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Leg drag pass to heel hook – Jiu-jitsu Diary

Date posted: June 3, 2025

Today, we learned how to set up the heel hook from the leg drag pass. The key is that once you perform the leg drag, keep their knee close to your hip and sit back down. Hide your inside foot by hooking it into a figure-4 with your other foot, then place it across to their far hip (because if you don’t, your opponent will have the chance to heel hook you instead). Once you sit down, you can adjust their heel while placing your foot mindfully to prevent them from running away or performing a heel hook on you.

Tip on Performing the Heel Hook:

  • Keep your shoulders straight and “in a line,” maintaining a firm grip on your partner’s heel.
  • The key to finishing is in the hip. Be mindful when lifting your hips off the mat and bridging into the knee—their knee should be bent, not straight. It’s harder to finish the heel hook if it’s straight.
  • It’s okay to put your head on the mat, as long as your shoulders, grip, and hips are in place.
  • Always notice the inside foot placement, as they will likely perform the heel hook on that inside leg.

Today’s roll was fun. I’m still learning and trying to apply the heel hook—it’s a scary technique to perform, as it could easily lead to injury if you’re not careful, especially if your partner is spazzy. Moving the wrong way could also ruin their knee if I already have a tight grip on it. I’m trying to sense the feel for it to know when to stop; it’s harder to gauge compared to other submissions I know, like the armbar or straight ankle lock. I understand that to improve at Jiu-Jitsu, I can’t hide from it forever. I will learn more about it next week. I got submitted a couple of times today with the heel hook and straight ankle lock as well, so I need to review how to defend and respect them more during rolling. Some guys go for it so quickly that, before I notice what’s happening, I have to tap right away.

One piece of feedback I got from one of my rolling partners today is that I try too hard and exert too much energy to prolong a bad position with framing or stopping them in place, instead of focusing on switching positions to advance the match. I need to sit on that for a minute and think more about how to adjust my strength in future practice.

Many of my partners also commend me for my strength, but I want to improve the technical aspect, not just the physical. Coach also told me that I use too much strength even when I’m in a control position like mount or side control, which will make me exhaust more quickly.

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Leg drag pass to heel hook – Jiu-jitsu Diary

Today, we learned how to set up the heel hook from the leg drag pass. The key is that once you perform the leg drag, keep their knee close to your hip and sit back down. Hide your inside foot by hooking it into a figure-4 with your other foot, then place it across to their far hip (because if you don’t, your opponent will have the chance to heel hook you instead). Once you sit down, you can adjust their heel while placing your foot mindfully to prevent them from running away or performing a heel hook on you.

Tip on Performing the Heel Hook:

  • Keep your shoulders straight and “in a line,” maintaining a firm grip on your partner’s heel.
  • The key to finishing is in the hip. Be mindful when lifting your hips off the mat and bridging into the knee—their knee should be bent, not straight. It’s harder to finish the heel hook if it’s straight.
  • It’s okay to put your head on the mat, as long as your shoulders, grip, and hips are in place.
  • Always notice the inside foot placement, as they will likely perform the heel hook on that inside leg.

Today’s roll was fun. I’m still learning and trying to apply the heel hook—it’s a scary technique to perform, as it could easily lead to injury if you’re not careful, especially if your partner is spazzy. Moving the wrong way could also ruin their knee if I already have a tight grip on it. I’m trying to sense the feel for it to know when to stop; it’s harder to gauge compared to other submissions I know, like the armbar or straight ankle lock. I understand that to improve at Jiu-Jitsu, I can’t hide from it forever. I will learn more about it next week. I got submitted a couple of times today with the heel hook and straight ankle lock as well, so I need to review how to defend and respect them more during rolling. Some guys go for it so quickly that, before I notice what’s happening, I have to tap right away.

One piece of feedback I got from one of my rolling partners today is that I try too hard and exert too much energy to prolong a bad position with framing or stopping them in place, instead of focusing on switching positions to advance the match. I need to sit on that for a minute and think more about how to adjust my strength in future practice.

Many of my partners also commend me for my strength, but I want to improve the technical aspect, not just the physical. Coach also told me that I use too much strength even when I’m in a control position like mount or side control, which will make me exhaust more quickly.

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Leg drag pass to heel hook – Jiu-jitsu Diary

Today, we learned how to set up the heel hook from the leg drag pass. The key is that once you perform the leg drag, keep their knee close to your hip and sit back down. Hide your inside foot by hooking it into a figure-4 with your other foot, then place it across to their far hip (because if you don’t, your opponent will have the chance to heel hook you instead). Once you sit down, you can adjust their heel while placing your foot mindfully to prevent them from running away or performing a heel hook on you.

Tip on Performing the Heel Hook:

  • Keep your shoulders straight and “in a line,” maintaining a firm grip on your partner’s heel.
  • The key to finishing is in the hip. Be mindful when lifting your hips off the mat and bridging into the knee—their knee should be bent, not straight. It’s harder to finish the heel hook if it’s straight.
  • It’s okay to put your head on the mat, as long as your shoulders, grip, and hips are in place.
  • Always notice the inside foot placement, as they will likely perform the heel hook on that inside leg.

Today’s roll was fun. I’m still learning and trying to apply the heel hook—it’s a scary technique to perform, as it could easily lead to injury if you’re not careful, especially if your partner is spazzy. Moving the wrong way could also ruin their knee if I already have a tight grip on it. I’m trying to sense the feel for it to know when to stop; it’s harder to gauge compared to other submissions I know, like the armbar or straight ankle lock. I understand that to improve at Jiu-Jitsu, I can’t hide from it forever. I will learn more about it next week. I got submitted a couple of times today with the heel hook and straight ankle lock as well, so I need to review how to defend and respect them more during rolling. Some guys go for it so quickly that, before I notice what’s happening, I have to tap right away.

One piece of feedback I got from one of my rolling partners today is that I try too hard and exert too much energy to prolong a bad position with framing or stopping them in place, instead of focusing on switching positions to advance the match. I need to sit on that for a minute and think more about how to adjust my strength in future practice.

Many of my partners also commend me for my strength, but I want to improve the technical aspect, not just the physical. Coach also told me that I use too much strength even when I’m in a control position like mount or side control, which will make me exhaust more quickly.

go back