The Lock Down (Half Guard): Getting and maintaining the lockdown

[kk110231]

my lockdown was working for a while but everyone at the gym has seemed to figure it out, and even when i get it, they always slide theyre leg out i cant figure out what im doing wronggg

[jtstevenson81]

Quick question. I've noticed that when Eddie demonstrates the lockdown half guard, he always has the double underhooks. What if I don't have the double underhooks though and my opponent has an underhook on me? Can I still use the lockdown? Thanks!

[saulgoodeson]

@jtstevenson81 The lockdown is mostly about controlling the leg to prevent easy passes. So you can lock down the knee...but double underhooks are preferable because you have more control of the full body and have better leverage for sweeping.

[codyallanspring]

@jtstevenson81 Yes there are several things you can do you can use the jaws of life to get the double under hooks or you could stomp and get to butterfly guard and there is someother stuff too. Just explore in rolling and see what works for you :)

[gmcdiven]

when i extend people down to loosen the crossface for the whip up they sometimes complain or tap to the calf crush. is it meant to crush the calf or am i doing it wrong?

[monoforraptunes]

the 1 problem i have with the lockdown is the whip up is extremely difficult to do,they just crossface the shit out of me when i have double underhooks and its so hard to do the whip up to my side...

[1MoreRoundbrother]

I am so glad I learned the lockdown from reading Jiu-Jitsu Unleased ! My first days in jiu jitsu I was nervous as hell, but very comfortable off of my back !

[that1grappler]

im a tall person and when i sparred with a short person i cant get the complete lockdown because my legs are long and he's legs are short and his leg is right in my tail bone. i cant seem to be able to hook his leg. do you have any tips for this??

[TheBlackSpoon]

If their foot is very sweaty my foot slides right over it when I try to extend it out. Is this normal?

[ardean9000]

thanks 101. now maybe i can get somewhere instead of stalemate

[mitchhsansom]

I can tell how much Ari has grown since he did this video. I don't think he would say that traditional half is "garbage" now in his jiu jitsu career, but that's just my guess.

[Submissions101]

@mitchhsansom You are right buddy. The word garbage was a bad choice and I should have articulated that differently. We live, we learn ;-)

[jujitsu34]

@Submissions101 its amazing people freak out and run there mouths over half guard variation also none of them are uploading videos. keep up the good work

[DrOnline82]

I've always used the sloppy half guard, but I did the lockdown today in judo, and both guys I applied it to immediately tapped saying their calf was getting crushed. Thank you very much submissions 101 :D

[ResidentBiscuit]

@DrOnline82 It can be really uncomfortable but I don't it's really tap worthy.

[Submissions101]

@ResidentBiscuit That isn't always true. In one of my recent jiu jitsu matches, I popped a guys knew with my lock down to which he had to tap to it.

[borayongacoglu]

wait.. mr bolden, at 0:55 of this video, u called how everyone else holds half-guard garbage... based on what?

[Submissions101]

@borayongacoglu Traditional half guard isn't garbage...bad choice of words for sure. In regards to the lockdown game and PURE clinching, it is (as in you don't have the same control for the moves OFF the lock down). Everyone uses the traditional half guard and there are tons of great sweeps off that too. Just wanted to make sure everyone was awake when I did this video ;-)

[Paggot]

First of all I wouldnt call traditional half guard garbage. Most amateurs and professionals are not playing lockdown in competition and they arnt getting their guards passed as easily as you claim. The lockdown game has a whole series of interesting attacks, and its a wonderful position, but to limit your entire half guard offense to just attacks branching off the lockdown i think is an error. It's better to have a complete half guard game.

[Submissions101]

Of course! It is a superior way of HOLDING not a superior way of half guard. It is another type of half guard with more attacks than traditional half guard. If I can't get the lockdown, I will of course settle for regular half or even deep half.

[Honnis]

Awesome. This is exactly what I was wondering about. Thanks Ari :).

