Heel Hook From Butterfly Guard For BJJ By Craig Jones

Posted by Matt Bryers on February 28, 2019

Craig Jones is one of the best grapplers in the world today and he is notorious for his "Down Under" leg attacks!

This history of the heel hook in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu begins in the 1960s with the grappler Ivan Gomes. Having trained with Master Carlson Gracie, Ivan was the first Brazilian fighter to become a big star in Japan. But the heel hook did not have a meteoric rise to fame like Ivan did. For many years it was rules out of jiu jitsu, being banned from training and competition, and also seen as rude or lacking in technique. In modern days, the heel hook is one of the most effect submissions when it comes to lower leg attacks, and because of that, many high level competitors such as Craig Jones are infamous for their leg locks.

Submission only style of competition seems to suit Jones’ jiu jitsu best, as he possesses a high understanding of the leg attack game. In fact, seven of his 11 victories this year have come by way of heel hook. Known to pull guard rather than elect for top position, this strategy has allowed him to climb deep into several recent no-gi tournaments, including EBI and the prestigious ADCC Championship.

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Craig Jones is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt fighting out of Austrailia and for the Absolute MMA Academy. Craig took the BJJ community by storm after an outstanding competitive run in 2017. Although many people claim he had a rapid rise to stardom, there early signs of his future success. For instance Craig won the No Gi worlds as a purple belt in 2015. Craig is known for his vicious lower body attacks, aggressive style, and calm demeanor. Some of his biggest accomplishments are IBJJF No Gi World Champion Purple Belt 2015, AFBJJ Pan Pacific Champion weight and absolute Purple Belt 2014, EBI Absolute Finalist, UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Pro Bronze Medalist Brown Belt, Multiple time EBI veteran, ADCC veteran, 3x ADCC Trials Winner and much more.

Not only is Jones a remarkable competitor, he is also a world class teacher. His instructional series “Down Under Leg Attacks” includes tons of lower body attacks that have been tested at the highest level of international competition. Heel hooks are one of Craig’s favorite submissions that he likes to go for when playing butterfly guard. If you love leg locks then this technique is for you. So let’s see how it is done. Watch the video below and then we will break down Craig Jone’s heel hook from butterfly guard for BJJ. Check it out now!

Crazy Inside Heel Hook Setup From Craig Jones

Craig Jones has a secret weapon in jiu jitsu -- his leg lock system. It Is a System that is very easy to learn, just as we saw in this video demonstration. Craig uses a modified butterfly guard position that works like reverse X guard. He uses both hooks on one leg to create pressure. From here Jones takes an under hook on the same side as his hooks. As he takes the under hook, Jones scoots his butt up to his training partner’s knee. This allows Jones to feed his arm inside and grab his opponent’s toes in order to prevent being sprawled on. At this point Jones lifts and elevates his opponent and extends his legs through. He places his left knee behind his opponent’s knee and rolls him over into inside sankaku, finishing in the saddle position for an inside heel hook.

As you can tell, this is a great heel hook, especially if you love to play butterfly. Craig Jones is notorious for his leg lock system, a system he shares in the amazing instructional series “Down Under Leg Attacks.” So if you love leg attacks, and you liked this technique then be sure to give it a try and check out Craig’s leg attack instructional series available exclusively on BJJFanatics.com!