Kneebar from 50-50
Chain finish · Leg Locks
The leg armbar from 50-50: his knee is straightened over your hips against the joint. The moment is when he rolls away from the inside heel hook toward his belly to hide the heel and straightens his leg. Follow his turn instead of fighting it, hug his leg with both arms and pull the ankle tight to your chest so he cannot bend it. Slide your hips just above his knee, on the back of the thigh, so the joint sits past your hips, pinch the thigh with your legs and keep his kneecap facing away from your hips. Extend the hips slowly while pulling the ankle back. If your hips are below the knee, the leg simply bends. If he turns the knee sideways, return to the inside heel hook. Brown and black belt only under IBJJF: extend very slowly.
How to do it
- From 50/50, when they turn away to their belly to free their heel, follow the turn with them, keeping their leg between your legs.
- Hug their leg with both arms, the heel by your shoulder, and pull the ankle tight to your chest so they cannot bend the leg or pull it back.
- Slide your hips just above their knee, onto the back of the thigh, and pinch the thigh between your legs: the knee joint sits just past your hips, which act as the pivot.
- Keep their kneecap pointing away from your hips; if it turns sideways, turn the leg with your arms until it faces away again.
- Finish: pull the ankle back toward your shoulder and extend your hips slowly forward into the back of the knee. The knee straightens over your hips; stop at the tap.
Key details
- The moment is their turn away: the turn that frees the heel from a heel hook straightens the leg and gives you the knee.
- Hips just above the knee, not below: the joint must be past the pivot, otherwise the leg just bends.
- Ankle hugged to your chest: it is the end of the lever, and if it moves they bend the knee and pull out.
- Extend slowly: the knee has very little room between fully straight and injury.
- Turn to face the back of his knee before you lock your legs: drop the bottom leg, pivot on the top one, get onto your shoulder and pull his leg high. Chopping your leg across his hamstring too early stops you turning.
- Keep his foot under your armpit and slide one hand under his kneecap: the bridge then goes through your hand straight into the knee joint, not into the thigh.
Common mistakes
- Letting them turn without following. — The leg slides out of the entanglement and they come up free. — Turn with them, keep the leg between your legs and hug the ankle at once.
- Hips below the knee. — There is no pivot, so the leg just bends. — Slide up until the knee is just past your hips.
- Extending with a jerk. — The knee goes from straight to injured with no time to tap. — Extend the hips gradually and stop at the first tap.
If they defend
- They sit up and grab your foot. → Finish faster, or roll with them to keep the angle.
How to drill it
Kneebar entries from ashi and 50-50, 6 each side; finish only on a partner who taps early.
Safety
Extend slowly and release on the tap; the knee has little room before ligaments tear. In the IBJJF, kneebars are allowed for brown and black belts only.
What comes next
Where it comes from