No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu

Inside heel hook

Category: Joint lock Rank: #2 Used Count: 627

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	18
6	Max Hanson	15
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	David Garmo	9
12	Eddie Cummings	9
13	Daniel Manasoiu	8
13	Gavin Corbe	8
13	Chris Wojcik	8
13	Cole Abate	8
14	Johnny Tama	7
14	Dominic Mejia	7
14	Abraham La Montagne	7
14	Jacob Couch	7
14	Alan Sanchez	7
15	Jon Blank	6
15	Placido Santos	6
15	Elijah Carlton	6
15	William Tackett	6
16	Joshua Flores	5
16	Kyle Boehm	5
16	Eoghan O'Flanagan	5
16	Pawel Jaworski	5
17	Geo Martinez	4
17	Taylor Pearman	4
17	Pierre-Olivier Leclerc	4
17	Pedro Marinho	4
17	Shay Montague	4
17	Nicky Ryan	4
17	Nick Ronan	4
17	Mateusz Szczecinski	4
17	Luke Griffith	4
17	Luccas Lira	4
17	Dean Lister	4
17	Diego Oliveira	4
17	Giancarlo Bodoni	4
18	Diego Ortiz	3
18	Lucas Kanard	3
18	Raajus Dewan	3
18	Amanda Bruse	3
18	Reese LaFever	3
18	Mayssa Bastos	3
18	Renato Canuto	3
18	Roosevelt Sousa	3
18	Bernardo Albuquerque	3
18	Ethan Crelinsten	3
18	Kevin Beuhring	3
18	Jasmine Rocha	3
18	Jalen Fonacier	3
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	Joao Miyao	3
18	Landon Elmore	3
18	Helena Crevar	3
19	Aaron Johnson	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	Danielle Kelly	2
19	Daniel Sathler	2
19	Dante Leon	2
19	Declan Moody	2
19	Fabian Ramirez	2
19	Haisam Rida	2
19	Jeremy Skinner	2
19	Kenta Iwamoto	2
19	Mica Galvao	2
19	Owen Jones	2
19	Patrick Gaudio	2
19	Paul Ardila	2
19	Ryan Hall	2
19	Tim Spriggs	2
19	Travis Haven	2
19	Vagner Rocha	2
20	Josh Dawson	1
20	Gianni Grippo	1
20	Jozef Chen	1
20	Gabriel Sousa	1
20	JZ Cavalcante	1
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	Achilles Rocha	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	Aaron Sheffield	1
20	Michael Sainz	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	Tom Maenurm	1
20	Paige Ivette	1
20	Tommy Langaker	1
20	Victor Hugo	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	Ryan Aitken	1
20	Tye Ruotolo	1
20	Sam Holland	1
20	Samir Chantre	1
20	Santeri Lilius	1
20	Sean McCleary	1
20	Sean Yadimarco	1
20	Sebastian Attard	1
20	Adam Wardzinski	1
20	Javier Barter	1
20	Tarik Hopstock	1
20	Jacob Rodriguez	1
20	Ingridd Sousa	1
20	John Combs	1
20	Ian Murray	1
20	Hiago George	1
20	Henrique Cardoso	1
20	Jordan Holy	1
20	Joseph Watson	1