Check Out This Slick Foot Lock by Warren Brooks

By Ismail Safi, March 21, 2019

Although Jiu Jitsu practitioners are all now starting to learn leg locks as a general addition to the curriculum, it was once taboo to attack leg locks in grappling. Then some grapplers started using them to submit very high level opponents. These leg lockers initially received some criticism but after realizing how effective they are, everyone wanted to learn.

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One of the first grapplers to popularize leg locks was Dean Lister, but even then, they didn’t explode to the level that they are at today. It wasn’t until the widely respected Danaher Deathquad, guys like Garry Tonon and Gordon Ryan expanded on the leg attacks and began tapping every grappler. After this, every Jiu Jitsu practitioner was either racing to learn them or criticize their use.

At this time, I think every grappler should become proficient in attacking the legs. As John Danaher once said, “Why ignore 50% of the human body?” Nothing more true has been said regarding attacking submissions like knee bars, ankle locks, and the infamous heel hooks.

One position people don’t generally think about attacking leg locks from is top half guard. The main option people think about from top half guard is toe hold, which is not very effective from here. However, the toe hold isn’t the only option.

Warren Brooks is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor training in Portland, Oregan. After a to Warren’s academy, Bernardo became a fan once he saw all the cool and unique leg attacks Warren uses.

In the following video, Warren illustrates a very slick foot lock you can attack when passing the guard and stopping in half guard. See below:

The technical mechanic of this leg attack resembles a toe hold. For this leg lock to secure a tap from your opponent, it is essential that the toes are being pushing the opposite direction the heel is going. This small movement will sprain or tear the ligaments holding some of the small ligaments in the leg.

Because this submission comes in relatively quickly, I recommend taking it slowly at the academy to prevent an injury. Also, if you have a new student at the academy, avoid doing this technique to them because if they spaz out against you, they might make it worse for themselves.

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