Leglock (martial arts)

A leglock is an attack in martial arts that leverages the legs, knees, ankles or ankles so that the opponent has to give up the fight.

A lever aimed at the feet is called a "footlock" or "foot lever", an attack on the hip is called a "hip lock". This must be distinguished from spinal locks , with which the spine is attacked.

They are allowed in grappling sports such as mixed martial arts , sambo , Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu , wrestling , and vale tudo .

However, there are restrictions depending on experience. In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, for example, beginners (white belts and blue belts) are not allowed to carry out attacks that put a lot of strain on the knees, such as kneebars or heel hooks.

In Judo, however, leg locks and attacks on the legs have been completely prohibited since 2010.

Like most articulated levers, leg locks are more effective when the entire body is used as a lever .

Some work on the large joints of the knee or hip and bring about leverage so that they overstretch larger muscle groups. Others act directly on the ligaments in the knee or on the small joints of the ankle .

Leglocks can serve as control positions, such as the Leg Triangle or the Leg Knot (leg knot). Although many attacks in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are forbidden or only allowed for brown and black belts, they can still represent such a "setup", i.e. a control position for a legal, other attack.

A few other leglock control positions, on the other hand, were taken over as guard in modern BJJ and submission grappling competitions, such as the Snake or Single Leg X Guard or the 50/50 Guard .

When training or sparring , leg locks are used slowly and in a controlled manner so that injuries are avoided. Particularly in the case of submissions with a particularly high risk of injury, such as the heel hook, the main aim is to train the establishment of a safe control position from which the opponent can no longer escape.

The opponent / training partner signals this by tapping

In the self-defense situation , on the other hand, "pulling" the lever can cause enormous damage, such as dislocation , bone fracture , torn tendons or ligaments and permanent knee damage.

Leglock control

Leglocks include both control and the resulting submission. However, in order to be able to achieve a submission, an appropriate control must be in place (the principle: "Position before Submission" applies)

First of all, leg locks can be divided into Same Side Control Leg Locks and Cross Side Controls.

The most important 5 are:

Inside Ashi Garami. (Same Side Control)

The Ashi Garami is a core single Leg X Guard . The leg of the opponent is "locked" on the ground under the arm (same side) so that he can no longer pull the leg out.

The foot on the floor is placed on the opponent's hip to prevent him from getting up or, if the straight ankle lock is to be used as a submission, to exert pressure. The other leg clamps the opponent's leg with the knee and controls the opponent's lower leg. Care should be taken to keep it out of reach of the opponent's arms to avoid a heel hook.

If the opponent gets up from this position, there is still control (Single Leg X Guard), from which further steps, such as sweeps , can be made.

It is a control position. Submissions from this position can represent straight ankle locks as well as heel hooks.

Outside Ashi Garami. (Same Side Control)

Generally speaking, this is the same technology. In contrast to Inside Ashi Garami, however, both legs are on the outside of the hips to lock the opponent.

The heel hook can be attached from this position. Ankle locks are not a good option here as the performer cannot build up enough tension.

The performer can also roll onto his stomach from this position and use a kneebar.

Game Over Position / Leg Knot (Same Side Control)

In this position, the performer hooks both legs under the opponent's leg facing away from him. Suitable submissions from this position are ankle locks, toe holds and heel hooks.

50/50 Position (Fifty / Fifty) (Cross Side Control)

Megaton Dias demonstrates the 50-50 Guard

The 50/50 is also basically an Ashi Garami position. However, the opponent's leg is not controlled here on the side facing the ground, but via the upper side. The leg is attacked not in a line, but diagonally across the body. (Cross Side Control)

The 50/50 is so called because both performers have the same starting positions. The disadvantage of this position is that the opponent can make the same attacks first. Here it is important to get a suitable submission, such as heel hooks or straight ankle locks, as quickly as possible through more experience and better tactics .

Honey Hole / Saddle / 411 / Inside Sankaku (Cross Side Control)

The Inside Sankau (Japanese triangle ) is a variant of the 50/50 position. In this case, however, both legs are inside, not both legs outside, as in the 50/50 position.

From this position, the heel hook can be considered as a submission.

Leglock Submissions

Submissions can attack the knees , the ankles and the calf muscles .

Knee attacks

Kneebar

Demonstration of a kneebar. The design is identical to that of the armbar .

A kneebar (also called a legbar, knee lock or Hiza-Juji-Gatame) is a leglock that hyperextends the knee. The basic kneebar technique is similar to that of an arm bar . The fighter fixes the opponent's leg between his legs so that the opponent's kneecap is facing the body. Then he exerts pressure with his hips , forcing the opponent's leg into extension, and thus overstretching the knee joint. A variation of the knee bar is to lock your opponent's foot behind an armpit . The fighter will then apply pressure using their torso and hips as well, which will put more force on the knee.

