No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu

Inside heel hook

Category: Joint lock Rank: #2 Used Count: 643

Overview

The inside heel hook is one of the most powerful and dangerous leg locks in modern no-gi jiu-jitsu. Applied from cross ashi garami leg entanglements such as inside sankaku or 50/50, it targets the structures of the knee, especially the medial ligaments and meniscus, by rotating the heel and twisting the lower leg against a trapped thigh and hip line. When fully applied, it can cause serious damage in a very short amount of time.

In today’s leg-lock–heavy meta, the inside heel hook sits at the center of many advanced systems used by high-level competitors. It is valued not just for its finishing power but also for the way it forces clear, predictable defensive reactions that can be used to transition to other attacks, back takes, or dominant passing positions.

Related Techniques

Cross ankle lock, Outside heel hook, Straight ankle lock, Toe hold

INSIDE HEEL HOOK ATHLETES (RANKS 1–20)

Rank	Athlete	Count
1	Oliver Taza	42
2	Julian Espinosa	26
3	Garry Tonon	22
4	Kieran Kichuk	20
4	PJ Barch	20
5	Jason Rau	19
6	Max Hanson	16
7	Craig Jones	14
8	Keith Krikorian	13
9	Lachlan Giles	12
10	Gordon Ryan	11
11	Deandre Corbe	10
12	Joao Assonitis	9
12	Jon Calestine	9
12	Elisabeth Clay	9
12	Eddie Cummings	9
12	David Garmo	9
13	Gavin Corbe	8
13	Cole Abate	8
13	Daniel Manasoiu	8
13	Abraham La Montagne	8
13	Chris Wojcik	8
14	Jacob Couch	7
14	Dominic Mejia	7
14	Alan Sanchez	7
14	Johnny Tama	7
15	William Tackett	6
15	Elijah Carlton	6
15	Jon Blank	6
15	Joshua Flores	6
15	Placido Santos	6
16	Nick Ronan	5
16	Pawel Jaworski	5
16	Kyle Boehm	5
16	Eoghan O'Flanagan	5
17	Diego Oliveira	4
17	Diego Ortiz	4
17	Nicky Ryan	4
17	Shay Montague	4
17	Luccas Lira	4
17	Pedro Marinho	4
17	Pierre-Olivier Leclerc	4
17	Geo Martinez	4
17	Mateusz Szczecinski	4
17	Giancarlo Bodoni	4
17	Taylor Pearman	4
17	Dean Lister	4
17	Luke Griffith	4
18	Fabyury Khrysthyan	3
18	Keenan Cornelius	3
18	Kaynan Duarte	3
18	Felipe Machado	3
18	Kade Ruotolo	3
18	Frank Rosenthal	3
18	Izaak Michell	3
18	Helena Crevar	3
18	Danielle Kelly	3
18	Reese LaFever	3
18	Mayssa Bastos	3
18	Amanda Bruse	3
18	Renato Canuto	3
18	Lucas Kanard	3
18	Landon Elmore	3
18	Roosevelt Sousa	3
18	Raajus Dewan	3
18	Bernardo Albuquerque	3
18	Joao Miyao	3
18	Ethan Crelinsten	3
18	Kevin Beuhring	3
18	Jasmine Rocha	3
18	Jalen Fonacier	3
19	Jeremy Skinner	2
19	Adam Benayoun	2
19	Andrew DeGraff	2
19	Andrew Tackett	2
19	Andy Murasaki	2
19	Bobby Sandhu	2
19	Charles Negromonte	2
19	Christian Frillici	2
19	Damien Anderson	2
19	Daniel Sathler	2
19	Dante Leon	2
19	Declan Moody	2
19	Fabian Ramirez	2
19	Gabriel Sousa	2
19	Gianni Grippo	2
19	Haisam Rida	2
19	Aaron Johnson	2
19	Kenta Iwamoto	2
19	Mica Galvao	2
19	Michael Sainz	2
19	Owen Jones	2
19	Patrick Gaudio	2
19	Paul Ardila	2
19	Ryan Aitken	2
19	Ryan Hall	2
19	Sean Yadimarco	2
19	Steffen Banta	2
19	Tim Spriggs	2
19	Travis Haven	2
19	Vagner Rocha	2
20	Fellipe Andrew	1
20	Kade Tsitos	1
20	Kaua Gabriel	1
20	Felipe Costa	1
20	Faris Ben-Lamkadem	1
20	Evan Leve	1
20	Sebastian Attard	1
20	Ethan Vistro	1
20	Enrico Cocco	1
20	Ellis Hodge	1
20	Diogo Reis	1
20	Davis Asare	1
20	Levi Jones-Leary	1
20	David Porter	1
20	David Evers	1
20	Dave Weston	1
20	Maia Matalon	1
20	Marcin Maciulewicz	1
20	Mateusz Mazur	1
20	Daniel Schuardt	1
20	Daniel Amorim	1
20	Claire North	1
20	Adam Wardzinski	1
20	Tye Ruotolo	1
20	Mike Hillebrand	1
20	Mikey Musumeci	1
20	Nicholas Ortiz	1
20	Chuy Magana	1
20	Brett Moyer	1
20	Nikolai Vetrov	1
20	Nikolay Vetrov	1
20	Noah Wyatt	1
20	Brandon Reed	1
20	Tarik Hopstock	1
20	Paige Borras	1
20	Paige Ivette	1
20	Achilles Rocha	1
20	Aaron Sheffield	1
20	Paulo Miyao	1
20	Ben Swainston	1
20	Augusto Mendes	1
20	Andy Varela	1
20	Andrew Kochel	1
20	Andre Galvao	1
20	Quentin Rosensweig	1
20	Ana Mayordomo	1
20	Rana Willink	1
20	Alex Hernandez	1
20	Adrian Nez	1
20	Riki Yoshinaga	1
20	Roberto Abreu	1
20	Roberto Jimenez	1
20	Adele Fornarino	1
20	Ross Nicholls	1
20	Tom Maenurm	1
20	Tommy Langaker	1
20	Sam Holland	1
20	Samir Chantre	1
20	Santeri Lilius	1
20	Sean McCleary	1
20	Victor Hugo	1
20	Jayden Groner	1
20	Javier Barter	1
20	John Combs	1
20	Jacob Rodriguez	1
20	Ingridd Sousa	1
20	Ian Murray	1
20	Jordan Holy	1
20	Joseph Watson	1
20	Josh Dawson	1
20	Hiago George	1
20	Jozef Chen	1
20	Henrique Cardoso	1
20	JZ Cavalcante	1