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Break A Leg With Legend Gokor Chivichyan
Or you know….DON'T!
Leg locks can get a bad reputation at times for being dangerous. This isn’t without merit of course. Many injuries have occurred in competition and in practice due to a submission going too far. Plus you may have seen some key individuals (Rousimar Palhares) ripping and roaring in MMA, leaving a trail of limp legs in his wake.
But is this because the leg lock itself? ANY submission will cause damage if it is applied to its full potential, that's what they are designed to do.This is why knowing when and WHY to tap is crucial. So it could be fair to say that leg locks could be considered more dangerous because people don’t know exactly when to tap. If knowledge is half the battle you have come to the right place. BJJ Fanatics has the most comprehensive collection of Leg Lock enthusiasts.
One OG of the leg lock world is Gokor Chivichyan. Gokor has worked with many martial arts legends throughout his career. His influence on the leg game is still felt today! Check out his slick entry into the straight knee bar, and be sure to stick around for some safety tips below.
This technique has many names, but for now let’s keep it simple and call it the scissor takedown. The scissor takedown also has quite the reputation for being dangerous. However with the correct spacing and some adequate practice it’s not out of the realm of possibility to add to your arsenal. One common error that causes injury is jumping from too far away. Sadly this has led to some serious knee injuries.
To avoid said injuries, you can do a couple of things. Make sure you are close enough to your partner and displace your weight correctly. Gokor keeps two distinct points of contact during the leg entry. His right hand is using an underhook to keep attached to his partner. This allows him to hang on while the underhook helps defeat your partner’s posture. By doing this EVERYBODY is closer to the ground and that’s important in terms of safety. It also allows Gokor’s free hand to replace his foot as it sweeps behind his partner’s legs. This is the second point of contact.
With proper weight displacement you can reduce how much of your weight will be on your partner’s leg. By following Gokor’s attack strategy you will find yourself in leg lock territory that is widely used today. To attack with the straight knee bar Gokor uses his leg to hook his partner’s to make them tilt. This allows Gokor to stash their leg deep into his armpit for the finish.
Take care of your training partners so you can practice more slick entries and leg locks with Gokor’s latest instructional! Grandmaster Leg Locks is a 4-part deep dive look at one of Gokor’s BEST techniques, and it’s available NOW!
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