Leg lock defense

Your leg is trapped. Hide your heel, clear your knee past their hips and turn the fight to the top.

EscapesIntermediate
Lesson video · 1 of 33

How to Escape the Heel Hook from the 411 Position

Report a problemStephan Kesting · on YouTube
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Essentials

Leg lock defense: Leg entanglement: the seated attacker traps one leg between his legs and holds the foot for a straight ankle lock; the defender lies underneath
US Army, FM 3-25.150 Combatives (2002) · Public domain (US Army work) Source ↗

Someone has your leg entangled. Leg locks give little warning, so safety comes from recognizing the danger early: hide your heel, clear the knee line and escape calmly. Tap early in training.

Your goals
  • Hide your heel from their grip
  • Clear your knee past their hip (the knee line)
  • Escape the entanglement or counter-attack
What they want
  • Control your knee line
  • Finish the heel hook, toe hold or ankle lock
Key principles
  • Tap early: heel hooks injure before pain
  • Knee line first, rotation second
Common mistakes
  • Spinning blindly to escape
  • Pulling your leg straight back

Techniques to learn

Each one opens its own page and video.

Escapes
Heel hook escapeLeg lock escape · IntermediateAshi garami escapeLeg lock escape · IntermediateSaddle escapeLeg lock escape · Advanced50/50 escapeLeg lock escape · Advanced
Escapes when caught here
Escape the straight ankle lockSubmission escapeEscape the inside heel hookSubmission escapeEscape the kneebarSubmission escapeEscape the toe holdSubmission escapeEscape the outside heel hookSubmission escapeEscape the calf slicerSubmission escape

Where it leads

Moves from here
Passing open guard50/50Standing
Escapes
Escape the straight ankle lockEscape the inside heel hookEscape the kneebarEscape the toe holdEscape the outside heel hookEscape the calf slicer
In courses
Leg lock set
Seminars

If this happens…

  1. they grab your heelTurn toward their knee line, not away
  2. they pin your kneeClear it first, then rotate

Seminars

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Longer seminars, classes and masterclasses that teach this. Free on YouTube.

Advanced detailsTransitions, threats, reactions, troubleshooting and a sparring drill

1. Overview

Your leg is trapped. Hide your heel, clear your knee past their hips and turn the fight to the top.

Key controls

  • Hide the heel, keep the foot flexed
  • Get your knee out past their hips
  • Never spin blindly against a heel hook

In this position

3 transitions · 3 threats · 2 reactions · 2 troubleshooting fixes · 1 sparring exercise · 2 techniques

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