Legs

Today will be my first Vancouver Jiu-Jitsu class that is focused on Leg Locks.

I have attended about 180 classes in Los Angeles, a half dozen Gracie seminars, and about 30 more classes in Arizona and Palm Springs. None has addressed Leg Locks, except an hour or two section of a Rener Gracie seminar once.

I am no rookie to the subject, having covered the prescribed curriculum at home on the subject many times. I am, however, not confident in the topic.

I can handle any leg attacks that my local friends try on me, and haven’t run into much of such technique when travelling. I don’t try and execute these attacks much, as they certainly are not something natural for me.

And now in Vancouver they are just starting several months of non-stop Leg work.

It will do me a world of good.

The instructor there, Marc Marins, was a world-class competitor, and is as knowledgeable as instructors come. I cannot help but come away with a fundamentally changed Leg game, both offensively and defensively.

Part of both my hesitancy and fascination with Leg Locks is because of how incredibly dangerous they are. Many schools don’t teach them at all.

Students who learn the attacks are normally quite comfortable already with chokes, arm bars, and shoulder attacks. Applying a toe hold, or leg lock, knee attack, or heal hook with the same level tension can do major damage.

Students are also used to defending against upper body attacks, and have it ingrained to tap when the discomfort reaches a certain point.

With legs, that is far too late. The damage comes well before anything has started to hurt.

It is only safe when the attacker doesn’t really apply at all, and the defender is willing to tap super early.

Let’s say you get a heal hook on me. You shouldn’t do more than get your arms into position, and not apply at all, and I should immediately tap. I should then say that I want to try an escape, and you let me try while you attempt and maintain your position, but still not apply at all. During that whole exercise we should both accept that should you yank on my foot, my entire knee would disassemble most horribly.

What often happens instead is the heal hook is in place, and some pressure is put into it. Damage starts to occur, and the defender tries to escape, as it doesn’t really hurt yet, so the attacker increases pressure, and boom.....the knee collapses. Both attacker and defender are surprised, shocked and horrified.

It should all be taught under a highly-qualified instructor. At home, Shawn Phillips clearly outlines the danger and insists on safety first. Marc in Vancouver will likely take us deeper down into the rabbit hole, but in an equally safe manner.

I fully expect to come away fundamentally changed as a Jiu-Jitsu player.

As recently as two months ago, I foolishly thought I was pretty competent in Back Mount. Then came a few weeks of mat work at Gracie University in LA all focused on Back, followed by a month-and-a-half on the topic in Vancouver. My big discovery was that, while I knew the vast majority of the technique, I didn’t a have a clue as to what to do with it, either offensively or defensively.

I got rebuilt. Take my back now, and you’d better be good or you won’t have it long. If I get your back, you’d better know how to defend, or you will be promptly forced to tap.

I fully expect that my Leg game will change to something similar.