Outside Heel Hook
The outside heel hook — primary submission from ashi garami and outside ashi. Loads lateral knee structures through external rotation.
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The outside heel hook is the primary finishing submission from ashi garami and outside ashi garami. It loads the lateral structures of the knee — the LCL and the posterolateral corner — through external rotation, and the ankle alongside them. The foot is the handle; the knee is the target.
It is the most common heel hook in no-gi competition. It appears in the majority of leg entanglement finishes across ADCC and submission-only events. Understanding the outside heel hook is understanding the primary threat of the ashi garami position system.
The submission is legal in IBJJF No-Gi for adult brown and black belts, and illegal below that, in all masters divisions, and in the gi at every belt. In gym training, it requires established mat culture, experienced training partners, and a clear understanding of the tap signal — which occurs before pain in functional heel hook training.
Elevated RiskOutside Heel Hook is an elevated risk technique. The outside heel hook loads the LCL and the posterolateral corner of the knee through external rotation, and loads the ankle at the same time because the foot is the lever. Damage occurs with very little rotational movement. Serious injury can occur within a small number of degrees of rotation.
If you are new to this technique: read this section before anything else. Understanding the danger is part of understanding the technique.
The person applying the technique is responsible for releasing immediately.
Communicate before drilling. Know your partner's experience level with this position.