Are Leg Locks Today’s Giant Killer? Analyzing the Relationship Between Beginning and Higher Level Submissions

As we bounce between beginner and intermediate levels of technique breakdowns, I want to point out that it is important to understand how these flow together (even if some of the technique is ahead of our full comprehension or application). This relationship is paramount to the evolution of both our own grappling style, as well as to the various submission arts themselves. Even when a technique may be a bit above our ability to apply it live, observing the application and goals of the more advanced technique will help with our beginning techniques. The opposite reaction of not feeling any need to explore it yet, causes bumps in the road later down the line—or worse, leaves unknown holes in our game that will be exploited.

With the recent increase in exposure to advanced level leg attacks thanks to more accessible competition coverage, the recent explosion of multi-discipline-inclusive submission grappling events and rule sets, and the re-emergence of leg lock specialists in MMA, there is no time better than NOW to begin educating yourself. Micro BJJ and Science of Skill’s own Coach Dan Faggella has long promoted the importance of leg locks and the often associated entanglement game. Being a 135 pound competitor who has found himself facing opponents in the Absolute open weight class division that can outweigh him by 100 pounds, he finds that entanglements and leg locks can often be the very best way to negate a notable size and strength advantage.

In this match, Dan utilizes both to defeat an (at-the-time) 223 pound, and current UFC fighter Pat Walsh:

In MMA, leg lock specialists like Marcin Held or the controversial Rousimar Palhares have displayed the dichotomy of intricate technique and violent devastation of the leg lock game. It is this very spectrum that has made many instructors and students hesitant to focus on it early in BJJ studies, as well as many competitions to ban some or all of the techniques. However, more recently, the successes of world class submission grapplers such as Ryan Hall, Garry Tonen, and Eddie Cummings have been reinvigorating the leg lock game.

Eddie Cummings Discusses “Leg Lock Treatment” In This 2015 Interview

I wrote a bit about the recent sport evolution and its importance from a beginner’s perspective in the foot lock intro article Add the Achilles Lock to Your Arsenal, and here are a few additional points to consider:

1. In the study of fighting there are no true rules and ignoring aspects of the art (based upon competition rule sets or a concern about overzealous application) may leave you quite unprepared in a real world situation.
2. It is important to foster a basic understanding of advanced aspects of the game early on in your training. This will allow you to better pick up the techniques at the right time, as well as more properly evaluate your positioning in beginner level grappling.
3. Perhaps most important, a basic knowledge of the building blocks or goals of a more advanced technique—regardless of your ability to effectively apply it—will help tremendously with your ability to defend against it.

Efficient grappling is a common theme in my articles. This is because at its core, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is about providing the practitioner skills to overcome size and strength. We discussed many tenants of “small guy Jiu-Jitsu” in this previous technique breakdown. In related articles we have discussed creating chaos in the scramble, how to attack using mechanical advantages, and entanglement techniques from underneath. In the following Giant Killer video, Coach Dan shows a nice leg lock setup and a series of outcomes displaying the relationship between these concepts, as well as the flow from beginner and advanced uses of the setup. A step-by-step breakdown is included below. Please enjoy the technique and remember it is never too early to begin exploring what’s to come!

Step-by-Step:

1. Slide into opponent’s front leg, with same-side leg creating shin-to-shin brace (foot on the inside), opposite-side leg curled loosely inside opponent’s legs, same-side hand trapping opponent’s front leg with high calf grip, and opposite-side hand crossing over to create forearm shield with a simple hook on opponent’s shoulder (same side as front leg).
   • Tip: by entangling opponent’s front leg for a “leg ride setup”, and occupying the space in between opponent’s base instead of underneath where weight can be crushing, this setup will use momentum and leverage instead of strength
2. Pulling down and to the side (opposite controlled leg), slide free leg in to butterfly hook opponent’s front leg thigh, while rotating inward and allowing shin-to-shin brace to hook low on opponent’s leg and stretch opponent’s controlled leg outward
3. Kick shin-to-shin guard straight and through, convert calf grip to full overhook, and rotate body back to original position
4. Immediately clamp down on opponent’s front hip (from outside) with foot of kicked-through leg
   • Tip: for heel hook setup (allowed only in certain competitions or levels of competition), feed across hip for more torque and control
   • Tip: for straight foot lock or sweep setup (allowed in all adult competition), be sure to plant on outside of hip and be careful to not cross over
5. For leg lock options, use momentum, overhook, and free hand gripping behind opponent’s knee to turn opponent’s knee inward and downward, while rolling onto side
   • Tip: for heel hook setup, as opponent turns knee downward, switch from overhook of controlled let to heel hook setup with opponent’s exposed heel in crook of elbow and foot still trapped under own arm pit
   • Tip: for straight foot lock (inverted Achilles Lock), keeping own foot on opponent’s hip instead of crossing (to avoid DQ), follow momentum and turn opponent’s knee fully downward while rolling own body on top and keep pressure on the foot and Achilles for the finish
6. For sweep option, instead of rolling inward, remove overhook and swim it under opponent’s controlled leg to scoop onto shoulder, while hooking over front of shin with opposite-side free hand
7. Remove foot from opponent’s hip and bring under for top butterfly hook on opponent’s rear thigh, while sliding opposite leg into bottom butterfly hook for X-Guard setup
8. Stretch both legs outward to off-balance opponent toward rear leg while creating space for technical lift and X-Guard Sweep

Image credit: http://bjjflash.com/videos/watch-eddie-cummings-dominate-at-ebi-4-full-event/

Image credit: http://bjjtoday.net/4-techniques-avoid-bigger-opponent/

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