Calf Slicer
Submission · Leg Locks
A compression lock on the knee: your shin is wedged deep behind his knee, and folding the leg over it pries the joint apart. It comes from the saddle when he keeps his knee bent to stop the heel hook or kneebar. Put your shin deep in the fold of his knee, not on the calf muscle, grab his foot near the toes so he cannot straighten the leg and slide it free, and keep your hips close so the shin stays deep. Finish by folding the leg over your shin, pulling his foot slowly toward his thigh. On the calf muscle it only hurts and the joint is not loaded. If he straightens the leg, switch to the kneebar; if he turns into you, take the back. The ligaments give with little warning: brown and black belt only under IBJJF, compress slowly.
How to do it
- Put your shin deep behind their knee, in the fold of the joint, not on the calf muscle.
- Grab their foot high, near the toes rather than at the ankle, so they cannot straighten the leg and slide it free: the further out the grip, the less pull you need.
- Keep your hips close to their leg so the shin stays deep in the fold and works as a wedge.
- Keep their knee bent around your shin: the wedge sits between the calf and the back of the thigh.
- Finish: fold the leg over your shin, slowly pulling the foot toward their thigh. The shin pries the knee joint open; stop at the first tap.
Key details
- Your shin works as a wedge behind the knee: folding the leg over it pries the joint apart.
- Deep behind the knee, not on the calf muscle: on the muscle it only hurts and the joint is not loaded.
- Fold slowly: the knee takes the load, and the ligaments give way with little warning.
- Lace or figure-four your legs around his leg; for more pressure, step your free foot onto your own foot and push through.
Common mistakes
- The shin too low on the calf. — On the calf muscle it only hurts; the knee is not folded. — Put the shin deep behind the knee, in the fold.
- No grip on the foot. — Without a grip they straighten the leg and it slides free. — Grip the foot near the toes before you fold the leg.
- Squeezing fast. — The knee is injured before they have time to tap. — Compress slowly and stop at the first tap.
- Leaving your arm inside his legs. — From the turtle or the truck he can grab your wrist and turn the position into an armbar, and he wins that race. — Keep both arms outside his leg, or finish before he can grab the wrist.
How to drill it
Calf slicer setup from the truck or back, 6 reps; finish only on a partner who taps early.
Safety
Brown and black belt only under IBJJF. Compress slowly.
What comes next
Where it comes from