Ankle pick: how BJJ players use it
The ankle pick is the #4 takedown in BJJBuddy logs: 491 people have logged it. How it works from a collar tie and who uses it by belt.
Where it ranks.
People who logged each takedown at least once.
Logged, not scored.
BJJBuddy records which takedowns people work in training. It doesn’t record who took whom down, so these pages show how widely each takedown is used, not how often it succeeds.
The ankle pick pulls your partner’s weight onto one leg with a collar or head grip, then picks the ankle out from under them. It needs little strength and suits grapplers who don’t want to shoot.
How the ankle pick works
- Get a collar tie or a grip on the back of the head.
- Snap or pull their head toward the leg you will pick, so their weight lands on it.
- Step in at an angle and drop your far hand to pick their heel.
- Keep pushing with the head grip as you lift the ankle, and follow them down.
Common mistakes
- Going for the ankle without loading their weight onto it first.
- Bending at the waist instead of stepping in and lowering your hips.
- Letting go of the head grip, which takes away the off-balance.
Learn and drill techniques with a qualified coach and a cooperative partner, and let go the moment your partner taps. This overview is not a substitute for live instruction.
Who logs it, by belt
People at each belt who logged this takedown. Belt is the rank set in the app today.
How to read these figures
The rank orders all 31 takedowns by how many different people logged them. From BJJBuddy training logs, November 2015 to November 2026. Duplicate uploads are removed, so a session is one person on one training day. Each person counts once per technique. Groups smaller than 10 people are not shown.