Luiza Panza, a member of the accomplished Checkmat team and ferocious competitor in his own right, shows off his patented straight foot lock in this week’s technique video. As one of the few leg locks that are generally legal in lower belt competitions it’s a valuable asset to have in order to attack the full body.
The Technique
The first thing Panza shows is how he grips the ankle and that he doesn’t want to make it too deep. He takes a shallow grip (with his opposite arm) with the blade of his elbow on the part of his leg, where the calf ends and the achilles tendon starts. At the same time he pinches his elbow inward to close space.
What Luiz shows next is foot placement. To prevent the opponent from leg locking him or coming forward, he places both feet on their chest. To finish the submission, he brings his hips close with the opponent’s, pinches his knees together on their leg, and extends his hips forward to get the tap.
Luiz’s straight foot lock is definitely one of the most effective and efficient leg locks in BJJ. He only needs one hand for the submission and can use the other as a base hand.
For more techniques like this check out our technique section and look for more videos added weekly.