Excuse Me, But I Believe This Is Your Foot: Footlocks at the IBJJF World Masters

 

It is a little hard to fully describe the energy in the Las Vegas Convention Centre as I walked in this morning to be part of this year's IBJJF World Masters Competition. On the first day the black belts from across the weight divisions meet on the mats to fight their way towards the gold medal and the podium. One thing you will notice are the jiu jitsu t-shirts with bulging biceps;another is the relative calmness in the how most of these competitors approach their six minutes on the mats. There were few triangles, and even few flying triangles, and many of the matches followed a steady formula of guard pull to a sweep or a pass from the opponent. What came next might be a battle for advantage points or stalling penalties to decide a match or what I considered to be a high percentage of submissions from a singular attack: the straight footlock.

Frankly, I was a little surprised to see this particular movement come forward as the number one submission in the Masters Division. I should be clear: I am not talking about exotic or acrobatic Ashi Garami heelhooks, but rather simple, perfectly timed footlocks. In most cases, these were applied at moments when the opponent was inching into positions only to have their foot cinched, knee controlled and with a tap coming in seconds. Toe Holds were often attempted as counters, but nothing ended matches more quickly than an unsuspected footlock. 

How to Defend the Leg Drag Going to the Straight Footlock

If you are needing to add this basic essential movement to your competition arsenal, then there is no better place to turn than Mikey Musumeci and his specific instructional from BJJ Fanatics unsurprisingly titled, High Percentage IBJJF Legal Footlocks. Unlike the complexity of John Danaher's Enter the System series or the heelhooking an expert like Craig Jones, Musumeci's techniques are en excellent way for new players to acquire basic knowledge of techniques that they can actually use in IBJJF competitions such as the World Masters event I attended today. 

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What I repeatedly saw were skilled black belts finding themselves rising up from a Half Guard Pass or post-sweep and then finding their foot placement to become encircled and a noose tightened almost imperceptibly and then it was too late to exit. Frankly, it was not what I was expecting to see at all, but that was the game that seemed to be trending hard on the mats this year. I would also have to admit that I witnessed a few well-known black belts scratching their heads and shrugging when it was all over. It will be very interesting to see if the brown and purple belts continue the trend tomorrow. Until then, either sharpen those Achilles' locks on your tool bench or maybe find the keys to opening them up before they run with your foot and that gold medal.

Mikey Musumeci is one of the most accomplished American Grapplers EVER! His High Percentage IBJJF LEGAL Footlocks instructional was on full display at the 2019 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP when he won his final’s match in 12 SECONDS! Let the man himself overhaul your legal leg lock game!

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