Before there was the heel hook, we had ankle locks. Nobody really loved them, but not many people tried to get them banned either. They lingered in the grey zone, only used by folks brave enough to introduce some variety to a sport dominated by upper-body submissions.
As Danaher’s Death Squad emerged out of the blue basement and started taking names and collecting legs, the awareness of leg locks in the BJJ community quickly changed, but the status of ankle locks did not really change.
One of the early members of the notorious Danaher Death Squad is now shedding new light on a submission many people take for granted. The Dynamic Ankle Locks Jason Rau DVD is exactly the resource to reignite your interest in one of the most powerful submissions in grappling.
Key Takeaways
- No-Gi BJJ DVD, with just under 2 hours of modern ankle lock concepts.
- Chapters covering how the techniques work against a resisting opponent.
- Taught by one of the original Danaher Death Squad members.
- BJJ World Expert Rating: 8 out of 10.
DOWNLOAD DYNAMIC LEG LOCKS JASON RAU DVD HERE!!!
Ankle Locks – The Gateway Leg Lock
With heel hooks now being a part of grappling life instead of the boogeyman leg lock that everyone had to be scared to death of, they seem to have completely taken over as the one and only lower-body submission people opt for. While powerful without a doubt, the hell hokk is not the only option you have of tapping someone out using their ankle and foot.
Foot locks, or ankle locks, call them as you wish, were the primary weapon of choice for those brave enough to attempt them in competitions before Danaher changed the leg-locking landscape of the BJJ World. The ankle lock remains one of the strongest and most versatile leg locks you can use to this day, while still staying legal at all levels of Gi and No-Gi competition.
I get the infatuation with the most efficient tactic available, and the heel hook definitely fits the description, but let’s not forget that ankle locks will actually make your heel hooks a lot better. There is an intricate interplay between ankle locks and heel hooks from Ashi Garami that you see in every top-level leg locker’s arsenal.
One such resource, outlining the complete approach a world-class leg locker has to ankle locks is the Jason Rau DVD Dynamic Ankle Locks. It provides an insight into how a modern-day leglocker uses every possible submission at his disposal to build a scary sub-only game.
The No-Gi Destroyer: Jason Rau
Jason Rau is a grappler that everyone who is into leg locks has encountered. He is a Matt Serra black belt, which places him among the best leg lockers in the world since he had the chance to spend a lot of time training with Danaher in the Blue Basement of Renzo Gracie’s NYC Academy.
After Rau got his black belt from Serra in 2016, after just 6 years of training, he spent a lot of time competing in submission-only events, racking up an impressive record of 50 submission finishes out of 56 matches he won. 36 of those matches he won by leg locks.
Most of his competitive efforts were a result of training and competing as part of the Danaher Death Squad back in the day when they were tearing it up on the sub-only scene using leg locks. Jason has several important titles from that period, most notably in Sapaitero, Kasai Pro and RISE.
Jason has kept developing his submission-hunting game even after the Squad fell apart, and he opted to keep training in NYC, sticking to Matt Serra’s gym and the RGA. His Dynamic Ankle Locks DVD is the latest in a series of BJJ instructionals he has released trying to demonstrate and teach his approach to No-Gi sub-only BJJ.
Detailed “Dynamic Ankle Locks” Jason Rau DVD Review
The Dynamic Ankle Locks DVD is a three-part series that contains just under 2 hours of video material on the ankle lock and how to integrate it into the modern Jiu-Jitsu game. Since Rau has been a competitor for most of his grappling career, everything in this DVD is highly effective and tournament-tested, leaving you with a great resource to up your leg lock attacks:
Part 1 – General Concepts
The first portion of this Jason Rau DVD addresses the general concepts of leg locking and where ankle locks fit into the system. He begins by covering the key grips that allow you to connect to the opponent’s leg, before going into leg positioning and how to enhance the power of your grips by blocking their hips.
Rau also covers the ankle lock itself, and the mechanics involved in finishing it. He also shares an interesting way to dig for the ankle using the Outside Ashi position, which opens up a ton of different leg-locking options in addition to it.
Part 2 – Ankle Lock Finishes
The second volume of the Dynamic Ankle Locks DVD by Jason Rau is all about finishing ankle locks. It is the longest volume in the series and features an hour of braking mechanics from different guards and using different grip configurations.
I really enjoyed Jason’s way of dealing with opponents who stand up in his Ashi, getting them immediately down to the Y-guard, and following up with an ankle lock regardless of how they finish – hand on the mats, belly down, or with their butt on the mats.
Rau then goes on to explore the Aoki lock as a wonderful alternative to the traditional ankle lock grip. I prefer this one anyway, so I enjoyed expanding my understanding of how it works, who to switch back and forth from the traditional ankle lock, and use it from a bunch of top and bottom positions.
The final chapter of this volume deserves a special mention, because not many grapplers dedicate time to demonstrate how their techniques and setups fare against resisting opponents.
Part 3 – Ankle Lock Combos
In the final portion of this leg-lock-hunting Jason Rau DVD, we get a masterclass of how we can connect an ankle lock grip to the rest of Jiu-Jitsu, from heel hooks to back takes. Jason explores different scenarios where ankle locks fail and how you can make the most out of the knee position, whether rotated towards the inside or outside to remain a menace.
Follow-up attacks include the bear trap, back entries, kneebar setups, and transitions to knee-reaping positions that take you toward the dark art of hooking heels.
The One Leg Lock to Rule Them All
The Dynamic Ankle Locks instructional is the perfect demonstration of how the humble ankle lock has a lot more to offer to grapplers than first meets the eye. Ankle locks are like the closed guard of leg locks – they are extremely efficient, but people find them boring and like to do fancy, complex moves like Imanari Roll Heel Hooks instead.
We should approach ankle locks in the same manner as we approach closed guards – we can’t neglect to work on the basics. While straight ankle locks might not be the highest percentage finish, they open up other submissions such as heel hooks, as well as provide routes to dominate positions like the back, truck, or mount.
let’s not forget that ankle lock finishing has evolved with different grips transforming them into very potent weapons that remain legal. Just take the Aoki Lock, reverse ankle lock, or the Mikey Lock as examples.
JASON RAU DYNAMIC LEG LOCKS DVD AVAILABLE HERE!!!
Being Relentless with Leg Attacks
With every Jason Rau DVD, you learn the dynamic side of No-Gi grappling. His Dynamic Ankle Locks is just another addition to this dynamic grappling series, exploring how you can use the ankle lock as your centerpiece leg lock and have incredible success in BJJ competitions. Since there are no legal concerns attached to this submission, there’s no reason to think twice about getting this DVD now!
Leg Locks 101: A Guide to Positions, Submissions, Dangers, And Rules
