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.

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

3 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

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)

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

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

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

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

Resources

Podcasts

Ep. 30: Double Trouble (BJJ Mental Models) Apple Podcasts

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

Postmodern Leg Locks (BJJ Mental Models) Apple Podcasts

Submeta courses

See individual topic articles for position-specific courses:

Submeta course notes

See hubs/admin/submeta-notes/ for detailed chapter breakdowns of each referenced course.