Foot Lock Defense (In The Gi) With An Armbar Counter

By Corey Kuropas, March 24, 2017

While you will mainly see leg locks done in the no gi arena of Jiu Jitsu, they happen quite frequently in the gi. In the IBJJF, some great wins have been done won by foot locks. But because they don’t happen as much in gi as no gi, you will see a lot of ignorance when it comes to defending these attacks. But foot locks are a very real danger even in the gi. So let’s take a look at how to defend against the foot lock while competing in the gi…

Foot lock prevention

The first way that you can defend a foot lock is by using good prevention. Good prevention is to always maintain a cross collar grip and a sleeve grip. The sleeve grip will prevent your opponent from cranking on your foot, while the collar grip will control his posture. The collar grip also doubles as a handle to pull yourself up if he sits back carelessly. The only other prevention tip is to be aware of where you put your foot when you roll. Don’t put yourself in a bad situation.

Maintain the collar & clear the foot

As I mentioned in the prevention tips, you have to maintain that collar grip. It will incredibly hard for anyone to really put a painful crank on your foot if you are correctly controlling your opponent’s upper body. When he sits back in ashi garami (or single leg x), you will need to move. Use your free hand to grab the toes of the foot that is on your hip. Pin the foot to the ground and move your butt/hips to sit over his foot. This will be the essential to defending this attack.

Grab the elbow, escape & get the armbar

Now that you are somewhat safe from the foot lock, you can not only work the escape, but also get a submission of your own! Quickly, you can take your hand off of his collar and then use it to cup his elbow. While you cup control his elbow, you need to move your hips up and over his now deflated ashi garami. Your free leg will need to come up as well and you will put your shin on the back of his neck. From there, you just turn your body and it will roll your opponent over onto his back and you can finish with a good ole armbar!

Foot lock defenses and counters are tough, but of course needed. While almost anyone can throw out a foot lock, actually defending it can be much tougher. A wrong move and you could get submitted. But once you learn these defenses and can apply them, you will no longer have to fear them. If you are looking to learn about the whole foot lock game then check out…

Hidden BJJ Secrets by foot lock master, Luiz Panza. Click here!