50-50 Ankle Lock
Submission · Leg Locks
A straight ankle lock from 50-50: the bone of your forearm under the Achilles forces the foot into extension as you arch back. The moment is when he points his foot straight. First make sure your own heel is hidden, because in 50-50 your leg is in the same danger. Wrap his foot under your armpit on the side of his trapped leg, put the thumb-side edge of your forearm right under the heel, not on the calf, grab your wrist and pull the elbow to your ribs. Pinch your knees on his leg so the knee cannot turn: a turning knee takes the pressure off the ankle. Do not just fall back: pin his hip with your outside foot, push his thigh down with yours and turn to the side, lifting the ankle into your ribs slowly. If he turns away, switch to the kneebar from 50-50. Legal at all belts under IBJJF, but the ankle gives suddenly: arch slowly.
How to do it
- In 50-50, first make sure your own heel is hidden and your legs control their knee, then wrap their foot under your armpit on the side of their trapped leg.
- Put your forearm bone, the thumb-side edge, under the Achilles, right under the heel and not on the calf.
- Grab your own wrist to lock the arm, pull the elbow tight to your ribs, and squeeze your knees on their leg so the knee cannot turn.
- Keep their knee still with your legs: if they turn the knee or bend the leg, the foot slides out.
- Finish: do not just fall back. Pin their hip — your outside foot on it or folded under their glutes — push their thigh down with yours while the forearm lifts the ankle, then turn to the side, ribs into the ankle. Stop at the tap.
Key details
- Forearm low on the Achilles, right under the heel: the bone against the tendon is the lever.
- Your legs keep their knee still: a turning knee takes the pressure off the ankle and frees the foot.
- Legal at all belts under IBJJF.
- In 50-50 your leg is in the same danger, so keep your heel hidden while you lean back.
Common mistakes
- Forearm on the calf. — There is no lever on the ankle. — Slide the arm down under the heel.
- Letting their knee turn. — They free the foot by turning. — Pinch the knees on their leg.
- Leaning back with no leg control. — They slide their hip forward and the pressure disappears, and your own foot is open to their attack. — Pin their hip with your foot and their thigh with yours before you finish, and keep your own heel hidden.
If they defend
- They attack your foot back. → Hide your heel and finish before they do.
How to drill it
50-50 ankle lock, 8 each side, slowly.
Safety
Arch back slowly; the ankle gives suddenly.
What comes next
Where it comes from