How to Properly Use a Roll to Defend a Heel Hook
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You Must Know How To Properly Roll Out Of Leg Locks...Great Details Below!
Heel hook defense can get really tricky. Its important to know if our attempts at escape are actually legitimate good choices, or if we’re are putting ourselves at further risk. Rolling to escape a heel hook can lead to further exposure of the heel. Even if your partner isn’t trying to inflict damage, you can actually do quite a bit on your own if you’re not well versed in escaping the positions.
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In this video Craig Jones and Lachlan Giles give us a look at how to correctly roll out of a heel hook and keep all of our ligaments intact. Have a look at this.
Jones begins with covering the outside heel hook. Right off the bat, he explains the dangers of rolling with the heel hook. This actually creates more exposure of the heel for our opponent to use against us. As Giles begins to search for the heel, Jones tucks it tightly under Giles’ body. This buries the heel for a moment and creates difficulty for our partner when he’s trying to expose the heel for the lock.
To escape the position, Jones uses his free leg as a wedge against his partners body. The leg can be placed anywhere you can find some stability. I thought finding the inside of his partner’s bicep with his own heel was a great spot to apply pressure. Once Jones finds a spot to plant his foot and create a wedge, he pushes and rolls toward the leg that’s trapped, freeing his knee line and escaping the position.
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Jones then moves to the saddle position. Keep in mind that only the entangled leg is trapped, and the other is free. In a very similar fashion to the outside heel hook, Jones tucks his heel under his partners body, and straightens his toes and his leg, again making the heel difficult to find. Jones begins to roll toward the trapped leg, and continues straightening his leg through the roll. He pushes with his opposite foot once again to help clear the trapped leg.
Keep in mind, these are escapes from heel hook set up positions. In both scenarios the heel has NOT been acquired yet. Once the heel has been caught, the method of escape will change. As Giles explains, once the heel has been caught these 2 options are literally the worst things you can do. Be safe!
For more from Craig Jones, check out Down Under Leg Attacks, his best-selling instructional where he shares his complete system of lower body submissions and set ups. You can get it here!
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