Lock 'em up - Foot & Leg Locks

Foot and leg locks are a major component of the grappling arts, and when executed correctly offer a method of controlling or restraining a violent opponent. Our opponent’s legs are often within reach when ground-fighting, so why just defend against them when we can attack them?

Charlie Suriano

While taking your opponent out of the game with high-power blows to the legs is not so easy from the ground, applying the science of leverage to the knee and ankle joints is an effective way of rendering your opponent unable to continue his attack.

How do I get the lock?

As any BJJ or grappling coach worth their salt will tell you, the key to securing a submission hold is control; as they say, ‘he who controls, bites’, meaning that the grappler who can control the other’s movement by maintaining superior position will be able to freely attack his opponent.

Further, you must control the foot and leg and isolate the leg you are going to lock from the other limbs, to reduce the opponent’s ability to lock their feet together or hide the foot. You must always keep your position tight and weight on, to prevent them sitting up and escaping or changing the angle to alleviate the pressure of your lock.

You must also be specific with your leverage, in terms of the angle of your lever and the placement of your arm or leg that you will lever against. The action of tearing or breaking a knee joint through leverage can be likened to lifting a boulder with a plank of wood, with a brick placed beneath it half way along; you place one end of the plank (your opponent’s foot and ankle) under your arm, the other end under the boulder (your opponent’s hip, made immovable by your position and their own weight) and push down against a solid object, called a fulcrum (in the case of a knee-bar, your lower leg)–but your own weight combined with that of the boulder is too much for the plank, which snaps under the pressure.

‘he who controls, bites’, meaning that the grappler who can control the other’s movement by maintaining superior position will be able to freely attack his opponent.

The leg will break generally at the joint, rather than along the bone, as this is the weak point, and the position of our fulcrum just above the joint places all the pressure on the tendons and ligaments that hold it together. If your fulcrum is placed directly on the joint, pressure and effectiveness will be reduced, and if placed below the joint, the pressure will be transferred to the muscle and bone, which may cause a little pain and allow some control, but does not amount to an effective lock. The calf-lock (shown) causes pain through squeezing the calf muscle (gastrocnemius), but also works against the ankle joint if the foot is tucked under the arm.

The ground is not where you want to stay, and unfortunately this is where the opportunities for leg/footlocks most often occur.

Levering against a fulcrum with a smaller surface (as if the brick under the plank were a knife of equal strength) increases the pressure at that point, so using a ridge-hand or fist is better than a flat palm, also because it offers better leverage–you can push down further, thus increasing the lift at the other end (imagine the added leverage if the brick stood on it’s end rather than it’s side).

When should I go for the lock?

Go for the leg/foot-lock whenever the opportunity presents itself and the circumstances are right–that is, when you have position and control, and are not in a vulnerable position yourself. It is important to remember that, if sitting or lying down with your legs outstretched toward your opponent, it is possible that they will counter your foot lock with one of their own. So, while you are attacking, defence must be an equal priority.

Leg locks are useful when control and restraint of your opponent is paramount (as it may be in security or policing duties) rather than breaking or hitting and escaping, as should be the priority in a dire self-defence situation, particularly with multiple opponents. Against multiple opponents, leg locks are not recommended; grappling should be avoided (unless using one opponent to shield against another), as the hands and feet must be free to defend other attacks.The ground is not where you want to stay, and unfortunately this is where the opportunities for leg/footlocks most often occur.

For single combat situations, footlocks are fine, but should only be applied if you are prepared to apply it–for the squeamish, gradually dishing out pain to a struggling opponent and the sound of twisted joints popping and tearing may be too much. Unfortunately, an extreme self-defence situation can require extreme measures.

Because of their inherent danger, certain foot and leg holds are barred from some sport jiu-jitsu and grappling tournaments. Be sure you are familiar with the rules before you enter a tournament. However, even if these holds are banned from your competition, don’t drop them entirely from your training, or you may develop weaknesses in your defence to these attacks and miss vital attacking opportunities yourself.