Table of Contents
General information
The Heel Hook is arguably the most dangerous submission in BJJ and MMA. This is because unlike most submissions it gives the opponent little time to tap and can cause irreparable damage EXTREMELY quickly.
Heel hooks have grown in popularity recently, partly due to their use by the Danaher Death Squad. However, they have been around for many years prior to this and were originally popularised in BJJ by notorious leg locker Dean Lister.
What does a heel hook do?
The heel hook twists the ankle in the opposite direction of the knee. The result is that it puts incredible torque on the knee ligaments. As a result, it can potentially cripple the opponent if held for long enough. Because of this, heel hooks are considered very dangerous and are banned in many BJJ competition settings.
For evidence of the damage caused by heel hooks there are various videos featuring Rousimar Palhares. These attacks got Palhares released from the UFC as he was holding them beyond the tap causing visible pain and injury to his opponents. To further this, the internet is full of stories about injuries from heel hooks and injury recovery questions.
Part of this is due to the complex nature of the knee, there are various ligaments such as ACL, LCL & meniscus. All of which take long recovery times and are never the same once they’ve been repaired. Due to lack of blood flow to these areas they will not heal as quick as a bone and often need surgery to correct.
Where does a heel hook hurt?
Dependent on the control and execution of the heel hook, it can hurt either the knee or ankle. If it is sloppily applied then it can potentially break the ankle. However, if it is applied correctly then it should target the knee.
With heel hooks, you will know when it hurts after training. This will be because it feels dull and aches, even without feeling pain at the time. This shows just how fragile your knee ligaments are.
How do you protect yourself from heel hooks?
Most newcomers will not train with them. In that sense, avoiding them altogether is the best form of protection. However, the heel hook is not invincible either. A common defense often involves freeing the knee line of the leg that is being attacked. As the heel hook targets the knee, this means you can move your leg freely and create an angle to protect your knee ligaments.
Some people do this by rolling away from the direction that their knee is being pulled into. Other people do the ‘running man’ escape, which involves freeing your knee and literally trying to run off away from the position.
Are heel hooks legal?
Up until 2021, all heel hooks were illegal in IBJJF competitions. However, due to the growth in popularity they were allowed in no gi IBJJF competitions at black belt level for the first time. Other tournaments such as EBI and ADCC also allow heel hooks too, but remember most IBJJF no gi rules do not allow them (unless black belt).
The heel hook is illegal in the gi in all competitions. Unless a competition has an unusual rule set that allows them, then a good way to remember this is that if it involves the gi, heel hooks aren’t allowed.
The Development & Evolution Of Heel Hooks
The heel hook has always been thought of as a dangerous submission, however until the last decade or so, leg locks were always thought of as uncontrolled hit or miss positions.
This all changed when both 10th planet and John Danaher rapidly evolved their leg lock curriculum. In doing so, they took leg locks from being a low percentage and risky move, into a calculated and controlled submission.
Both the inside heel hook (inside sankaku) and outside heel hook (outside sankaku) are both very solid submissions when entered properly. There are now a variety of positions where a heel hook submission can be found such as the saddle, 50/50, single leg X in to a knee reap and some various counters to straight ankle locks.
Therefore the heel hook has become a staple of no-gi grappling tournaments, especially in the submission only formats, where points cannot be surrendered for losing position. The heel hook has gone from being an uncontrolled obscure leg lock, to a must know for every high level no-gi grappler.
Why Are Heel Hooks So Dangerous?
The issue with heel hooks involves their mechanics and how they can create a break in both knees and ankles.
Firstly, if the ankle pops, then it is not as severe as knee injury. As far as heel hook injuries go, the ankle popping is not bad, as it could be much worse.
The second best outcome would be the ankle breaking. Whilst this is bad the ankle roughly takes around 6 months to fully heal with time off the mats.
The worst outcome of heel hooks is the entire knee being destroyed, this is fairly rare, but it can happen where one, two or even three ligaments all snap at the same time. This could also cripple someone for life even after surgery and end their BJJ training forever.
The reason heel hooks are so dangerous is because of the way it twists the knee. Unlike a kneebar, the knee ligaments are twisted to laterally instead of horizontally. This means if you did pop your knee to a kneebar it would heal quicker as the ligaments would tear in a less complicated fashion (or perhaps not at all). With heel hooks however, the tear is often deeper and leads to a slower, more complicated recovery.
Not only this, but with a kneebar you can often feel the tension before tapping. Mechanically the kneebar is similar to an armbar where the pain slowly increases before the break. However, with heel hooks the body often gives little warning, some people feel fine before the damage is instantly caused and it’s too late. There have even been cases where people are walking around for months afterwards before they realise there is something wrong with their knee.
In some cases the heel hook isn’t even needed to break the leg as long as the knee is reaped, as seen at times in MMA and with Jake Shields vs Cub Swanson as an example.
Should You Be Training Heel Hooks?
It is often encouraged to train heel hooks with familiar, trusted partners. Another way to avoid heel hook injuries is by tapping early if they’re applied, instead of trying to escape out of the position. This is often why newcomers are not allowed to train heel hooks early on. They simply don’t know the dangers when both applying and defending the position due to lack of experience.
When you are a white belt, you may train heel hooks in gyms such as 10th planet. Most people who train in this gym have a very good understanding of leg locks to begin with, so you will be in safe hands. If you are at a gi based gym, the knowledge of heel hooks and leg locks in general is limited amongst the lower belts.
If you do find yourself in a heel hook position with your leg trapped and cannot escape, you should almost always tap. As a beginner, the last thing you want to do is start spinning violently trying to get out of the attack.
Whilst this may look to be what the professionals are doing. They know exactly how much force to use and which way to spin. Even if you are 95% sure that you’re going the right way, that means you have a 5% chance of ending up with a very nasty injury.
What To Do If You’ve Had A Heel Hook Injury
Heel hook injuries are usually pretty serious, so it’s suggested that you see a doctor immediately. It is possible to go through life whilst nursing a snapped ligament, but you don’t be able to run properly and will certainly struggle to do any sort of BJJ training.
More often than not, the doctors will need to see inside your knee to check what damage has been done. This is not invasive and only requires an MRI scan. The scan is painless and may be covered by your health insurance. From here the health professionals will be able to tell you whether surger is needed or not.
Not all ligament tears need surgery, so it’s always good to get checked. If your ligament is snapped, you will definitely need surgery.
Once the surgery is completed, you will need to stay away from full contact jiu-jitsu for a good 6 months depending on your rehab. It is VERY important to rehabilitate the knee professionally and properly. You must listen to the physiotherapists on what to do. Their excercises will speed up your recovery massively, since they have seen this kind of injury so many times before.
The LCL is considered to be the worst ligament you can snap from a heel hook since it generally has the longest recovery time.
Conclusion
In summary, the heel hook is a very powerful submission which should only be applied gently whilst training. As discussed it can easily damage the knee and ankle ligaments with far less force than other leg locks. Not only this but recovery time can range from a few months to years depending on the level of damage obtained. Because of this we recommend treating them with respect and care whilst attacking and defending them.
You should never risk training heel hooks with someone you don’t know such as a gym drop-in. If they’re more experienced at leg locks than you, as well as crazy with no regard for your safety. It is a big risk to your wellbeing for the next 6 months if you choose to spar them in this way.
If you’ve injured your knee from training then check out this protective knee brace.
