Inside Heel Hook From Backside 50/50

In today's blog post, I am going to show you how to execute the inside heel hook from backside 50/50.

I have been training BJJ for more than five years now and some of my favorite submissions are the leg locks.

Leg locks have become increasingly popular in recent years, with many high-level competitors using them to great effect.

The inside heel hook from backside 50/50 is a powerful submission that can put your opponent in a world of pain if executed correctly.

For those unfamiliar with the term, the 50/50 position is a leg entanglement where both you and your opponent are facing each other and have a leg inside the other person's legs.

The backside 50/50 variation involves being in this position but with you facing your opponent's back.

A great advantage that the backside 50/50 offers is that your legs are a lot safer while those of your opponent are very vulnerable to attacks.

The regular 50/50, on the other hand, gives your opponent an equal chance to attack with leg locks too hence the term "50/50".

However, it's important to note that leg locks, including the inside heel hook, can be dangerous if not executed properly.

Therefore, it's crucial to learn the technique correctly and practice it under the supervision of a qualified instructor.

To get an even better understanding of the technique, you can watch the step-by-step instructional video below.

To enter the backside 50/50 position and execute the inside heel hook, you need to make a few transitions from the guard.

While there are several transitions, I will show you one of the most common ones in this guide.

In this step-by-step tutorial, I will demonstrate how to move from the closed guard to the K-guard position before attaining the backside 50/50 position.

Before you can start transitioning from the closed guard, first you need to understand what your opponent's goal is.

When your opponent is inside your closed guard, their goal is often to open the guard if they understand jiu-jitsu or grappling.

The most common and effective way for your opponent to open the closed guard is by standing up straight and then pushing your knees.

See image below for a clear reference.

Your opponent usually wants to open your closed guard by standing up.

If you are playing guard, it's important to understand that if your opponent opens your guard, they are passing you.

On the other hand, if you open your guard, you are playing guard, which means you need to be the one initiating the transition.

Allowing your opponent to open the guard first puts you in a defensive position, which can make it challenging to attack.

Instead, you need to be proactive and open your guard on your own terms.

Now, let's get into the breakdown of how to transition to the backside 50/50 position from the closed guard.

A deep underhook on one of your opponent's leg.

When your opponent stands up, it creates an opportunity for you to underhook one of their legs.

To prevent your opponent from applying pressure on your knees and opening your closed guard, you need to act quickly and secure a deep underhook on one of their legs.

Your underhook should be at least elbow deep and you want to put it behind your opponent's knee to apply pressure.

The image above provides a clearer visualization of what I am talking about.

In this example, I am underhooking with my right arm on my opponent's left leg.

Entering K-guard to execute the inside heel hook from backside 50/50.

The next step is to open your guard and transition into the K-guard position.

To do this, you need to place one foot on your opponent's hip and hook your other foot on the side of their leg.

Simultaneously, wedge your knee inside your opponent's knee.

Once in the K-guard position, connect your hands and pull your opponent's knee towards your stomach to isolate their leg.

This will enable you to attack the inside heel hook from backside 50/50.

Check out the image above for a better visual reference.

Swing your other leg and hook your opponent's far side leg to enter the backside 50/50.

The K-guard is not a traditional guard but rather a transitional position that you don't want to hold for too long.

Once you've secured the K-guard, quickly swing your other leg behind your opponent's thigh and chop down hard to hook their far side leg.

From here, triangle your legs together to transition into the backside 50/50 position. 

The image above shows how the position should look like.

Now, you're all set to execute the inside heel hook submission.

The inside heel hook grip.

To execute the inside heel hook from the backside 50/50 position, the next step is to grip your opponent's toes and pass their leg over to your armpit on the opposite side.

Gripping their toes is crucial because it will be harder for your opponent to resist.

Avoid gripping their ankle as this will give them leverage to resist against your arm.

Once you have their leg in place, use your forearm to hook their heel.

Now you have complete control and ready to finish the inside heel hook from backside 50/50.

Finishing the inside heel hook.

To execute the inside heel hook from backside 50/50, you need to thrust your hips forward while keeping your opponent's heel in place with the forearm hook.

Make sure your opponent's knee line stays inside your hip line.

If their knee comes out of your hip line, you won't be able to finish the heel hook.

See the image above for reference.

To escape the inside heel hook attempt, your opponent will most likely do a back step as a counter.

To counter this, you need to follow his body rotation and get to a belly-down position like this:

Follow your opponent's body rotation to get to the belly down position.

Once you go belly down, you want to shift your weight towards your opponent's isolated leg to prevent them from rolling away.

Make sure to maintain their knee line inside your hip line while finishing the inside heel hook.

Thrust your hip forward to apply pressure and complete the submission.

Finishing the inside heel hook from the belly down position.

One of the most common mistakes when finishing the heel hook is rotating your hip like this:

Do not rotate your hip like this to finish the heel hook.

As you can see, rotating your hip does not give any pressure to your opponent's knee that will trigger him to tap.

Always keep the isolated heel in place while thrusting your hip forward to finish the heel hook.

The heel hook is considered to be one of the most dangerous submissions in BJJ and submission grappling due to the high risk of injury to the knee and ankle joints.

Unlike other submissions, the heel hook targets the knee and ankle simultaneously, putting significant torque on the joints and potentially causing damage to the ligaments and tendons.

If the heel hook is not executed properly or is held for too long, it can result in serious injuries such as ligament tears, joint dislocation, and even fractures.

Watch the video here to see what happens if you do not tap to a heel hook quick enough.

You can also watch an explanation from Lachlan Giles, one of the best leg lockers in the world today, on why heel hooks are dangerous below.

The dangerous nature of heel hooks is the reason why the submission is banned for beginner-level competitions.

However, I do believe that with the right supervision, beginners can train heel hooks safely as part of their jiu jitsu development.

The inside heel hook from the backside 50/50 is a great technique to add to your leg lock game.

Please remember that the heel hook is a highly dangerous submission technique that can cause serious damage to the opponent's knee.

It is important to understand the proper techniques for executing and defending against the heel hook, as well as the potential risks and dangers involved.

Learning from experienced practitioners and instructors can provide valuable insights and knowledge for safely and effectively using this technique in BJJ and submission grappling.

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