The heel hook is a twisting leg lock that turns the heel sideways while the knee and hip are trapped, so the torque goes through the ankle into the knee. It is the most respected and the most regulated submission in grappling.
- In BJJ: under IBJJF rules, legal only for adult brown and black belts in no-gi; banned in every gi division.
- Mechanics: BJJ Heroes describes it as controlling the knee and hip joints and the heel, then twisting the heel inward or outward so the torque transfers to the knee.
- History: BJJ Heroes records that heel hooks, kneebars and spinal locks were banned when BJJ became a sport in the early 1970s, and came back through no-gi events in the late 1990s.
Where does the heel hook come from?
BJJ Heroes traces the heel hook to Roman carvings and to the Japanese lineage of Takeo Yano in northeast Brazil, quoting José Gomes that the lock came to his brother Ivan Gomes from Yano's students. The same page quotes Pascoal Duarte on the stigma the early sport rules put on it: foot locks were seen as what you did when you could not pass a guard.
Inside and outside heel hook describe which way the heel turns.
How do you do a heel hook correctly?
- Control the leg first. Enter a leg entanglement with their knee trapped between your thighs and your legs pinching above the knee, so the hip and knee cannot turn.
- Find the heel. Catch their heel in the crook of your elbow, with your forearm along the sole of the foot and their toes pointing past your armpit.
- Lock the hands. Clasp your hands, or grab your own wrist, so the heel cannot slip out.
- Hide the foot. Keep their foot tight to your chest and your elbow low; a foot that comes free ends the attack.
- Turn slowly. Rotate your upper body away from their toes, turning the heel a few degrees at a time, until they tap.
The common mistake is turning the heel before the knee is controlled; your partner spins out and the torque lands on the knee ligaments with no warning. Control first, heel second, and turn slowly. On the receiving end, tap at the first rotation; the knee does not hurt until it is damaged.
Is the heel hook legal in BJJ and judo?
Under the IBJJF Rules Book's table of illegal moves, the heel hook is illegal in every gi division and legal only for adult brown and black belts in no-gi.
The same restriction covers other locks that twist the knee, knee reaping, and a toe hold with outward pressure on the foot.
In judo the IJF Sport and Organisation Rules allow joint locks on the elbow only; a lock on any other joint, such as ashi-garami on the leg, is hansoku-make.
Where can you use the heel hook?
BJJ Heroes notes the ADCC, EBI and Polaris formats as the places where the lock came back. Knee braces and rash guards for leg lock rounds are in our BJJ training gear.
Sources
- BJJ Heroes describes it, BJJ Heroes
- IBJJF Rules Book, IBJJF
- IJF Sport and Organisation Rules, International Judo Federation
Related terms
Straight ankle lock, Kneebar, Toe hold, 50/50 guard, No-gi, Joint locks.