TUTORIAL: 5 leg locks to do when passing guard

This video was first published on Evolve Vacation.

It doesn’t matter if you know every single leg lock there is. If you can’t pass guard, these leg locks are worthless. So the most important thing for you to practice, as a Jiu-Jitsu novice, is how to pass guard. Once you’ve got this down, then you can go ahead and execute your favorite leg locks.

Leg locks are some of the most essential techniques in Jiu-Jitsu. Knowing how to pass guard, obtain a more dominant position, is paramount to success. The leg lock is just a close second. But once you pass guard, now what?

Here are five leg locks you can do after the guard pass.

1) Straight ankle lock off the closed guard break

In BJJ, when you are in closed guard, normally you have to open the guard in order to execute any offense. A standard guard break comes into play, and all you need is a moment to execute this ankle lock.

2) Heel hook off the open guard

Twisting the heel into your opponent generates torque at the ankle and then on up to the knee. This is one of the most common heel hooks off open guard. Check out the video to see how the move is performed.

3) Estima lock off the reverse De La Riva guard

As your opponents become more accustomed to the open guard, it becomes more difficult to pass. Which is why the Estima lock works wonders. The video above shows the maneuver in detail.

4) Toehold off the z-guard

The z-guard, also known as the 93 guard, is a great position to launch a toehold from. When leg locks are fair game, it’s automatic to grab your opponent’s top side foot with your hand closest to them. Check out how it’s done in the video.

5) Half guard to knee bar

If passing the guard from half guard proves to be difficult, you can give your opponent a surprise leg lock by scooping their outside leg and stepping over their body, falling back from the knee bar.