Drill 5 of 5
Leg Lock Defense Basics
Recognize and escape basic leg lock threats.
How to practice
- Learn the alarm cues: any ashi garami or leg entanglement gets answered before the grip settles.
- Turn your foot to the outside and hide the heel the moment they attach to your leg.
- Clear the knee line first - your knee across their hips, away from the breaking mechanics.
- Practice the hitchhiker escape for the outside heel hook and the boot strip for the straight ankle lock.
- Finish with positional rounds starting in the entanglement - you score by extracting your leg clean.
Coaching cues
Stay balancedKeep guard/position safeMove with purposeReset cleanly
Common mistakes
- Rushing the drill
- Poor posture or guard
- No reset after the action
Video references
External YouTube references — third-party content, not affiliated.