MMA and me; day 252

Leg locks!!! We are getting back into them, and I couldn't be happier. We started off with a few drills like spinning from our back into a guard with the opponent standing at our head, spinning off the wall, and then we went right into the Imanari entry to a heel hook. Laying on your back with your opponent standing at your head, you reach up with the right hand and grab the back of the opposite side knee from the inside. Roll up onto your shoulders and spin around so your left leg comes behind them, and your right leg scissors in front of them, using your momentum to take them down to their back side. From here, their left leg will be trapped between your knees, and you can cup the top of their knee to pull it in tight as you pinch your knees together to secure it. As you pinch your knees, the foot will pop out, just begging to be attacked. You can get a pretty nasty heel hook, but since those are not legal until just about the top levels of competition, we were instead working on Achilles, or straight ankle locks. For this, instead of reaching back and trapping the top of the foot and exposing the heel, shrimp your hips out a bit, and go all the way under the leg, putting the entire foot in your arm pit. Quickly shrimp back in, and pull your hand under the leg up to your chest and look back over the opposite side shoulder while arching your back for the tap.

A few things to remember: roll up onto your shoulders, and stay up there until you have completely spun around behind them and start sweeping them down. As you spin around behind them, I find it much easier to maintain good position if you pinch your knees before you get them all the way to the mat. This just makes it easier to secure the knee, and you don't have to do much readjustment once you hit the mat. You should be on your hip at all times once you come down off your shoulders, as it just helps give you the control and leverage you need when you're hunting for the ankle lock.

We next moved onto an entry from standing. As you control the feet, slide a hand to the inside of the knee, and as you push it to the mat, bring your same side knee in a crescent motion, in between the legs and over the thigh to the mat on the far side of their leg. Whip your other leg over the top and plant your foot on the mat, then slide it in underneath their body. This is very important! It helps secure their leg, but it also prevents them from attacking your top side leg. Keeping your boot on of the leg in between their leg, and pressing it flush against the middle of their backside, pull their knee in tight to your body, and scoot your hips in as close to theirs as you can. As you pinch your knees, much like before, it pops their foot up, and leaves it vulnerable. So like before, you reach under the leg, keep your palm flush against your chest, dig that radial bone into the Achilles tendon, and look over the far shoulder and arch. Glad to back into leg locks!