Leg Entanglements

Leg entanglements are a family of positions and submissions that attack the joints and ligaments of the leg. They're more complex than arm locks, but they're an essential part of modern jiu jitsu and a core component of our curriculum.

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Overview

How Leg Locks Differ from Arm Locks

• Arm locks: straight (armbar), rotational (kimura), compression (bicep slicer)
• Leg locks: all of the above plus lateral pressure on the knee
• The foot's 90-degree angle creates a lever that arms don't have
• More submission options, more positions, more complexity

Safety: No Pain Before Injury

• Many leg locks do not cause pain before ligaments are damaged
• Heel hooks attack the knee in a plane without nerve endings to detect danger
• If you wait until it hurts to tap, you will injure yourself
• Use your words if you think you have a submission and your partner hasn't tapped

Core Concepts

Three-joint rule

• Generally need control of three joints to finish a joint lock
• For legs: foot, knee, and hip

Primary vs secondary leg

• Primary leg: the leg you're entangling and attacking
• Secondary leg: their other leg
• Controlling the secondary leg removes their best escape tool (pushing off with the free foot)

Double Trouble

• Controlling the secondary leg with your legs
• Concept from Danaher's system that changed the modern leg lock meta
• Applies to arm bars as well

Position before submission

• When controlling: stay close to their hip, control the knee line
• When attacking: sacrifice some control to expose the heel
• Three perception cues that are somewhat at odds: keep hips close, control knee line, expose the heel
• "Postmodern" approach: expose the heel before securing full control, then work to stabilize

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Submissions Overview

Straight ankle

• Linear submission, causes some pain before damage
• Legal at all belt levels
• The starting point for every white belt's leg lock game

Inside heel hook

• The most common submission at the highest level of the sport
• Rotational pressure via foot rotation, or lateral knee pressure via hip drive
• Lateral pressure is the stronger breaking mechanic

Outside heel hook

• Generally lower percentage than inside heel hooks
• Still a viable submission option

Aoki lock

• Inside heel hook attacked on the opposite shoulder
• Has grown in popularity in recent years

Toe holds (inside and outside)

• Inside toe hold: kimura-style grip, pulling finishes over pushing finishes
• Outside toe hold: much more dangerous, attacks the fibula, restricted to advanced belt levels

Knee bar

• Traditional: straight armlock of the leg, from back ashi positions
• Lateral: same breaking mechanic as a heel hook, very dangerous

Other submissions

• Woj lock (aoki variation with flipped heel orientation)
• Z lock (difficult to achieve but devastating, advanced)
• Calf slicer (compression lock, lower priority)
• Cloverleaf (compression lock attacking shin bones, causes pain before damage, legal at white belt)
• Flash submissions (Estima lock; banned at GJJ due to speed-dependent application without control)

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Position Map

How we categorize leg entanglements

• Do you have their leg entangled, or just control of the foot?
• Are you facing each other (chest to chest) or facing away (backside)?
• Is their leg on your same side (mirrored hip) or across?
• Where are your feet: inside, outside, or in the middle?

Seated positions (chest to chest)

Same side leg:

• Legs outside: Outside Ashi (generally inferior, but best for outside heel hooks)
• Legs in the middle: Straight Ashi, Butterfly Ashi, Reverse Ashi
• Legs inside: Inside Ashi / Reap (extremely dangerous attacking position)

Cross side leg:

• Legs outside: 50/50 (mirrored position, not necessarily equal)
• Legs inside: Cross Ashi / Saddle (one of the best finishing positions for inside heel hooks)
• Legs far side: 90/10 (more offensive than 50/50, less stable)

Non-entangled positions (clamps)

• Same Side Clamp (RNC Leg Control): control of foot without full entanglement
• Cross Side Clamp (Leg Across): common grip in bolo and leg drag games
• Where you end up when opponents escape entanglements; critical for re-attacking

Backside positions

• Back Ashi: torso facing their kneecap, kneebar territory
• Backside 50/50: torso facing outside of knee, transitions to 50/50 on backstep
• Backside saddle: similar orientation but feet positioned for cross ashi on backstep
• Generally more mobile for top player, better submission access than guard positions

Guard leg entanglements (opponent standing or kneeling)

• SLX: straight ashi where opponent is standing
• X-Guard: standing variation of same side clamp
• 50/50 bottom / 70/30: cross side guard entanglements
• False Reap: cross side guard entanglement
• If their butt isn't on the mat, getting a submission is close to zero; primary goal is to get them down

Guards that lead to leg entanglements

• Inside position guards (butterfly, half butterfly, SLX, X-Guard) tend toward one family
• Outside position guards (DLR, K-Guard, closed guard) tend toward another family
• Small changes in foot position switch between these guards; don't over-restrict entry options

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Leg Locks, Back Takes, and Passing

• These three pathways are closely intertwined from leg entanglements
• Depending on opponent reactions, back takes or guard passes may be the path of least resistance
• Takes years to develop fluency between these movement pathways
• Physical affordances matter (lighter grapplers may find inversions easier)
• Even if you don't play these games, know the movement pathways exist so you can recognize them in your partners

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Where to Start

• Begin with Straight Ashi: easiest to get to, best position for straight ankles
• SLX to Straight Ashi is a proven white belt pathway
• After Straight Ashi, which entanglements to prioritize depends on your guard style:
  • Inside position guards (butterfly, SLX, X-Guard) lead to one family
  • Outside position guards (DLR, K-Guard, closed guard) lead to another
• Don't neglect the clamp positions: they're where you end up when opponents escape, and they connect to passing and back taking

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Summary

Coaching Guide

Common entries and sequences

Common problems and cues

• What you will observe: Students cranking submissions without positional control What to cue: "Control the knee and hip first, then go to the heel"
• What you will observe: Students refusing to tap to heel hooks because it doesn't hurt yet What to cue: "If you feel tightness in the knee, that IS the signal. Tap early, tap often."
• What you will observe: Students getting stuck in one entanglement and not transitioning What to cue: "If the position isn't working, cycle to the next one. Don't force it."

Recommended games

• Leg Spaghetti: the primary game for developing leg lock skills; least cardio-intensive FYJJ variant
  • Scale difficulty: one attacker + one defender for newer students, both attacking for experienced
  • Add passing and back taking as win conditions as skill increases
  • Sub-variants with constraints (e.g., no crossing feet in 50/50) to force specific skills

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Resources

Podcasts

Ep. 30: Double Trouble (BJJ Mental Models)

Ep. 270: The 3 Joint Rule, feat. Jeff Shaw (BJJ Mental Models)

Ep. 226: Postmodern Leglocks, feat. Rob Biernacki & Stephan Kesting (BJJ Mental Models)

Submeta courses

See individual topic articles for position-specific courses:

• Straight Ashi
• Saddle

Submeta course notes