This month in my 10th Planet Van Nuys fundamentals class we are covering the straight ankle lock. This is one of my favorite fundamental leg locks to use and to teach. In addition to teaching the offense of this move, I will be teaching the defense.In the video below 10th Planet Brown Belt and Sambo wizard Chris Herzog breaks down the defense that I will be teaching. If you are not familiar with Chris and want to learn leg locks, you need to google his name ASAP!

What I like about Chris’ breakdown of the defense is his attention to detail. There are several little details in this video (i.e. how to boot properly) that I rarely see taught. For me one of the biggest keys to this defense is to make sure that you don’t rush. Rushing a move like this can be the difference between an escape and a tap. Chris offers a great analogy about climbing a rope that I think applies to all of Jiu Jitsu.