The lockdown is a half guard entanglement where both of your legs trap your partner's leg and stretch it out behind them to stop the pass. It is the base of the 10th Planet half guard game.
- History: bjjheroes.com describes the lockdown as a half guard move that Eddie Bravo labeled, listed with the rubber guard and the twister as the positions his system is built on.
- In BJJ: a no-gi half guard control. From it come the underhook, the electric chair sweep and the old-school sweep.
- What it does: stretching the trapped leg pulls their hips back and flattens their base, so they cannot drive forward to pass.
What is the lockdown?
From half guard, your outside leg goes under their trapped shin and hooks it from below. Your inside leg comes over the top of their calf, and your inside foot hooks under your own outside ankle, so the two legs form a figure-four around their leg. Once it is locked you extend both legs, which drags their trapped leg out straight behind them.
That stretch is the whole point. With their leg pulled back and their hips low, the top player loses the ability to drive their weight onto you, which gives you time to win the underhook and start sweeping.
How do you set the lockdown?
- Start in half guard on your side with one of their legs trapped between yours.
- Slide your outside foot under their shin so it hooks the leg from below.
- Bring your inside leg over the top of their calf and hook your inside foot under your own outside ankle, making a figure-four.
- Extend both legs together so their trapped leg stretches out behind them and their hips drop.
- Use the time it buys: get the underhook, come up to your elbow, and move to the electric chair or the old-school sweep.
The most common mistake is holding the lockdown as a resting position. A lockdown can load the knee hard, yours and theirs, when the top player drives or twists against the figure-four. Hold it for the seconds you need, sweep or move, and let it go when the angle gets ugly.
What do the rules say about the lockdown?
The IBJJF Rules Book treats it as a half guard: the top player scores the 3-point pass only once past the legs into side control or north-south for three seconds, and the bottom player scores 2 for a sweep.
How do you look after your knees in the lockdown?
If you have a knee that has already been hurt, treat the lockdown with respect and read Returning to BJJ After an Injury before you build it into your game. Our BJJ training gear has the kit for careful rounds.
Sources
- Bjjheroes.com describes, BJJ Heroes
- IBJJF Rules Book, IBJJF
Related terms
Half guard, Rubber guard, Twister, Deep half guard, Sweep, Knee brace.