Heel Hook/ankle lock trouble PLZ HELP

**informer24** · Posted On: 10/23/2011 6:16am

I want to know how to counter the ankle lock/ heel hook when standing over your opponents guard. A lot of times they wrap their leg around mine gluing their heel into my hips firmly so I cant yank it off but at the same time they are able to manipulate my base to a great extent. Usually when I get caught in this situation and they wrap their leg around mine, I try to keep my foot planted firmly on the ground so they cannot ankle lock me and then they sorta push their hips up which rises my leg off the ground a little and they are able to dig their forearm through for the heel hook, now that my heel is in their forearm I can no longer post it on the floor so Im trying to get the legs from around me but they are constantly disrupting my base until at somepoint i fall and am tapped

**realjanuary** · Posted On: 10/23/2011 8:24am

*Stating the obvious*
Best counter: don't be there (bypass the guard, let them stand up, sit down in base before they take a leg, stack them before they take your leg).
Second best counter: tap out.
Worst counter: the one you picked up from the internet.
Don't mess about with counters and escapes, especially against leg/ankle locks, extra especially against heel hooks.
Ask your coach to show you escapaes in person. If you don't have a coach who knows what to do against heel hooks you should not be practising with heel hooks.
Drill the excape gently with a senior partner before even dreaming of doing it in sparring.

Sorry if that isn't much help, but crappling will cripple you so it's all ways best to keep that in perspective.

**informer24** · Posted On: 10/23/2011 9:22am

I try to bypass the guard but people are quick w/ lacing their legs through mine. the instant I stand to break the guard they are doing it

**realjanuary** · Posted On: 10/23/2011 10:48am

^this is a confusing post
Sounds like you're just standing up in people's guard with out controlling them first. Ask your coach about the fundementals of being in someone's guard (posture, base, control their hips and shoulders, etc.). If you have the fundementals wrong, just standing up isn't going to make them instantly irrelevent.
I reiterate: tap, talk to your coach, if you don't have a coach you're crappling, serious injuries are the result of amateur martial arts, I am an alive grappling n00b who should not be giving grappling advice.

**Zerstörer90** · Posted On: 10/23/2011 12:53pm

Originally Posted by informer24

I try to bypass the guard but people are quick w/ lacing their legs through mine. the instant I stand to break the guard they are doing it

Honestly? you should just be able to drop to that knee and fall into half guard every time someone tries it like that (unless I'm seriously mistaken about what you are describing), but as other guys have pointed out Heel hooks (or any twisting leg locks) are extremely dangerous. If it is applied to the same pain threshold an arm bar is applied with it will cause injuries. You should ask a professional instructor about this, not the internet. If you aren't training with a coach or instructor that is qualified, and you are enthusiastic about grappling, then you need to change that quickly.

Also, learn more guard passes. You don't always have to stand up.

***jnp*** · Posted On: 10/23/2011 3:27pm

Originally Posted by informer24

I try to bypass the guard but people are quick w/ lacing their legs through mine. the instant I stand to break the guard they are doing it

How much grappling experience do you have? Are you training under a credible instructor?

Your answers to these questions will determine the appropriate response.

***Omega Supreme*** · Posted On: 10/23/2011 7:52pm

I coincidentally just shot a video of your inquiry yesterday. On the other hand I can't make heads nor tails what you're having trouble with.

**blackmonk** · Posted On: 10/26/2011 11:36am

Originally Posted by Kokikai90

Honestly? you should just be able to drop to that knee and fall into half guard every time someone tries it like that

It's not anywhere near being that easy if the guy knows his control positions for leglocks.

Seems like the OP just needs a little more real-time experience in that position. There are the more obvious answers, like "boot" the leg, control neck/collar, turn your toes to the outside (negating the heel hook), etc., and then also the more subtle ones like curling and pointing your toes and keeping the leg as straight as possible.

I don't know much about jiu-jitsu (I'm a lowly blue belt), but the things I do know come from being caught in it 1000x.