The kneebar is a straight leg lock that extends the knee over the hips, the way an armbar extends the elbow, with the leg trapped between your legs. It attacks the knee joint in a straight line, with no twist.
- In BJJ: under IBJJF rules, legal for adult brown and black belts, in the gi and no-gi.
- History: BJJ Heroes records that the kneebar was among the positions banned when BJJ became a sport in the early 1970s, together with heel hooks and spinal locks.
- In competition: BJJ Heroes lists kneebar wins on Jeff Glover's record at EBI in 2014.
What is a kneebar?
Everything you know about the armbar transfers. The hips are the fulcrum under the joint, the limb is pinched between your thighs, the end of the limb is pulled to your chest, and the finish is a hip extension. The main difference is size: a leg is stronger than an arm, so the control before the finish matters more and the finish itself needs very little force once the hips are in place.
How do you do a kneebar correctly?
- Isolate a leg. From top half guard, from the back or from a leg entanglement, bring one of their legs between yours and face their feet.
- Set the hips. Place your hips directly on the front of their knee, the kneecap against your lower belly, with your legs pinching their thigh.
- Hug the leg. Wrap both arms around their lower leg and pull the foot to your chest, their heel against your shoulder or trapped under your armpit.
- Lock the position. Cross your feet or triangle your legs over their hip so they cannot turn the knee out and roll.
- Extend slowly. Squeeze your knees, pull the foot to your chest and arch your hips forward until they tap.
The common mistake is letting their knee slide off your hips during the entry, so you pull on a bent leg that can still turn. Hips on the kneecap first, then the arch, slowly. Tap early on the bottom: the knee gives little warning.
Is the kneebar legal in BJJ?
Under the IBJJF Rules Book's table of illegal moves, the kneebar is illegal for everyone under 18 and for adult white, blue and purple belts, and legal for adult brown and black belts in the gi and in no-gi.
Calf slicers and bicep slicers sit on the same line of the table.
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.
How do you get to the kneebar?
The two most common entries are the spin from top half guard, when they lift a knee to recover, and the roll from the back when they stand up with your hooks in. Both finish in the same position, so drill the finish first, then the entries. Knee braces and spats for leg lock rounds are in our BJJ training gear.
Sources
- BJJ Heroes records, BJJ Heroes
- BJJ Heroes lists kneebar wins, BJJ Heroes
- IBJJF Rules Book, IBJJF
- IJF Sport and Organisation Rules, International Judo Federation
Related terms
Straight ankle lock, Heel hook, Toe hold, Half guard, Armbar, Joint locks.