[Thefirepenguins]

can you put your arm or armpit over the head while doing this

[ResidentBiscuit]

@Thefirepenguins From the bottom? No, you need the double underhooks to attack

[striker1224]

Thanks alot. I'm gonna try this at my class next week.

My half guard sucks lol.

[kuyabubblez34]

wow i never noticed how big a difference this could make. ima try it tonight. i was doing what you called "garbage" lol xD

[robobob91]

Hey Ari,

Thanks for all the vids!

i have a question about the Whip-Up, but that video's locked.

In practice when executing the whip-up and turning to my side, one of my partners always places his arm (the one that's not Whizzering) in front of my face, preventing me from getting underneath and grabbing the ankle for Old School or switching to Electric Chair.

Any tips?

[SWGrappler]

Sometimes when people are in my lockdown, they're able to swivel their leg out of it, not fully out of my my lockdown but the hook furthest down on their leg (the one with my inside leg), what am I doing wrong? How do I make it tighter?

[DarkBeam]

practice. Its just like making your full guard tighter. Over time it will get tighter and tighter.

[RandomSeeded]

That's pretty much the textbook response to the lockdown. I generally try not to spend too much time in the lockdown itself, but extend / stretch their body out briefly before whipping up or trying to get full guard. Generally when one of my opponent tries to put me in that calf crunch I simply let go of the lock down the moment my opponent goes to his feet; don't try to hold him in there. If you've got some sort of control on his upper body you find yourself in open guard.

[ebdave13]

Thanks for putting this up! Alot of the videos you guys put up have helped alot! Eddie came down and did a seminar here in hawaii and it was awesome! Keep up the great work you guys!

[Nathan671]

Then a second later he stood up and leaned his leg that was in the half gaurd back towards him with out lifting it off the mats. Since my legs were in the lockdown position it created a sorta calf crunch on me. What are your thoughts on this?

[Nathan671]

so i was under the impression that the lockdown was the sickest technique from half gaurd but i was taught a lesson today at my gym. A purple belt was in my half gaurd with the lockdown in place. And he told me that i did not want to do that, but being stubborn me i ignored him.

[davz1992]

my brother attacked me and i got him to tap out doing this

thanks subs 101

[fighter1125]

ARI! you're not going to believe it! I used this yesterday when i was rolling with a guy thats 220 lbs 6 ft tall and im like 153 lbs 5 foot 7! Pretty strong guy, and I used this when we were rolling, and he couldn't not get out, he kept saying he will, and i just said nope. And i got him on an ARM TRIANGLE from my lockdown position! it was sweet!!! thanks again bro!

[Dudongo86]

I was looking for this, I didn"t get it very good from the book so now is "clearer". Thank"s great video, Happy New Year.

[tensecLT1]

probably the best technique in all of the 10the 10th planet system. works on EVERYBODY regardless of strength or rank.... At the very least it gives you time to breathe.... I have recently started getting good enough with the whip up that I completely bypass the arm around the back and gable grip when i roll to my side. I keep them up high using my arms and roll them right into the electric chair..... God help anyone in my half guard... :D:D:D:D all thanks to EB, the RG, and submissions 101

[GrapplerJMo]

I know Eddie in his book mentioned that he learned the lock down is also a judo technique, does anyone know the judo/japanese term for the lock down?

[Submissions101]

Ashi Kannuki. Although some judoka will reverse the leg positions. We have a thread dedicated to this on our forum. Just search the term "Ashi Kannuki" in our forum and read up on it.

cheers!

[jettarulz]

thanks guys you all at 101 are awesome

[TeamDiezelProduction]

Outstanding technique....I just started using this for a couple of weeks now and it has improved my half-guard game so much. Using it in conjunction with the Whip Up and a Stomp into butterfly guard are two simple ways to revolutionize anyones half-guard. Thanks guys...

[esauofrensfal]

I really don't like the half guard when you're flat on your back. You won't always get passed if you have the underhooks, but your still flat, and you can eat elbows and hammerfists.

