How To Finish The Straight Ankle Lock No Matter How Your Opponent Defends

Straight Knee Ankle Lock by Mikey Musumeci

In the world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, nothing is more respected, revered, and fear than leg locks. Believe it or not, there was a time in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu when attacking the legs was taboo. High level Brazilian Jiu jitsu players over time eventually realized that it did not make sense to ignore half of the body and started working on a new approach to attacking the legs. Guys like John Danaher, Eddie Cummings, Gordon Ryan, Gary Tonon, Tom DeBlass (also known as members of the notorious Danaher Death squad) and more completely revolutionized the sport by implementing leg lock submissions. With this explosion in popularity came many more adopters of leg logs, and many more ways to innovate on the technique. /*

-Nowadays everyone is trying leg locks. The concepts are intermediate movements for the most part and are generally taught to Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioners at blue belt or higher. Generally, leg locks are not taught at a white belt level and are banned from competition. But that does not mean you should be exploring and thinking about leg locks. Eventually you will be exposed to a BJJ player who loves attacking leg locks, so you should at least be familiar with them.

There are many different types of leg locks you can go for. Some of the common types of leg locks are the straight ankle lock, the knee bar, the calf slicer, the toe hold, and the heel hook. Today Mikey Musumeci is here to share with us one of his revolutionary leg lock techniques, the straight knee ankle lock. Michael Musumeci, also known as Mikey Musumeci, is an accomplished Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Gilbert “Durinho” Burns and Jonatas “Tagarela” Gurgel. Mikey is part of a new up and coming generation of black belt super stars on the competitive circuit. He made a name for himself while competition in lower belt divisions and winning sequential world titles. Musumeci’s game is a great example of a very modern style of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu game. His grappling techniques rely heavily on positions and movements such as the berimbolo and the crab ride. Mikey is the 4th US national to conquered an IBJJF world title in the male black belt division. His is also the first American to win this title two times in their career.

Never Have Your Guard Passed Again &Sharpen Up Your Back Takes Like Never Before – Taught By The Most Accomplished American Grappler Of All Time: Mikey Musumeci

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The list of Mikey’s accolades is long. Some of his main accomplishments are: IBJJF World Champion (2018 and 2017), IBJJF Pan American Champion (2016), IBJJF American National Champion (2016 and 2015), IBJJF World No Gi Champion (2016), UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Pro Champion (2017), and UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Grand Slam LA Champion (2016). Mikey is well known for his IBJJF legal lower body attacks. Let us take a look at his straight knee ankle lock. Watch the video below of Mikey demonstrating the straight knee ankle lock and then we will break down his technique. Check it out now!

The first thing Mikey Musumeci does his secure his training partner’s ankle and switch to his side to get into the ankle lock position. He starts bringing his body over his training partner’s leg to get for the submission. In this case, your opponent will naturally counter by opening up your hip and turn you to the opposite side. When your training partner closes his knee it changes the angle of his hip, which changes all the pressure on his knee and ankle as everything (his ankle, hip and knee) is now inline. This means you need to change the direction of the pressure to be straight on with your training partner’s leg. Instead of going at an angle you want to open your elbow up, gripping your gi to adjust your position and extend your body straight back. Notice that it does not take much to hit this submission. If you are struggling to get it try pushing your chest out more.

Your elbow and your forearm are very important when hitting this submission technique. You want to make sure your elbow is opening and your forearm is the “blade” behind your opponent’s ankle. By pushing down with your elbow you force more pressure with your forearm which is what causes the tap (or snap!). Remember to arch your back and bring your shoulders to the mat as you push your training partner’s knee up. Just look at how much pressure this puts on your training partner’s leg. You are using three different points to create an immense amount of pressure, which makes this submission feel effortless. It does not require a lot of strength to hit Mikey’s ankle lock submission. As you can tell, he is not the biggest guy… which is great, because that means anyone of any body type can do this technique. It just takes precision technique and timing.

What I like the most about this straight knee ankle lock from Mikey Musumeci is that it uses your training partner’s natural defense against the straight ankle lock to hit this submission. It is important to remember in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu that you always want to keep moving. You move for the ankle lock, your opponent moves with a counter, you should flow with that and move into another submission attempt. This is the perfect example of “flowing” with your opponent and seeking submissions with every opportunity you get. You will definitely want to add this submission to your bag of tricks, as it is less common and more likely to work, especially against a training partner who is really experienced with leg locks. Thank you Mikey Musumeci for demonstrating this technique for us here today!

Mikey shows all his best guard tactics, traps, and attacks as he leads you through a guard player masterclass!  Mike, who is not only a genius on the mat but in the classroom as well, has turned Jiu Jitsu into his own laboratory.  He understands that the best way to retain your guard is to learn how to stop every pass!  He will tell you, as if you are there… the tips and tricks to stop every pass.  Once you know how, all you have to do is do it!

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