Straight Ashi
The most common leg entanglement, and your foundation for the straight ankle lock and the rest of your leg lock game.
Straight ashi is the most common and accessible leg entanglement, and the foundation of your leg lock game.
Overview
Core Mechanics and Concepts
Alignment in straight ashi
Primary vs secondary leg
Foot on hip (outside leg)
Inside leg controls
Hands to the mat
Controlling their foot
Keeping their hips high
Distance management
Sub-positions
Straight ashi (SLX)
- Outside foot on hip, inside foot on inside
- The default and most common leg entanglement
- Also called "irimi ashi"
Butterfly ashi
- Outside foot transitions to inside, inside foot moves to hip
- Works in synergy with straight ashi
- Better angle for certain attacks (aoki lock)
Reverse ashi
- Inside foot stays on hip when outside foot moves inside
- Subtle variation of butterfly ashi
Getting on Top
Lumberjack sweeps
Get up sweep (kneeling opponent)
Technical stand up
Transition to X-Guard
Dealing with grips that prevent the get up
Straight Ankle Lock
Anatomy and breaking mechanics
- Linear submission attacking the ankle
- Causes some pain before damage (safer end of leg locks)
- Legal at all belt levels
Grips
- Figure-four grip
- Elbow grip
- Wind up grip
Finishing positions
- On your side
- Turned in
- Belly down
Winning the leg pummel
Preventing their rotation
Straight Ankle Lock Defense
Methods of defense
Before leg position is established
Seated SLX defense
Butterfly ashi defense
Belly down defense
Standing defense (SLX and butterfly ashi)
Defending Straight Ashi
Clearing the knee line
Backstep passing
Standing up and out
Preventing the sweep
The Reap
What the reap is
- Inside ashi: your legs cross to the inside of their leg
- Creates extreme heel hook danger
- Also called "inside ashi" or "game over"
Why it's restricted
- Not allowed at your belt level in most rule sets
- Extremely dangerous attacking position with minimal escape options
- Legal only at advanced belt levels (brown/black no-gi in IBJJF)
How you'll stumble into it
- Overzealous leg pummeling from straight ashi
- Transitioning butterfly ashi and crossing too far
- Your training partner may also accidentally reap you
What to do
- Recognize the position immediately
- Stop and reset if you find yourself there
- Communicate with your training partner
Summary
Coaching Guide
Common entries and sequences
Common problems and cues
- What you will observe: Students not keeping foot on hip, losing control What to cue: "Foot on hip first, everything else second"
- What you will observe: Students going for submissions without positional control What to cue: "Control the knee and hip before you go for the ankle"
- What you will observe: Students accidentally reaping What to cue: "Check where your feet are. If both feet are inside, you're reaping. Move your outside foot back to the hip."
- What you will observe: Students holding a dead straight ankle lock too long What to cue: "If it's not working after a few seconds, transition. Don't burn energy on a lost grip."
Recommended games
- Leg Spaghetti (straight ashi start): one attacker, one defender; restart if position changes to anything other than straight ashi / butterfly ashi
- SLX to sweep: start in SLX guard, goal is to sweep to top; defender tries to pass
Resources
Podcasts
Ep. 270: The 3 Joint Rule, feat. Jeff Shaw (BJJ Mental Models)
Ep. 270: The 3 Joint Rule, feat. Jeff Shaw
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Submeta courses
- Straight Ankle Lock, Lachlan Giles (Submeta)
- Single Leg X and X-Guard, Lachlan Giles (Submeta)
- Single Leg X and Butterfly Ashi, Lachlan Giles (Submeta)
- Straight Ankle and Aoki, Lachlan Giles (Submeta)
- Ankle Lock Defense, Lachlan Giles (Submeta)
- Outside Ashi, Lachlan Giles (Submeta)