It also makes it even more difficult to escape from the leg lock before tissue or ligament damage occurs.

Heel hook

A soldier performing a heel hook. Twisting the foot can cause enormous damage to the knee. The opponent's leg is locked so that he cannot escape.

A heel hook is a leg lock that attacks multiple joints. It is put on by turning the foot sideways, either inwards or laterally . The torsional force applies a large amount of torque to the ankle, which in turn transfers the torque to the knee. There are several variations of heel hooks, typically performed by placing the legs around an opponent's leg and locking the opponent's foot in the armpit on the same side. The legs are used to control the movement of the opponent's body while twisting the opponent's foot. By holding the heel with the forearm and rotating the entire body, there is an enormous mean torque on the ankle. One variation is that the opponent's foot is held in the opposite armpit and turned sideways; This variant is called "Inverted", "Reverse" or "Inside Heel Hook".

The heel hook is generally considered to be a very dangerous leg lock with a high injury rate. On the one hand, the " warning pain " is very low with this technique ; So the pain only starts when it is too late and an injury has already occurred. It is forbidden in many martial arts, including those that generally allow leg locks, such as Sambo or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. These bans are in some cases limited to graduation levels with less experience, such as white or blue belts. However, this is not always the case. For example, at tournaments that compete according to the rules of the BJJ umbrella organization IBJJF , the heel hook is also forbidden for black belts .

In NAGA tournaments, however, they are allowed for advanced (intermediates) and experts (experts).

However, even in tournaments where they are allowed, it is considered a serious offense if you hold it for too long. For example, the Ultimate Fighting Welterweight Championship sacked Rousimar Palhares after defeating Mike Pierce with a heel hook and failing to let go in time after the tap.

Attacks on the ankles (ankle locks)

An "ankle lock" (sometimes referred to as a "shin lock") is a leg lock that is applied to one of the joints in the ankle , typically by overstretching the ankle (ankle) through plantar hyperflexion . Ankle locks are often so used so that they also compress the nerve connections to the Achilles tendon and sometimes to the calf muscle at the same time , thus causing severe irritation pain.

Straight ankle lock

The 'Straight Ankle Lock' (also known in Judo as '' Akiresuken-Gatame '' or '' Ashi-Hishigi '', depending on how it is performed) is usually performed by using one of the opponent's legs with the legs Legs being isolated.

The opposing foot is placed under the armpit and fixed with the forearm. There are several variations; in the standard version, however, one's own foot blocks the opponent's hips, on the one hand to prevent him from getting up and on the other hand to increase the pressure. The other foot locks the opponent's second foot in order to prevent attempts to escape.

Your own forearm locks the opponent's foot and acts as a lever through which the opponent's foot is overstretched.

If the fighter now pushes his hips forward, there is strong pressure on the Achilles tendon , especially when the bony forearm is used. If the opponent does not knock, serious damage can occur.

A toe hold (the so-called "Figure Four" grip, similar to the number "4")

Toe hold

A "toe hold" (also known as ashi-dori-garami in judo) involves the use of the hands to hyperextend and / or hyper-twist the ankle, typically by grasping the foot near the toes, and twisting or squeezing the foot while the opponent's leg is controlled. A common type of toe hold is figure four grip . The name comes from the fact that one holds the foot with one hand on the toes and the other hand under the Achilles tendon of the opponent and grabs the wrist so that the number "4" results.

The opponent's body has to be locked for execution, for example by a " reverse mount " or a leg lock position like the 50/50 Guard. If this is not the case, the opponent can turn with it, relieving the tension from the tendons or escaping the position.

The locking of the body and the secure grip creates an enormous torque , which can lead to a torn ligament in the ankle.

Attacks on the calf muscles

An attack aimed at squeezing the calf muscles cannot always be clearly differentiated from straight ankle locks, as these often transition seamlessly into calf muscle compressions when performed improperly, for example when defending by the opponent or with beginners.

Calf crush

A calf crush or calf slicer (known as calf cutter, knee slicer, or knee separator), in Judo as hiza-hishigi , is a technique in which the opponent's calves are squeezed / compressed. By placing your forearm or shin in the hollow of your knee to squeeze the calf muscle, you increase the pressure so that the pain sets in first and if you don't give up, the knee joint is separated.

As with bicep crushers, there is a common misconception that this technique only causes pain. Calf crushers can cause very serious injuries to the knee as well as damage the calf muscles.

Therefore, they should only be performed by experienced athletes.