No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu

Inside heel hook

Category: Joint lock Rank: #2 Used Count: 658

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