4 High Level Moves From ADCC Vet Dean Lister

By Matt Bryers, February 26, 2019

Check Out These 4 Techniques From ADCC Champion Dean Lister!

Dean Lister is a pioneer in the world of jiu jitsu and mixed martial arts. Lister is one of the earliest leg lock experts responsible for a rise in popularity of attacking the lower body in grappling martial arts. Guys like Garry Tonon, Eddie Cummings, and Gordon Ryan all have Dean Lister to thank for exposing the grappling world to the power and control of leg locks. Dean has had an illustrious career in a variety of combat sports, including wrestling, sambo, jiu jitsu, submission grappling, and mixed martial arts having fought in prestigious organizations such as PRIDE and the UFC. But Dean’s biggest impact has bee non the ADCC mats. He was the ADCC Open Weight Champion in 2003, the ADCC Superfight Champion in 2005, and the ADCC Champion in 2011.

Dean Lister is obviously the master of the foot lock and toe hold. He hits them from everywhere. One of his favorite sayings is "why would you ignore 50% of the body?"

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Dean Lister is also one of the most sought out grappling instructors in the world. He has produced a few great instructional series exclusively for BJJ Fanatics on a variety of subjects for combat sports, leg attacks and self defense. Today we are going to check out four different techniques from Dean Lister. Are you ready? Then let’s go!

#1: Inescapable Toehold From De La Riva

The toe hold is one of the 5 main leg submissions that Dean Lister teaches. The great thing about attacking toe holds is that your opponent’s feet are often exposed then they are playing guard, making this an easy and effective submission to pull out at any time. The toe hold uses the power of the kimura grip to truly make this an inescapable. The important part of this technique is how you grip the foot. You want your pinky finger to be connected to your opponent’s pinky toe. If you grip too high or too low on your opponent’s foot you will not be able to get the submission. Dean Lister also points out another important part of this submission, which is the leg you are not attacking.

#2: How To Escape A Heel Hook

The heel hook can be a very problematic submission to deal with. When it comes to escaping them, sooner is better than later. Usually when your opponent already has your heel it is too late. To prevent this from happening, Dean crosses his foot together behind his opponent, making it difficult to grab his heel. The primary defense for a heel hook is to make it difficult for your opponent to scoop your heel. If your feet are flat on the mat your training partner will not be able to finish the submission. With his feet crossed he can now start working his way up his training partner. When he gets far enough, Dean grabs behind his opponent’s neck and switches to back control.

#3: How to Handle Rear Naked Chokes

Rear naked chokes can be a common problem in a street fight scenario. If a guy gets your back, there is no telling what they will do. But the good news is that a rear naked choke can be fairly easy to counter. Knowing how to escape a rear nake choke is vital in a life threatening situation. There are two primary methods for dealing with a rear naked choke. The first method Dean shows us is to grab as close to the attackers thumb if he already has the arm wrapped around your neck. The thumb is ideal, but in most cases you will get the wrist. Once Lister has his grip he widens his base, dropping his level and throwing his opponent over his shoulder. This is a huge fall for your attacker. Notice how Lister maintains a grip on his attackers arm once he hits the ground, ready to hit an arm bar if the fall didn’t already do enough damage. The second method Lister shows for defending a rear naked choke is to counter the attacker’s lead leg by simply hopping around it, setting him up for an easy trip to take him down. Again, you will see Lister retains that arm control after his attacker hits the ground.

#4: Neck Crank From Side Control

This is a really nasty submission from side control you can use on any opponent! Dean starts off this technique from side control position with his opponent locking his arm and neck and pushing away at his face. To counter this Lister isolates his training partner’s free arm by placing the elbow on the mat, using both his hands to keep it in place. Now all he has to do is walk around his training partner’s head and tighten up on the near sided arm. Usually your training partner will already want to submit but if it is not working you can always reposition your hand to free your other arm and move that around to their side to make the crank even tighter. If this still does not work then reach under your opponent and lock your hands.

Dean Lister is a much sought after instructor and one of the first American's to put much of his teaching out there for students to learn from. From his K.A.T.C.H system where he teaches all of his favorite leg attacks, to wreak havoc on opponent's knees, toes, heels and ankles to his Worry Free Escapes and Grappling Hacks, Dean shares all of his highest percentage attacks which will terrorize opponents.