Ankle lock: how often it lands in real training
The ankle lock is the #11 submission in BJJBuddy logs, finished by 678 people and tapped to by 701. How it works, safety notes, and by belt.
Finished it. Got caught by it.
The same person can be in both groups. Across all logs, 2,422 finishes and 1,515 taps were recorded on separate training days.
Gi vs no-gi
1,885 finishes on days with a logged gi or no-gi session. Across all sessions the split is 51.5% gi.
The straight ankle lock (or footlock) puts pressure on the Achilles tendon and the top of the foot. It is legal at every belt in most rule sets, so it is the first leg lock most people learn. The app logs the Achilles lock variation separately.
How the ankle lock works
- Trap your partner’s leg with their foot in your armpit and your forearm under the Achilles.
- Control the leg with your knees: pinch them together or put your outside foot on their hip.
- Lock a grip with your hands, and turn the blade of your forearm into the Achilles.
- Arch back and lift the forearm slowly, falling to the side of the trapped leg.
Common mistakes
- Holding the forearm too low on the heel instead of on the Achilles.
- Letting their knee slip out, so they can step over and escape.
- Cranking fast: leg locks can injure before the partner feels pain, so go slow in training.
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.
How often each belt finishes it
Share of each belt’s users (among those who logged any submission) who have finished with it. Belt is the rank set in the app today.
How to read these figures
“Finished it” means a user logged this move as a submission they got. “Caught by it” means they logged tapping to it. The rank orders all 36 submissions by how many different people logged them either way. 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.