Lachlan Giles Cleans House at Kinektic with The Inside Heel Hook

Lachlan Giles had a phenomenal performance this past weekend at Kinektic.

He managed to defeat all five of his first-round opponents, not allowing the rest of his team a chance to step on the mat. He also avenged a previous loss at a Polaris event by submitting Mansher Khera. It was a great night for Giles and his leg game was certainly on display as he was able to finish 4/5 opponents with an inside heel hook and one by arm bar. 

Leg Locks Are A Real Threat! Learn Them Now! Click Learn More below!

LEARN MORE

Giles has a very well-rounded game, but at Kinektic it was the lower body portion of his BJJ toolbox that really shined, particularly the inside heel hook. When a high level BJJ athlete acquires an inside heel hook, you don’t have a lot of time to weigh your options. The injury from this particular submission can be devastating and can put a career on hold for many months. Giles has developed his inside heel hook to be one of his greatest assets. He cultivated a very efficient and dangerous inside heel hook game and he demonstrated just that at Kinektic on Friday night. 

Giles has released quite a bit of content on the subject. There are videos dealing with the acquisition, execution, and safety when performing the inside heel hook, all available to assist us in understanding the submission on a higher level. Let’s dig into some of this content and see if we can begin to comprehend how Giles has created such a strong inside heel hook game and how we can use it to further our own conquest of the inside heel hook. 

This seems like the perfect place to start. Inside heel hook set up and safety. Have a look!

Giles begins with expressing the importance of having control over the leg before we can even begin to think about the submission. Keeping his partner’s knee line will be paramount to pursuing the finish. Giles refers to the entanglement here as the saddle. You can see how the legs are looped here and how Giles has constructed a triangle with his legs to secure the position. Giles warns against extending the legs here for control, as this may allow his partner more freedom to free the knee. Instead he pulls everything in tight, constricting movement and marinating that important knee line. 

Here, Giles opts to take the leg topside to begin attacking it. He especially prefers this method for those of us just beginning to learn the technique. Here he uses his hips to create a bend in the knee. This makes it difficult for his partner to pull his leg free. Pinching the toes closer to his triceps than the armpit, Giles begins to clamp down on the foot. He then hooks the heel with the blade of his forearm, trapping the foot in a triangle formation, and making the slip very difficult for his partner. Here, Giles secures a gable grip. Note that the arm that has acquired the foot is configured with the palm facing down. With very little motion Giles tucks the toes toward the mat with a bit of rotation and easily commands the tap. 

Where safety is concerned, Giles recommends trying to apply the submission with one arm, when you begin to learn it. This is due to the incredibly small window that your partner is given to tap, before the risk of injury sets in. The injury from this submission has the ability to take you away from the mat for an extended period of time. Respect the fact that there is not a lot of time between the thought process of escape and injury, especially among those just beginning to learn this type of submission. 

In this next video, Giles presents us with a =n inside heel hook from 50/50. Check it out!

Beginning this bit of instruction with an entry from the knee on belly position, Giles supports the underside of his partners leg and hip with his hands as the top player enters in to the position. Here, he begins to transition to a north south position. As he spins under and achieves position, he begins to weave his leg around his partners leg and securing the 50/50 by pushing his hips forward a bit and sitting his partner down. 

If his partner chooses to remain standing, which is not the best idea according to Giles, Giles makes a triangle with his legs and tucks the free-floating foot behind his partners back to keep it safe from any danger. As He begins to elevate his hips and points his knees in toward the trapped leg, Giles is able to only being his partner to the mat, but also acquire the heel in the process. 

Let Craig Jones tighten up your leg lock game!

LEARN MORE

Giles covers some of the very same intricacies here as in the last video with the securing of the foot. Using his elbow as a toll to guide the foot, Giles again, pinches the toes closer to his triceps and supports the heel with the blade of his wrist closer to the hand. Again, for the connection of the hands, the free hand is palm up and the other palm down to complete the grip. Reiterating the idea of a crunch in toward the foot and rotation rather than pulling the limb across the body, Giles easily produces a tap. 

Running in to trouble here in the from of the passer putting lots of weight to the front foot can be problematic, but Giles has an answer for this particular problem. As his partner fights to keep from being swept, Giles reaches for the opposite leg and begins to rotate his body heading toward it. This causes the leg that Giles wishes to attack to become light and eventually begin to lift from the mat. This exposes the heel and allows Giles an opportunity to catch it here. With the same mechanics, Giles can now secure this dangerous submission. This is really slick. I love how this rotation causes his partner to give up the heel due to the simple mechanics of Giles movement. This is a great option for those sitting heavy to defend the acquisition of the heel. 

Coming off the heels of an incredibly impressive performance at Kinektic, Giles has shown us that the heel hook and the leg game is alive and well, and is still continuing to evolve. Giles continues to cement himself as a top tier BJJ athlete and one of the greatest instructors of our time. Congratulations on an amazing performance Lachlan Giles!

Learn leg locks from the legendary ADCC and EBI veteran Craig Jones Check out Craig's widely popular Down Under Leg Attacks to change your game forever.

BUY NOW