A leglock is a joint lock that is directed at of the human leg such as the ankle, knee or hip joint.[Trnka, Tue. MMA-ordbogen. www.mmareporter.dk. URL last accessed February 5, 2006. (In Danish)] A leglock which is directed at joints in the foot is sometimes referred to as a foot lock and a lock at the hip as a hip lock. Leglocks are featured, with various levels of restrictions, in and martial arts such as Sambo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, catch wrestling,[Riccaldi, Alain. Catch Wrestling Leg Locks. www.fightordie.it. URL last accessed February 5, 2006. (In Italian)] mixed martial arts, Shootwrestling and submission wrestling, but are banned in some sports featuring such as judo.[Judo Leg Locks. Leg locks][International Judo Federation. IJF Referee Rules . www.ijf.org. URL last accessed January 7, 2006.] The technique has been seen across a wide range of different combat sports and is reportedly over 2,500 years old, having been seen in the lost art of Pankration in the original Olympic Games.
As with other jointlocks, leglocks are more effective with full body leverage. Some attack the large joints of the knee or hip and involve utilizing leverage to counteract the larger muscle groups, while others directly attack ligaments in the knee or the smaller joint of the ankle. Leglocks can involve control positions such as the inside leg triangle or leg knot to maintain control while applying the attack or transitioning between two attacks, though they and some other control positions are banned in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu competition. Some other leglock control positions have been adopted into modern BJJ and submission grappling competitions as "guards" such as the snake guard, one-legged X-guard, and 50/50 Guard, where they are used for both leglocks and to reverse into dominant positions from the bottom.
In training or sparring, leglocks are applied in a slow and controlled manner, and are often not hyperextended such as in the case of the comparatively dangerous heel hook.[Bison Grappling. Heel hook. bisons.net. URL last accessed February 5, 2006.] Instead, submission is signalled before the lock is fully applied. In self-defense application, or when applied improperly or with excessive force, leglocks can cause muscle, tendon and ligament damage, even dislocation or .
Some examples of the many types of leglocks are found below.
Kneebar
A
kneebar (also known as
legbar,
kneelock or
hiza-juji-gatame) is a leglock that can hyperextend the
knee. The basic kneebar technique is similar to that of an armbar. The practitioner will trap the opponent's leg in between their legs and secure the leg with their arms so the opponent's
Patella points towards the body. The practitioner then applies pressure with their hips, forcing the opponent's leg to straighten, hyperextending the knee joint. A variation of the kneebar is similarly accomplished, but instead of holding the leg with the hands, the practitioner will trap the opponent's foot behind one armpit. The practitioner will then apply pressure using their upper body as well and their hips, yielding a greater amount of force applied to the knee, therefore rendering the lock much more difficult to escape before tissue or ligament damage occurs.
Alternatively, if the practitioner is gripping low enough with both hands on the ankle and calf/shin of the opponent, the practitioner can cross one leg over and use it to press down as a leg triangle around the opponent's knee/thigh/patella/femur, making the hold more secure and allowing the practitioner to strike the opponent's groin or pin down/push away the opponent's other leg with the practitioner's non-crossed leg.
A variation of the kneebar known as the Amar Suloev Stretch arises from the back control position, often as the opponent stands with one or both hands on the mat, thus placing their ankle within reach.
Ankle lock
An
ankle lock (occasionally referred to as a
shin lock) is a leglock that is applied to any of the
in the
ankle, typically by hyperextending the
ankle through plantar hyperflexion.
[Kesting, Stephan. Breaking down the Ankle Lock, Kneebar Mastery: Fixing the Most Common Mistakes. www.grapplearts.com. URL last accessed February 5, 2006.] Ankle locks are often applied in a manner which simultaneously causes a
compression lock to the
achilles tendon, and sometimes also to the
calf muscle.
Straight ankle lock
The
straight ankle lock (depending on how it is performed is known in judo as an
akiresuken-gatame or
ashi-hishigi) is what is usually thought of as an ankle lock. It is typically performed using the legs to isolate one of the opponent's legs, and placing the opponent's foot in the armpit, while holding the foot with the
forearm at the lower part of the opponent's calf, usually at the
achilles tendon. By leveraging the hips forward, the foot becomes forcefully plantar flexed, hence creating a potent
joint lock on the
ankle. The forearm serves as a fulcrum in the leveraging, and may cause severe pressure on the
achilles tendon, especially when the bony parts of the forearm are used. Such a straight ankle lock is sometimes referred to as an "achilles lock".
Toe hold
A
toe hold (also known as
ashi-dori-garami in judo) involves using the hands to hyperextend and/or hyperrotate the
ankle, typically by grabbing the
foot near the
, and twisting or pushing the foot while controlling the opponent's leg.
[Gotch, Frank. The toe hold. gnarlmaster.tripod.com. URL last accessed February 5, 2006.] A common type of toe hold is the
figure-four toe hold, where a figure-four hold is used to hold the opponent's foot. This type of toe hold is performed by holding the foot by the toes with one hand, and putting the other hand under the opponent's
achilles tendon, and grabbing the wrist. By controlling the opponent's body, and using the hands to plantar flex the foot either straight or slightly sideways, hence putting considerable
torque on the
ankle. The toe hold can also be applied in a similar position as an ankle lock.
Heel hook
A
heel hook is a leg lock affecting multiple
, and is applied by transversely twisting the
foot either medially or laterally.
[Pearson, Charlie. Heel hook. www.lockflow.org. URL last accessed February 4, 2006.] The torsional
force puts severe
torque on the
ankle, which in turn transfers torque to the
knee.
There are several variations of heel hooks, with the most typical being performed by placing the legs around a leg of an opponent, and holding 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 the opponent's foot is twisted by holding the heel with the forearm, and using the whole body to generate a twisting motion, hence creating severe medial torque on the ankle. A similar heel hook can be performed by holding the opponent's foot in the opposite armpit, and twisting it laterally; a move which is referred to as an inverted, reverse or inside heel hook.
Many practitioners considered the heel hook to be a dangerous leg lock, with a high rate of injury,[International Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Federation (for beginners, not advanced practitioners) Rules. www.cbjj.com.br. URL last accessed February 5, 2006] and Sambo.
Calf crush
A
calf crush or
calf slicer (also known as calf cutter, knee slicer, or knee separator), known in judo as
hiza-hishigi, is a technique wherein one compresses their opponent's leg (heel to butt) while placing one's forearm or shin behind the knee to crush the calf muscle while potentially separating the knee joint. As with biceps slicers, there is a common misconception that this technique causes only pain. Calf locks can cause very serious injuries to the knee as well as damaging the calf muscle, and caution should be a priority when finishing the lock.
See also
External links