Personally, I'd rather fight off of my side and either take the back or go for the old school sweeps (or the single leg reversal if its there).

[fyerfytr]

Thanks Ari will have to use this for sure.

Keep the videos coming and have a great Holiday Season!

[fighter1125]

this thing works sooo perfect!!! i swear, i was just doing this and hour ago when i was rolling with someone bigger and taller than me, and they don't even know what the heck is happening! great for sweeps. Thanks ARI and SUBMISSIONS 101

[zaxonortesus]

I love The Lock Down. I use it with the guys I roll with all of the time. They got tired of not knowing how to set it in, so we started drilling it. Outside in, over under, that is how I remember it and taught it to them, works like a charm about 95% of the time, and there are some great moves out and submissions from there too, more than you would think from half guard bottom.

[onehandraisinbransam]

!!!!! GUYS CHECK OUT THE TechniquePrevails channel. They have amazingly in depth material. !!!!!

(I'm not trying to take away your audience Ari, but its a great channel that people should know about. Maybe you guys can get into some mutual promotional arrangements with them to increase both of your audiences.)

[baywest]

hey Ari, do you have any sweeps from lockdown that will work especially well with really big opponents??? I roll with two guys that have a 50lb weight advantage on me.

[oagui002]

does anybody else have the problem of getting their nuts crushed by your opponents leg/hip once you you extend your legs and flatten him out?

[DeltaSigChi4]

Buy a cup. Wear said cup.

Problem solved. No need to pay me.

E

[hudsonkoa]

ok Ari please show the boa. pretty please with sugar on top.

[shotokanpro]

not neccessarily about this video, but i just want to tell you that you guys rock and your work is really appreciated at my gym. I was wondering if you could add a little aspect to your videos. I always wonder what the effect of certain techniques will actually have on a person if it was a street situation and taps meant nothing. lol. Obviosly these are techniques that we will maybe one day use in the street, but im sure that nobody really wants to accidentally kill somebody. Thanks for yourwork

[LUESoldat]

Lockdown passes in an upcoming video?

[Submissions101]

yes...we have one up already (no hands pass)

[mrdogg]

I used to use the lockdown a lot, but once I got the underhooks, one of the guys at our gym used to hug the back of the neck with the nearside arm and drive their shoulder in to throat. This cuts off your air supply. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if there is a counter. I may not have explained it well but it the most effective pass and has made me stop using the lockdown as a result. Thoughts?

[peacemaker281]

Awesome and well taught!

[KingCrimson1982]

I just saw a video entitled "Erik Paulson Breaks the Lockdown". I'm inexperienced but it didn't look like his partner was squeezing his legs and he barely extended his them, add to the fact that he didn't have the underhooks gripped. I don't think any of them knew what they were doing.

[Submissions101]

Don't kid yourself, Erik is a monster and has forgotten more than most of us have learned ;-)

I've seen the video and like the concepts and they will work for how his partner had the lockdown applied and no underhooks.

The IDL hurts like hell but is a real bitch to actually get.

[KingCrimson1982]

You misunderstood my comment, all I wanted to know was if the techniques were effective which as you stated they are. I don't believe anyone should discount anyone's opinion no two people fight the same. I didn't mean to have it come off like I thought the guy was full of shit that was not my intention. Thanks for clarifying and expanding my knowledge of grappling.

[Submissions101]

Its all good bro ;-) I was just clarifying for anyone else reading this.

[xdanielx33]

Love the lockdown, I just need to learn all the sweeps. Thanks for sharing.

[cpanther721]

thanks good video.

[eddie2593]

BRILLIANT!

[Submissions101]

Whatever you are used to.

[toadums]

I remember when Scott was in town showing us how to do this...haha, he was getting so mad at the people who couldnt do it!

[wrxbungle]

Hey, what sweeps can you work from the lockdown?

Every sweep I've learned goes from the traditional half guard.

Also, how do you pass the lockdown?

[Submissions101]

Sweeps from lock down, look at our videos: whip up, old school, plan b, electric chair