Straight Ankle Lock

What it is

The straight ankle lock is a submission that bends the foot toward the shin: their foot is trapped under your armpit, the blade of your wrist is on the achilles, and your hips drive forward. It is the one leg lock allowed at every belt and the top player's answer to a lazy foot in open guard. It is a straight lock, with no twisting of the knee, which is what makes it safe to drill at white belt.

When to use it

• From open guard on top, when their foot is left straight and loose between your legs.
• When they try to push you away with a foot on your hip or shoulder.
• When a pass stalls and their leg is already between your knees.

How to do it

1. Trap their foot under your armpit, with their heel in your armpit and your elbow tight to your ribs.
2. Put the blade of your wrist across the achilles tendon, just above the heel, and grip your other hand in a figure four or a palm to palm grip.
3. Sit back, with one foot on their hip and the other leg inside, knee pointing up and your knee pinched to their leg.
4. Keep their toes pointing up so the lock stays straight and the knee stays out of it.
5. Arch your back and drive your hips forward slowly until they tap.

Key details

• This is a straight ankle lock. Never twist the foot or turn the hip across the knee, that is a heel hook and it is not allowed.
• The blade of the wrist goes on the achilles, not on the top of the foot.
• Elbow tight to the ribs so the heel cannot slip free.
• Finish with the hips and back, slowly. Ankles give very little warning before injury.
• Keep their knee controlled with your inside knee pinched, so they cannot stand up.

Common mistakes

• Mistake: a loose elbow. Their heel slips out and they come on top of you.
• Mistake: lying flat and pulling with the arms. They sit up, free the foot and pass.
• Mistake: cranking fast. You injure the ankle before they can tap.
• Mistake: turning your body toward their free leg to add pressure. That twists the knee instead of the ankle, and in competition it is a foul.

What they will try

• The escape: they turn the knee, point the toes and boot the foot through past your armpit, so the heel never locks in. Keep your elbow tight to your ribs to stop it.
• Once the foot is through, they put their free foot on your hip, sit up and come up on top. Keep your inside knee pinched so they cannot stand.
• When you are the one caught, escape early with the same steps, and tap if the heel is already locked in the armpit.

Gi and no-gi

The lock is the same with or without the gi. In no-gi there are no trouser grips, so the elbow and the knee pinch must do all the holding.