Know that saying: “Why would you ignore 50% of the human body?” It was made popular by John Danaher…
But it was actually Dean Lister that Danaher heard it from first.
So, it’s suffice to say that any advice about Leg Locks from Dean Lister is great advice.
Which is exactly what he shared in an interview with BJJEE!
Here’s what he had to say about one of the key elements of improving your Leg Lock game – the positional sparring:
One of the best tips that I have for Leg Locks or other submissions is to do much more positional sparring.
This is so that you can take a chance, and if you make a mistake then you can simply restart.
This will help with your confidence.For example, let’s say that I am starting on top with open guard – if I pass, then good, I will restart.
If I get a Leg Lock, good, I shall restart.If I fall over and lose the Leg Lock, ok – restart.
Then if I am swept, well, okay, let’s restart…This is how much training repetition should be done in order to develop skills.
But even more so, Lister emphasizes that Heel Hooks shouldn’t be your only focus:
I wouldn’t focus specifically on Heel Hooks, because they are something that must be done responsibly; in order not to hurt yourself or your training partners.
You should study all Leg Lock variants and you should learn how to combine them with sweeps from the bottom and with guard passing from the top.
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