munhoz’s second fight in a row in which he will fight a former champion.

Prior to taking the fight against Cruz, Munhoz was involved in rumors about a possible move to the Flyweight division. It seems as if Munhoz has had a change in heart and will be taking on Cruz before making a decision about taking a step back and moving down in weight.

Are you excited for a Pedro Munhoz vs Dominick Cruz bout?