50-50 Escape
Escape · Leg Locks
Frees your leg from 50/50 and gets you to your feet or into a pass. The moment is when he reaches for your heel. Point your toes and hide the heel behind his hip, away from his armpit and hands, so he cannot cup it for an inside heel hook. Grip his pants at the knee of the leg that crosses your hip and push that knee down to the mat with straight arms: the lock of his legs opens and your leg has room. Turn your knee away from his legs and pull out knee first, heel hidden until the foot is clear, then stand or keep his knee pinned and pass. Pulling before the lock is broken only drags the heel toward his hands. If he goes for an ankle lock, defend the leg lock; if the heel is caught, tap.
How to do it
- In 50/50, point your toes and hide your heel behind their hip, away from their armpit and hands. A heel behind their hip cannot be cupped for an inside heel hook.
- Grip their pants at the knee of the leg that crosses your hip. That leg is what locks your leg in the position.
- Push that knee down to the mat with straight arms to open the lock of the legs. When the knee drops, the triangle of their legs opens and your leg has room.
- Turn your knee away from their legs and pull your leg out, knee first, keeping the heel hidden until the foot is clear.
- With the leg free, come up to your feet or keep their knee pinned and pass to the side.
Key details
- The heel stays hidden the whole time: it is the handle for their heel hook.
- Break the leg lock first, then pull out: with their legs locked, pulling only drags the heel towards their hands.
- Both of you can attack from 50/50: be first to act, because whoever grips the heel first sets the pace.
- While you work, cross your own feet shallowly at the ankles, not in a figure-four: it covers the heel and makes it hard for them to split your legs.
- If you come up to stand, post a hand on their throat, thumb in, elbow connected to your knee, and lean your weight to your side: they cannot invert under you to the backside. Push, never squeeze the neck.
Common mistakes
- Pulling the leg out with their legs still locked. — The lock holds your knee, so the heel slides straight into their hands. — Push the knee of their top leg down to open the lock first.
- Leaving the heel outside their hip. — The heel is in front of them and they grab it for an inside heel hook. — Keep the heel behind their hip, toes pointed.
- Standing up with the leg still trapped. — Your weight rises over a trapped knee, they fall back and take the heel. — Free the leg before you stand.
- Coming up square and leaning forward. — They scoop your leg, invert to the backside and attack the heel from a stronger position. — Post on their throat, keep knee and elbow together and your weight to your side; put a hand or knee down if you lose balance.
If they defend
- They catch the heel. → Tap. Do not spin.
How to drill it
Start in 50-50 without finishing, 6 escapes each side, then 1-minute positional rounds.
Safety
Heel hooks in 50-50 injure the knee without warning: tap as soon as the heel is caught.
What comes next
Where it comes from