Are Leg Locks Allowed for Jiu-Jitsu White Belts?

While leg locks have grown in popularity in recent years, they remain a contentious topic in jiu-jitsu. Much of that conversation relates to whether leg locks should be allowed for jiu-jitsu white belts.

Leg locks are generally not allowed for white belts, which is consistent across many competition rule sets. Many gyms also advise white belts not to practice leg locks during training. However, the rules about leg locks can be nuanced, and the reasoning behind those rules can vary as well.

Read on if you want to learn more about which leg locks are allowed for white belts and which are not. This post will share all you need to know about using leg lock techniques as a jiu-jitsu beginner. 

What Leg Locks are Allowed for Jiu-Jitsu White Belts?

The sole submission consistently allowed for white belts is the straight ankle lock. Otherwise, it is safest to assume that leg locks are not permitted when you begin training or compete as a white belt. The ankle lock is typically allowed for white belt use because it does not place a hazardous twisting force on the knee joint as many other leg locks do.

What Leg Locks are Not Allowed for Jiu-Jitsu White Belts?

The exact list of which leg locks a white belt can use will vary by what gyms and competitions you attend. Generally, leg locks that attack your opponent’s knee, such as the ones below, are considered too dangerous for white belt use:

• Inside heel hooks

• Outside heel hooks

• Toe holds

• Kneebars

• Calf slicers

Heel hooks are notorious for putting torsion on the knee joint ligaments and leading to severe injury. While they don’t carry an equally negative reputation, toe holds can produce the same result. However, rules about using kneebars as a white belt are often less strict because they don’t have the same twisting effect.

Why Are Leg Locks Illegal for Jiu-Jitsu White Belts?

The topic of leg locks in jiu-jitsu can be controversial for various reasons. Regardless of the many facets of that topic, those who oppose white belts using leg locks usually do so for one or more of the following reasons:

• Leg locks that target the knee cause long-lasting injuries

• Leg locks often don’t hurt as much as other submissions

• White belts lack enough control to practice leg locks safely

While some of those reasons may be readily apparent, others are not. The following sections will explain each of those reasons in more depth.

Leg Locks Cause Ligament Tears

Leg locks can cause tears to any of the four major knee ligaments. When such injuries are severe, they can be debilitating and take a long time to heal. Other submissions in jiu-jitsu can also cause injury. However, those injuries tend to have quicker recovery times and don’t impact your overall mobility while you recover. By contrast, a knee ligament tear can significantly alter or end a jiu-jitsu practitioner’s career. 

People Don’t Tap Out to Leg Locks in Time

Pain occurs before an injury when you’re caught in a submission. However, the gap between the moment you feel pain and the moment an injury occurs varies based on the submission in question. The time between the initial pain impulse and the point of injury tends to be shorter for leg locks than other submissions. As such, when jiu-jitsu practitioners are caught in a heel hook, many fail to tap out in time.  

White Belts Rarely Practice Leg Locks with Enough Caution

As you gain experience in jiu-jitsu, you will not only learn new techniques. You’ll also learn how to apply techniques with the highest degree of safety. White belts lack that ability in all aspects of grappling. Since leg locks cause such long-lasting damage, it’s wise to refrain from training them until you demonstrate composure and control over your movements on the mat.

What Should White Belts Learn Instead of Leg Locks?

Rather than risking the injuries that come with training leg locks too early, beginners should focus on jiu-jitsu fundamentals. Here are some of the areas in which a beginner should gain competence well before learning to attempt leg locks.

Basic Positions

Understanding the basic positions of jiu-jitsu will set a solid foundation for your development. Gaining the ability to recognize and feel comfortable in different positions will also help you approach grappling systematically.

High-Percentage Upper Body Submissions

Every submission in jiu-jitsu comes with some risk. However, upper-body submissions tend to be lower risk than lower-body submissions. Upper body submissions are also highly effective and are available from both the guard and dominant top positions.

Leg Lock Defense

Before you learn how to attempt a leg lock, it helps to learn how to defend one. Learning leg lock defense will keep your knees and ankles safe and will help you understand how leg submissions work. Fundamental knowledge of leg lock defense concepts will only make your leg lock offense that much more potent when it comes time to develop it.

When is it Safe to Learn Leg Locks?

The amount of time you should wait before learning leg locks will vary. Most people who receive a blue belt have enough skill to begin exploring leg locks with experienced training partners. However, the transition to learning lower body submissions should depend on ability more than training time alone.

Practitioners should exhibit self-control in applying their basic jiu-jitsu techniques before learning potentially dangerous techniques like leg locks. Most importantly, your training partner’s well-being should remain your top priority while attempting any submission. It’s also critical to ensure you only train leg locks with those who show the same amount of control and care.

Conclusion

Leg locks are a crucial part of jiu-jitsu, but they are also quite dangerous for beginners. Due to the high risk of long-term injury, white belts are typically not allowed to perform most leg lock techniques. Thankfully, there are plenty of other moves you can focus on during the early stages of jiu-jitsu training.